Raise You On the River: Essays and Encounters 1964–2018

“This non-fiction volume weaves together motifs and themes, regardless of the ostensible form or purpose of any individual work… a profound testament to a unique Canadian voice and vision, a keen talent and far-reaching, incisive intellect.” —Quill & Quire

“If All the Lonely People [480 page short fiction collection] highlights Callaghan’s skill at inhabiting the voices of a broad spectrum of humanity, Raise You on the River highlights Callaghan’s own inimitable voice and character. A collection of essays, travel pieces, interviews, and remembrances, Raise You on the River is another 500-page tome; while some of the entries sprawl, they never fail – individually and collectively – to hold the reader’s attention.” —Quill & Quire

Previous praise:

“Raise You Five gathers together, for the first time, a generous sample of Callaghan’s protean journalistic output: book reviews, profiles, literary criticism, travel reporting, polemics, even memorials. Taken in conjunction with his numerous books of fiction and poetry, Raise You Five confirms that Barry Callaghan…is that rarest of writers, one capable of creating art out of whatever raw material he chooses or is chosen for him.” —Quill & Quire

 “[The series] is literary criticism and cultural history of a high order, in turn joyous, acerbic, celebratory.” —Globe and Mail

“Callaghan is a writer whose style is laced with a biting, satirical outlook on contemporary urban life…by turns funny, morbid,and raunchy, Callaghan’s acid flowing prose pulls the reader along effortlessly.” —Saskatoon Star Phoenix

“Callaghan’s is an intensely visual and tactile style…” —The Boston Globe