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The Proust Questionnaire, with Barry Dempster
Submitted by Grace on March 27, 2014 - 11:01am
Barry Dempster is a poet, novelist, short fiction writer, children's writer and an editor, and is Open Book: Toronto's April 2014 Writer-in-Residence. Stay tuned throughout the month to hear from Barry on all things poetry, writing, reading and otherwise, and read on for Barry's answers to our version of the famous Proust Questionnaire. March 26, 2014 - The Proust Questionnaire was not invented by Marcel Proust, but it was a much loved game by the French author and many of his contemporaries. The idea behind the questionnaire is that the answers are supposed to reveal the respondent's "true" nature. What is your dream of happiness? What is your idea of misery?
Where would you like to live? What qualities do you admire most in a man?
What qualities do you admire most in a woman?
What is your chief characteristic?
What is your principal fault?
What is your greatest extravagance? What faults in others are you most tolerant of?
What do you value most about your friends?
What characteristic do you dislike most in others? What characteristic do you dislike most in yourself? What is your favourite virtue?
What is your favourite occupation?
What would you like to be?
What is your favourite colour?
What is your favourite flower?
What is your favourite bird? What historical figure do you admire the most?
What character in history do you most dislike?
Who are your favourite prose authors?
Who are your favourite poets?
Who are your favourite heroes in fiction?
Who are your heroes in real life?
Who is your favourite painter?
Who is your favourite musician? What is your favourite food? What is your favourite drink? What natural talent would you most like to possess? How do you want to die?
What is your current state of mind?
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
What is your motto? Barry Dempster, twice nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award, is the author of fourteen poetry collections, two novels, The Ascension of Jesse Rapture and The Outside World, two volumes of short stories and a children’s book. His collection The Burning Alphabet won the Canadian Authors’ Association Chalmers Award for Poetry in 2005. In 2010, he was a finalist for the Ontario Premiers Award for Excellence in the Arts. He is also Acquisitions Editor for Brick Books. For more information about Invisible Dogs please visit the Bricks Books website. Related item from our archives |