W.P. Kinsella Rejected The Ideology of Cultural Appropriation

When W.P. Kinsella ended his life on September 16th (my birthday as it happens) no doubt some chose to focus on how he died.


However, I choose to focus on how he lived.


Kinsella's death is a reminder that the battle between creative liberty and so-called cultural appropriation in literature is far from new. Although the Canadian born Kinsella is best known for his baseball writing especially Shoeless Joe (which was adapted into the classic movie Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner), he also wrote about Aboriginal peoples from their point of view through the character of Silas Ermineskin who told of his adventures with his friend Frank Fencepost on an Alberta reservation in books like Dance Me Outside and The Fencepost Chronicles. 


Many Aboriginal writers and members of Canada's liberal intelligentsia blasted Kinsella for cultural appropriation, but Kinsella refused to bow to the intimidation of political correctness. He steadfastly maintained that writers had license to write as they see fit.

I also doubt most of Kinsella's critics read any of Silas' stories. I read them back in high school and while Silas & Fencepost were no angels neither were they a caricature of Aboriginals. They were people who made the best of a bad situation through good humor. Silas' narrative describes the travails of putting up with government bureaucrats who determine what size of shoes they can wear yet manage to walk tall. Great writers tell great stories in whatever voice they choose.

So when Lionel Shriver denounced cultural appropriation earlier this month in New Zealand she could have very easily been talking about Kinsella. I don't know if Shriver is familiar with Kinsella's work, but they are surely kindred spirits.

R.I.P.