Creativity in Writing

Personally, I think that Douglas Coupland is a genius. Not only was Hey Nostradamus! interesting, it was also extremely intriguing. As soon as I started reading this book, I had difficulties putting it down. For me, the most amazing part of this book is the front cover itself. After reading Hey Nostradamus! the significance of the title becomes evident. In fact, the entirety of the novel is summed up in the picture on the front cover. This is really what makes a good artist what they are. The front cover shows Couplands vast imagination. I never even realized the significance of the picture until it was brought up in lecture. Having a symbol of someone praying on their knees shows submission, certainty and faith. However, if you were to turn the book upside down, you will see that the symbol becomes a question mark. The question mark represents doubt and uncertainty. This shows that things aren’t always as they seem and that if you look at something perhaps from a different perspective you may be surprised. This play on the symbol is similar to Margret Avison’s play on words. As I have mentioned in my blog on poerty, Avison wrote the poem CNR London to Toronto which when read sounds like a train. I am just amazed at the level of creativity that these authors have. It’s incredible. The talent of these two authors is just breathtaking. It definitely makes me wish that I were more creative!