Author and librarian David Beasley writes his novels from his third floor attic library in Simcoe.
KATIE STARR NORFOLK NEWS
David Beasley shares tales from a life well-lived in Episodes and Vignettes: an Autobiography
David Beasley has always drawn from real life in his written works, but his latest book, Episodes and Vignettes: an Autobiography, is his most personal yet. "Being a writer, you use the
material that's at hand," the 83-year-old author of Sarah's Journey, his best-known novel, says from his attic library overlooking Norfolk Street in Simcoe.
"I've been fortunate to have had some pretty colourful adventures, so the hardest part was trying to decide what got left out in the book."
Judging from the size of the hefty two-volume tome, not much was cut. Then again, Beasley has plenty of fascinating, frank and funny stories to share.
Born and raised in Hamilton, he left for Europe after graduating from McMaster University and stayed abroad for five years, bouncing around London, Paris and Ibiza before settling in Vienna, where he taught English. He later spent 35 years as a research librarian in Manhattan.
Beasley took advantage of his time in the capitals of Europe to soak in art galleries, museums and theatre.
"I saw great art, and I discovered the difference between journalism and art, two things I had always been interested in as a profession," he says. "I decided to stay on the side of art, and to pursue writing fiction."
From a young age, Beasley knew he wanted to be a writer. After being hit by a car when he was 13, family and friends brought him stacks of books to keep him entertained while in the hospital.
"I plowed through Kipling's Kim, and Dickens, and Agatha Christie novels and just devoured them," he recalls.
When he had finished reading those books, Beasley started writing his own. "It must have been that knock on my head from the car, because from then on I started writing and I haven't stopped," he says.
As a writer, Beasley has always taken a fearless approach, experimenting with different genres including detective fiction, historical fiction, biography and non-fiction.
"I'm a very curious person and I never want to stop learning or trying new things," he says. "I don't want to be pigeonholed into a specific genre and have to only write in that one style."
His reluctance to limit himself to a single genre is one reason why he originally got into self-publishing, something he feels will only increase in popularity for writers tired of the traditional publishing-house route.
"I was struggling away trying to find publishers but it was like hitting my head against a brick wall," he says. "In the 1960s, nobody was publishing Canadian novels. We had to show there was a tradition of Canadian writers. It has gotten easier today but self-publishing still offers you greater freedom."
Beasley is enjoying that freedom and has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
"I have the idea of two or three books I want to write," he says.
"The last chapter of my autobiography is entitled To Be Continued,' so I'm not going to stop."
Beasley will be sharing stories from his life at the book launch for Episodes and Vignettes: an Autobiography on Dec. 10 at the Eva Brook Donly Museum, 109 Norfolk St. South in Simcoe at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
