Bernadette McDonald's latest book is Freedom Climbers, the most honoured book of mountaineering literature published in Canada. It tells the story of a group of Polish adventurers who emerged from under the blanket of oppression following the Second World War to become the world's leading Himalayan climbers. When I asked McDonald to contribute a holiday Lit Wish List to 49th Shelf, she responded with titles that all share these characteristics: fine writing, compelling characters, compassion, excellent research and a tangible connection to landscape. Is it any wonder that she's such a celebrated author? That sounds like the formula for any great book!
First, let's hear from McDonald about how she got her start in writing, and the "aha" moment that first took her to Banff. Then we'll check out her Lit Wish List: Five Books to Connect You to the Landscape.
Julie Wilson: Before you began to write, there was a magnificent evolution from musician living in Saskatchewan to your twenty years at The Banff Centre where you created the division for Mountain Culture. Talk about what lead to that move.
Bernadette McDonald: It might sound ridiculous, but I actually had an “aha” moment one night in Banff when my family was on its way to British Columbia for Christmas. We went for a walk on a magical snowy night and I knew that this was the place (or the kind of place) where I wanted to live and make some kind of life. I guess I fell in love with the mountains that night. That transition took quite a long time, with university years in various places, studying music and literature, and finally getting that first summer job in the mountains, in Field, B.C. But one thing led to another, including a husband who was about to join the National Parks warden service, and I found myself in Banff.
Initially working at The Banff Centre with the Academy of Singing and volunteering for the Mountain Film Festival, my work gradually became more focused on mountain content and I accepted the position of Director of the festival. I was very lucky at The Banff Centre because the senior leadership allowed, and even encouraged me, to stretch the boundaries of what existed. That led to the creation of the Mountain Culture division, which went far beyond the focus on mountain film. We were able to develop programming around mountain literature, journalism, photography, art, science, governance, music, cuisine, and even vertical dance. It was a chance to recognize the global mountain community for what it is—people who are inspired by mountains and who are intimately involved with them in some way, whether as a scientist concerned about water issues or a dancer inspired by a vertical space rather than a horizontal one. This seemed like a huge leap at the time but it didn’t take long before the phrase “mountain culture” began popping up all over the place. The communities existed, but they just hadn’t been defined or recognized before this point. I feel so privileged that we at The Banff Centre were able to help spearhead this movement.
JW: I'm now trying to imagine a conversation in which a young writer asks how you got your break. Is it about finding your story? Or, in this case, is it more a matter of knowing your audience?
BMcD: I had already edited three mountain books for National Geographic Books, as well as started and directed the Banff Mountain Book Festival for several years before I got my first break as an author. So I think I had a pretty good idea of what a mountain book looked like and who that audience was. That first book, I’ll Call You in Kathmandu, came about because I was asking questions (as I always did). In this case, it was with a publisher I knew in Seattle and the questions I had were about a database they were compiling of the life’s work of Elizabeth Hawley. She was the “grande dame” of Himalayan climbing and I was fascinated with her. A very private and kind of prickly sort, I knew she had some stories. I simply said to the publisher that I thought a biography of Hawley might make a good story, in addition to the database project. The publisher looked at me and said yes, what a good idea. "Would you like to do it?" Simple as that.
The two books that followed were biographies I'd been encouraging the main subjects to tackle as autobiographies. I felt so strongly that their stories should be told. In each case, they asked me to write them, which meant finding a publisher and doing a lot of research and, maybe with the greatest difficulty, making sure that they weren’t controlling the entire process!
JW: Would you consider yourself an adventurous spirit at core, someone who easily takes to new experiences?
BMcD: Absolutely! Ever since I read Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, I understood myself better. Even as a young girl growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan I was the one who read the road maps for my dad on our epic winter road trips. (Summer was for farming, not vacations). I begged my parents to allow me to leave home at the age of 14 years old to attend a boarding school that had a strong focus on music. (They let me go). I begged them again at the age of 16 years old to let me move to the United States to attend university. (Again, they let me go). On and on it went: canoe trips up north, living in a tent at Mt. Assiniboine Park, climbing in Patagonia, ski-touring in Norway and so much more. At some point I didn’t need to ask permission, but I’ve always been curious about new places, new experiences, new challenges (like writing) and people.
Asking questions is so easy, and it’s wonderful to learn. Back to Hemingway, I loved the fact that he would not eat before going to see the French Impressionist paintings because his awareness was heightened by an empty stomach. His descriptions of ski-touring in the mountains were so full of subtlety and appreciation of the nuances of snow. He devoured every single day, and that’s my philosophy.
JW: Tell us now about Freedom Climbers, your latest book. It's about the Golden Age of Himalayan exploration, but just as much about the contribution Polish climbers have made to mountaineering, and an historical tale for all times, really, about finding freedom in the face of adversity and adverse conditions. What is this contribution, and what is its significant to mountain culture?
BMcD: I had been thinking about this book since 2003 when I was in Poland, helping organize a film festival in Katowice. I already knew a number of the subjects in the book, but that was the defining moment for me, when I knew that this was a special group of people and a unique period in history, that their accomplishments were massive and that, for the most part, Western readers knew almost nothing about them. I felt that their stories were on a grand scale, even more so because of the incredibly hard conditions in which they lived.
Ultimately, I thought it was an inspiring story and I was convinced that somebody should write it. It took a long time for me to find the time and a publisher because most Western publishers weren’t interested in a Polish story, the names were too difficult to pronounce, and so on. But their story is important to mountain culture because it demonstrates how mountains, and in this case, mountaineering, can be a catalyst, a motivating force, to allow people to move beyond oppression and poverty to create the most meaningful and adventuresome lives for themselves, all the while, redefining alpinism in the highest mountains on earth.
Bernadette McDonald's Lit Wish List: Five Books to Connect You to the Landscape
Men for the Mountains
Sid Marty
McClelland & Stewart, 2000
I was lucky enough to live the life that he describes in this book. It was like living in another century, in the wilderness with just my husband and four horses.
Marty captures the experience perfectly: the alpine smells, the jangle of horse bells, the excitement of wildlife sightings and the magic of open, wild country. I am forever grateful to Sid for writing this book.
Where the Mountain Casts its Shadow
Maria Coffey
St. Martin's Press, 2005
Maria Coffey was probably the first to tackle the incredibly difficult subject of what it's like for the loved ones of those adventurers who never come back. She talked with dozens of wives and sons, brothers and mothers, of adventurers who died for their passion. They opened their hearts to her, revealing how they grappled with their confusion and grief. It's an amazingly emotional read.
Into the Silence
Wade Davis
Knopf Canada, 2012
This latest book by Wade Davis, about the early exploratory years on Everest, has quickly become an important reference book for me. I write primarily about mountaineering subjects and I have found his book to be extremely well researched, particularly his material on WWI. I admire Davis's contextual approach of needing to understand the states of mind of those soldiers who later brought their special brand of bravery to the unknown slopes of Everest.
The Golden Spruce
John Vaillant
Knopf Canada, 2006
When I dip into this book I see John Vaillant reading aloud, before an audience at the Banff Mountain Book Festival, mesmerizing everyone with his voice, his inflection, the words, and of course the riveting narrative.
At one level, it’s a story about a troubled man who destroys a natural wonder. But the book goes so much deeper. Ultimately, it tackles the inevitable conflict that occurs when two segments of society with opposing values attempt to co-exist.
Three Day Road
Joseph Boyden
Penguin Canada, 2008
This book of historical fiction is loosely based on one of Canada’s great unsung heroes, Francis Pegahmagabow. An Ojibway who fought in the First World War, he became known as Peggy, a deadly sniper with a “kill count” as high as 378 by some estimates. Xavier is the fictional Peggy and together with Elijah, his partner in war, the two contrasting characters weave a compelling drama that is shocking, brave and tragic.
This is a very difficult book to put down.
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Former Vice President, Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, Bernadette McDonald has authored eight books on mountaineering and mountain culture. Her numerous awards include the Boardman Tasker Prize and the Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize for Freedom Climbers in 2011, Italy’s ITAS Prize in 2010 and India’s Kekoo Naoroji Award in 2012, 2009 and 2008. The American Alpine Club awarded her their highest literary honour for excellence in mountain literature.
Bernadette spends her discretionary time in the mountains: climbing, ski touring and hiking. Visit her at www.bernadettemcdonald.ca.
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