January 18, 2021

Winnipeg
-18° C, Ice crystals

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Canstar Community News
    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Flyers
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photostore
  • More

©2021 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Flyers
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photostore
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Read Now Pay later
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
Winnipeg Free Press
Articles Read
Your Balance +tax
Day Pass Till
Day Pass
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Report an Error
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
    • Staff Biographies
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • Log in
    • Create Account
    • Help
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
    • My Account
    • Manage My Subscription
    • Change Password
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
Log in Create Account Contact Us
Contact Us Manage Subscription
  • Sections
  • Local
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Diversions
    • Environment
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Soccer
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • E-Edition
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Automotive
    • Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Merchandise
    • Pets
    • Real Estate
    • Rentals
    • Services
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print
    • Ripley's Aquariums
    • The Bay
    • Staples Canada
    • Altitude Sports
    • Nike
    • Tuango
    • Ebay Canada
    • Sport Chek
    • Roots
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe
Opinion Columnists

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Book world slowly grasping value of sequels to classic tales

By: Morley Walker
Posted: 10/3/2009 1:00 AM | Last Modified: 10/7/2009 12:18 PM | Updates

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 2/10/2009 (4125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

With the new Winnie-the-Pooh book arriving in bookstores on Monday, the ghost of Lt. Harry Colebourn is grinning sheepishly.

Perhaps even bearishly.

Colebourn, as every real Winnipegger knows, is the First World War soldier responsible for inadvertently providing the inspiration for the cuddliest ursus of children's literature.

A veterinarian by profession, Colebourn named the orphaned bear cub he bought in 1914, from a hunter in White River, Ont., after the city in which he had been living.

He took Winnie with him to England. The bear ended up in the London Zoo, where author A. A. Milne took his son Christopher for outings.

In 1926, Milne released his charming book of stories, Winnie-the-Pooh, illustrated by E.H. Shepard, about the "silly old bear" and his animal friends Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.

The second and final story book, The House at Pooh Corner, came out in 1928. But it wasn't until the late '80s that a Winnipeg Free Press reporter Heidi Graham unearthed the Winnipeg connection.

Her spadework resulted in a million articles and TV reports, a TV movie, the local purchase at auction of a $200,000-plus sign painted by Shepard and a failed attempt to erect a Pooh museum in Assiniboine Park. (Graham herself went on to become the spokeswoman for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.)

Thus Winnipeg has as big a stake as any place in the English-speaking world in Pooh's latest literary chapter, The Return to Hundred Acre Wood.

Its publishers, Egmont in Britain and the Penguin children's imprint Dutton in North America, have released the first chapter to whet our appetites.

The author, a Pooh devotee named David Benedictus, and the artist, greeting card illustrator Mark Burgess, have approached their task with reverent fidelity to the original.

Still, they have introduced a new character, Lottie the Otter. As we speak, reporters with visions of a Graham-like scoop are scouring Whiteshell biological records to see if Lottie belongs to the northern river otter species Lontra canadensis, known to swim around Otter Falls, Man.

Even though this sequel has the blessing of the so-called Trustees of Pooh Properties -- and therefore the Disney Corporation, which owns the rights to all things Poohy -- not everyone thinks a new book is necessary 80 years after the fact.

An Associated Press story out of London this week quoted a Cambridge Pooh scholar as saying Milne had closed the second Pooh book exactly as he should have, with Christopher Robin leaving childhood behind him.

"This is an absolutely perfect ending," Maria Nikolajeva said, "and doing anything beyond this is pointless."

Pointlessness, mind you, has never been a stumbling block for sequels -- witness the hundreds that Hollywood churns out each year.

In book publishing, where a quick score is harder to come by, it has taken executives longer to grasp the value of milking the tried and true. There have been exceptions, most notably the sequels to Margaret Mitchell's 1937 Civil War classic Gone With the Wind.

Earlier this year, the recluse J.D. Salinger succeeded in blocking the American publication of a novel by a Swedish writer who had imagined Catcher in the Rye's teenaged protagonist, Holden Caulfield, as a 76-year-old nursing home escapee.

Here in Canada, the estate of L.M. Montgomery has got into the act. On Oct. 27, Penguin will release The Blythes are Quoted, an unabridged version of the stories Montgomery intended as the ninth volume in her Anne of Green Gables series.

Montgomery supposedly submitted the manuscript to her publisher the day she died in 1942.

Stay informed

The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Subscribe to COVID-19 Briefing
Sign Up

So, north of the border, at least, the fall is shaping up to be a battle between the pigtailed Prince Edward Islander and the bear named Winnie.

Winnipeg-based McNally Robinson Booksellers are holding a Thanksgiving Party with Winnie Oct. 10 in their Toronto store.

Why not in Winnipeg? Who knows? But the Thin Air Winnipeg International Writers Festival has booked the Canwest Performing Arts Centre for a Pooh party of its own on Nov. 8.

Since Penguin is publishing both The Return to Hundred Acre Wood and The Blythes Are Quoted, Anne Shirley could very well muscle in.

And if not her, expect the ghost of Lt. Colebourn, who will be grinning bearishly.

morley.walker@freepress.mb.ca

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

History

Updated on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 12:18 PM CDT: Correction: L.M. Montgomery died in 1942. Incorrect information appeared in a previous version of this story.

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top