類別：傳記、人生哲學、心理勵志、老化 (agent : Joanne)

　

THE STAIRCASE LETTERS: An Extraordinary Friendship at the End of Life
生命的最終曲

-作 者：Arthur Motyer with Elma Gerwin & Carol Shields

Format: 精裝, 160頁, 2007年10月出版

年近80歲的退休老教授Arthur Motyer，清楚的記得40年前英文系的學生Elma Gerwin，她的個子雖小、但是頭腦聰明絕頂，眼神銳利地彷彿能夠穿透人心。就跟大多數的老師、學生一樣，畢業後他們一度斷了聯絡，重新聯絡上之後依靠聖誕節時寫上長長的一封信或加上張照片來了解對方的動態。所以Arthur知道Elma 嫁給了一個哲學老師，住在Winnipeg，有3個孩子；仍然看很多很多書(Arthur猜的)；她投入了幫助特殊學童的掃盲計畫；非常關切原住民；花了10年克服酗酒問題；永遠對不公、不義感到無比的憤怒。Arthur也曾請Elma為他審閱他的第1部小說SWING WIDE THE DOOR(1個同性戀的塞爾維亞軍官在恐同症盛行的軍隊中的故事)初稿，Elma熱心的接下這個任務，提供了許多一針見血的建議，即使有些不甚中聽。 

2001年的時候，Arthur再次接到Elma的電子郵件，這封郵件中卻傳來一個令人震驚的消息，61歲的Elma罹患癌症，醫生預估已經時日不多。更令Arthur意外的是Elma提出的建議。Elma希望她生命中很重要的2個人— 她敬愛的老師Arthur，與因同樣曾居住在Winnipeg而認識的加拿大國寶級作家Carol Shields能以e-mail與她通信，陪她走過這段日子。當時Carol Shields已經罹患乳癌數年，而且要跟這樣知名的作家通信，Arthur實在有些疑慮。 

不過，這樣的疑慮很快就被消除了，3人分居在加拿大的東西兩岸與中部，卻憑藉著e-mail無所不談，有時候談他們對文學的共同熱愛，有時候是音樂、電影、人生哲學，或是Carol對Elma癌症治療的建議，以及他們的各種情緒起落，譬如醫生才告訴Elma她的癌症擴散現象得到控制，但很快地發現癌症又攻下一城；Carol回顧自己的一生，她雖然已經達到了多數人不能及的偉大成就，家人也都陪著她，但對於獨自步向死亡，她坦言還是感到畏懼；Arthur則回想起當年他囿於法律及社會壓力而結婚，但最後還是必須面對自己的性向，而走上離婚一途，在當時極度保守的環境掀起滔天波瀾。 

Summary

Full of the magic of everyday life in the shadow of death–chickens must be cooked for dinner parties, and grandson’s questions about God must be answered!–The Staircase Letters is a moving and profound story of friendship and facing the end of life.

When Elma Gerwin found out in 2001 at the age of 61 that she had cancer, she reached out to two coasts and to two old friends. One was Arthur Motyer, novelist and teacher, and Elma’s university professor from forty years before, and the other was acclaimed novelist Carol Shields, who was facing her own battle with cancer.

Years later, Arthur is the only survivor. Still contemplating how Elma’s and Carol’s correspondence affected him, he has gracefully brought the letters together and interspersed them with literary references and poetry. As both women’s illnesses progress, they compare notes on the ups and downs of living with cancer–the joy when Elma is told one area is cancer-free, followed quickly by the terrible news that the cancer has spread; the delight in having family near, while the thought of saying goodbye seems impossible. The advice they give each other–from how to approach treatments to how to get to sleep at night–is heartfelt, warm and often leavened with humour.

As Carol and Elma contemplate what happiness is and how one makes a “good death,” 74-year-old Arthur, feeling inadequate in the face of such fundamental questions, discovers that he is exactly where he should be. In The Staircase Letters, the reader catches a rare and touching glimpse of the lives of three extraordinary people–two facing death and one left behind.

　

作者 About the Author

Arthur Motyer出生於百慕達(Bermuda)，少年時期回到加拿大，現居於Sackville, New Brunswick。曾獲羅德獎學金(Rhodes scholar), 加拿大New Brunswick最高成就獎，以及Mount Allison University名譽教授。他曾經出版過小說WHAT’S REMEMBERED。

Elma Gerwin 投入掃盲計畫20年，被公認為是加拿大最偉大的五名教育家之一，曾獲加拿大郵報搬家肯定其成就。生前定居於Winnipeg，於2002年辭世，身後留下3名子女。

Carol Shields，曾以THE STONE DIARIES於1993年獲得美國普立茲獎與加拿大總督文學獎，出版過二十多本著作。卒於2003年，她的丈夫、5名子女與12名孫兒女隨侍在側。

***本書2007 年10月 出版，有樣書可提供審閱。

Praise for The Staircase Letters:

“It’s a given that anyone enamoured with Carol Shields’ work will appreciate The Staircase Letters. I have a sneaking suspicion that this somewhat odd but ultimately endearing little volume will also find a larger audience. . . . The dynamic among these three is fascinating.” ––The Gazette (Montreal)

“A moving commentary on facing the end of life.” —The London Free Press

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