J.J. Steinfeld

Though he is best known for his plays and prose works, J.J. Steinfeld is also an accomplished poet and in Misshapenness as in his fiction luminous poems reveal the struggle and, with distinctive good will and humour, the dislocation of the self within the world. The narrative records how so many elements collectively press and guide the heart as it strives for understanding and unity, even in those moments when the mystery is unresolvable and unbearable. Steinfeld’s overriding theme is the absurdity of modernity and the attempt by individuals to make sense of that absurdity. Misshapenness is a poignant book of transcendence and joy in the midst of despair, and aware of the world’s beauty and its pain, one can, as in the finest of Woody Allen’s films, persevere through grace and stoic acceptance. It offers senseful glimpses into a world, past and present, that is wondrous and damaged and, ultimately, baffling.

J.J. Steinfeld is a poet, fiction writer and playwright who lives on Prince Edward Island. He has published two novels, the first of which is Our Hero in the Cradle of Confederation (Pottersfield Press, 1987), and nine short story collections, the last three by Gaspereau Press — Should the Word Hell Be Capitalized?, Anton Chekhov Was Never in Charlottetown, and Would You Hide Me? His short stories and poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and periodicals internationally, and over forty of his one-act and full-length plays have been performed in Canada and the United States. His most recent work, Word Burials, is a novel.