The Incomparable Atuk

Author: Mordecai Richler
Subject: Canadian fiction, satire
My rating: 4*
I enjoyed the book and the satirical humor; hard to follow all characters at times.

More about the author: click here

Richler wrote his classic Canadian satire, the Incomparable Atuk, in 1963 when the issue of Canada’s national identity was on the rise. Richler uses his character of Atuk to draw attention to this idea of Canadian nationalism.

Atuk starts out as a lost poet, braving the big city after being relocated from his native Baffin Island. Loved for his exotic authenticity and “Indianism”, Atuk appears to mould into the big city quite easily. However, on his quest for identity in a new surrounding, he soon becomes consumed with the greed and pretentiousness of the American Dream.