The Studhorse Man

Front french flap Hazard Lepage, the last of the studhorse men, sets out to breed his rare blue stallion, Poseidon. A lusty trickster and a wayward chevalier, Hazard's outrageous adventures are recorded by Demeter Proudfoot, his secret rival, who, as the narrator, writes this story while sitting naked in an empty bathtub. In his quest to save his stallion's bloodline from extinction Hazard leaves a trail of anarchy and confusion. Everything he touches erupts into chaos necessitating frequent convalescences in the arms of a few good women, except for those of Martha, his long-suffering intended. Told with the ribald zeal of a Prairie beer parlor tall tale and combining the mythic magnitude of a Greek odyssey, The Studhorse Man marks Robert Kroetsch's celebration of unbridled character set against the backdrop of rough-and-ready Alberta emerging after the war. Back french flap As an extensively published novelist, poet, critic and scholar, Robert Kroetsch is one of Canada's most accomplished authors. Born in Heisler, Alberta in 1927, he earned his PhD with the University of Iowa's Writer's Workshop. In 1969 his second novel, The Studhorse Man, won the Governor General's Award for Fiction. He has published nine novels and twelve books of poetry as well as diverse travel and scholarly writing. His most recent collection of poetry, The Hornbooks of Rita K (University of Alberta Press), was short-listed for the Governor General's Award for Poetry in 2001. Recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Alberta, he is the recipient of the second Award of Distinction from the Manitoba Arts Council, Arts. Robert Kroetsch lives in Winnipeg. Aritha van Herk grew up in Robert Kroetsch's Battle River country. Inspired by his writing, she has chronicled Alberta in eight works of fiction and non-fiction. Her latest book, Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta, won the Grant MacEwan Author's Award for Alberta writing. She is a University Professor and Professor of English at the University of Calgary. Photograph of Robert Kroetsch by ENVISION. Cover Image: Silvers by Joe Fafard, APII, 1999, 36"H x 48"L x 12"W, ed. of 7. Used by permission of the artist. Back cover panel, block quotes "Have you seen a blue stallion?" Hazard inquired. He knew that Poseidon, by virtue of living in a house, would not be adverse [averse?] to entering a doorway. For this reason he inquired after his stallion in places like the Rialto Theatre, the Palace of Sweets, and Mike's newsstand. He ducked into Woodward's and asked a girl if she had seen a big blue stallion come in. "Only a pair of grays," the girl replied, pointing to where a floorwalker was cleaning up horse turds with a feather duster. "They went toward lingerie." -from The Studhorse Man