Both my parents were journalists and keen musical people. Yes,'' he replied, ''the composition of music makes you aware of the composition of sentences, it gives you a sense of form and economy and tells you when to continue and when to shut up. Music is elegant structure. Margaret Atwood, Mavis Gallant, Alice Munro, Mordecai Richler - they all go their own way. There's no central theme in the Canadian novel because there is no unifying Canadian problem.
Government can influence themes.
Canada doesn't have an oppressive Government. It's hard for people in the States to recognize this, but Canada is a socialist monarchy, like Sweden, Denmark and Norway. We have a leg in both camps, a limited welfare state and also a monarchy that causes a kind of clinging to the past. I have a favorite motto that I sometimes inscribe for friends in Celtic.