Posted on March 13: Pierre Berton, teller of tales

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Pierre_Berton.jpg” caption=”Pierre Berton”]Hunched over a table in an army hut, exhausted from hours in a brigade obstacle course, Pierre Berton tapped away on his portable typewriter. He had a need to write. It was an urge that had been with him for as long as he could remember.

Many years later, speaking to a 200-plus audience of aspiring, professional and hobby writers, Berton spoke of the years he served with the army and about the letters he wrote to family and friends, even when it was torture, even in despair, but mostly, because he couldn't stop.

“The urge to write was there almost from the beginning,” he said in his characteristic booming voice.

Reading from his latest book The Joy of Writing in the McMaster University Student Centre this week, Berton reflected on his career as a writer, broadcaster, journalist and a teller of tales. He offered several pointers to successful writing such as, know and understand your audience, do not write down to your readers, don't use a $10-word when a 5-cent one will do, dig deeper, don't neglect the obvious, always describe the people and places, always check the weather and don't read reviews, measure them.

“When Pierre offered to come to McMaster and give a reading for our students from his recently-published book, we were delighted to accept his offer,” said University librarian Graham Hill. “For nearly 30 years, Pierre has been a strong supporter and friend of McMaster and its Library through his continuing donations of manuscripts, research materials, correspondence and other mementos of his outstanding successful career. He is certainly one of the most qualified writers in Canada to encourage students to pursue the life of an author.”

Born and raised in the Yukon Territory, Berton began his writing career in Vancouver and at 21, became the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily newspaper. Ten years later, he was named managing editor of Maclean's Magazine. He was a resident panelist on CBC's weekly series Front Page Challenge and writer and host of the Pierre Berton Show, and has won numerous awards, including three Governor General's Literary Awards, the Canadian Author's Association Literary Award for non-fiction and he is a companion of the Order of Canada.

Since his early writing days, he has seen a transformation in the writing profession. Writers, once isolated and poverty stricken, today receive generous grants from the government, he says. “They live on campuses, not in attics and they are paid good fees as writers in residence. They give speeches, turn up on television, participate in public readings and panel discussions, join unions, hold conventions and quite often make news.”

When asked what he thinks about modern day journalists, Berton responded: “I think the writing is a lot better than when I was a young journalist and we were rapping out stuff at top speed. There are more good writers now than when I began.”

As an often political writer, he was asked what his thoughts are on an impending war on Iraq. “We're in for another silly, stupid war,” he responded. “People think war is a solution. We know now that war is a solution for nothing and there is no such thing as a winnable war.”

Berton, who received an honorary Doctor of Letters from McMaster in 1983, has written 49 books, including Klondike, Vimy and The Arctic Grail. He currently is working on his 50th book, tentatively named, Spirit of the North, about seven northern characters from the turn-of-the-century.

Photo caption: Pierre Berton reads from his latest book The Joy of Writing in the McMaster University Student Centre Monday. Photo credit: Chantall Van Raay