I was clearing a corner of the office when I came across this, which I bought in 2099 (it’s the oversized hardcover). For me, it’s Seth’s most charming work. Originally a serial in the New York Times, it’s the life story of a Canadian television personality told through the memories of those who had connections to him. There’s a Guy Maddin-y sort of lost Canadianness to it, to my eye, as well as the sense of lost media culture and lost ways of living and exploring. A lost sense of wonder.
There is melancholy to it. There’s regret, and the mess of life. But it’s so beautifully done. It may actually be my favourite work of his.