Hiebert Collection

: "Songstress of Saskatchewan, Hilarious Satire"; THE GAZETTE, MONTREAL, SATU[RDAY]SONGSTRESS OF SASKATCHEWANHILARIOUS SATIRESARAH BINKS. By Paul Hiebert. Oxford; 182 pages, $2.50.REVIEWED BY W. G. CONRADThere is always room in the book-stores for really humorous new books, and at this festive season of the year a few extra chuckles should be particularly appreciated by the reading public. The timely advent of Paul Hiebert's "Sarah Binks" is therefore somewhat of an occasion, not only because it is another contribution to a field that has been singularly neglected by Canadian authors but because it is genuinely funny.Cleverly written by a man who is presently Professor of Chemistry at the University of Manitoba and who for years has been delighting his students with informal readings from it, Mr. Hiebert's book is a hilarious but good-natured satire on the academic mind that tends to take its literature too seriously. It purports to be the biography of the mythical Songstress of Saskatchewan, who as a sensitive product of the prairie, matured and died in the shadows of the four grain elevators which set the town of Willows apart from the surrounding plain.Born with an ability which was only surpassed by her ambition, Sarah poured her thoughts out in poetry, and it is this verse which Professor Hiebert has undertaken to appreciate — with tongue in cheek — for the Canadian community. Although she never went farther afield than Regina, Sarah was equally adept at writing an "Ode to a Storm at Sea" as she was at philosophising on "Pigs", and the pinnacle of her career was apparently reached' in the epic poem "Up from the Magma and Back." Unfortunately, the full scope of her talents will probably never be known to anyone but Mr. Hiebert, since he contrived that she come to an untimely end by cracking the horse-thermometer while taking her own temperature and dying of mercury poisoning.The author has not only supplied ample background for his subject by analysing the pattern of life on which Sarah drew for inspiration— and thereby revealing the inherent humor latent in a frontier community—but has included in his appreciation practically all the poems which Sarah is supposed to have produced. The resultant fund of burlesque prose and rib-tickling poesy is ample proof that all of Professor Hiebert's talents do not lie in the field of chemical science, and Sarah will be welcomed by Canadians everywhere as a source of hearty laughter for academicians and laymen alike., A short and favourable newspaper review of Sarah Binks. Found in Shortt Catalogue's first edition of Sarah Binks.

: Hiebert Newspaper

: Letter of Provenance for Sarah Binks; Box 364 Carman, Manitoba. February 19th, /75R0G 0J0The Librarian,University of Saskatchewan,Saskatoon, Sask.Dear Librarian,I have just learned much to my surprise that the Library of the University of Manitoba would be pleased to have the original manuscripts of some of the books I have written. As a matter of fact I do not have the original of SARAH BINKS having given it, as i recall, to one of my students many years ago. But I do happen to have the carbon copy of the original which went to the publishers.I have, however, the original manuscript of WILLOWS REVISITED in which the Saskatchewan School of Seven-and-a-half is first presented.Now it occurs to me that since SARAH BINKS and WILLOWS REVISITED deal with hypothetical Saskatchewan writers the University of Saskatchewan library would like to have these manuscripts. They have been kicking around my attic here for years and it has never occured to me that anyone would like to have them. I would prefer to see them go to Saskatchewan library rather than the University of Manitoba, although I would be giving the manuscripts of TOWER IN SILCAM and DOUBTING CASTLE (when it is published) to Manitoba. These are religious and philosophical works and properly belong to the university from which I graduated and in which I taught for so many years.I hesitate to offer WILLOWS REVISITED and the carbon copy of SARAH BINKS to you because I cannot see them as worth anything. But University libraries are queer. So if you think you would like to have them, let me know and I shall be happy to send them to you. If not they can go to Manitoba with the other two, and I wont be offended if you decide to reserve the space for better things.Sincerely,Paul Hiebert., A whimsical letter explaining why Hiebert sent the manuscripts of Willows Revisited and Sarah Binks to the University of Saskatchewan.

: Paul Hiebert Reads Sarah Binks; 33 RPM vinyl LP record, side one of which is Paul Hiebert reading selections of Sarah Binks along with adding some of his own commentary regarding the book and its critics. Duration: 24:45.

: Peanut Butter and Lime Jelly: Paul Hiebert's Convocation Address; A transcription of Dr. Paul Hiebert's convocation address given when he received his honourary degree. Printed in The Alumni Journal Vol. 34, No. 4, University of Manitoba.

: Rover; When on that day the last bark rings To call the dog-like throng, Rover shall rise and don his wings, And raise his voice in song; He'll raise his voice in song and sing, In ecstasy of dog-like things. And weaving pattersn with thier tails, The Joyous dog-like hosts, Will elad him through celestial vales, And miles and miles of posts, To meadows full of gopher holes, Which he can sniff and dig for moles. Then shall I shout and throw a stick, And bounce his ball and hide his bone, Or stop and help him find his tick, And call him to his home; His home where he can take his ease, In sunny spots and scratch his fleas. And I shall take him by the hand, And feed him mush, and pull his ears, And he will grni, and understand, And lick away these tears. On that great day of the final bark, Rover (as usual) will beat the lark., "Sarah Binks a Musical Tribute" created by Ken Mitchell (book) and Douglas Hicton (music) using lyrics by Paul Hiebert. Recorded live at the majestic Theatre in Biggar Saskatchewan. Directed by John Huston, with Angie Tysseland as musical director and pianist. Dana Wylie played the part of Sarah Binks, and Carol Wylie played "All the Other Gals"; Ian C Nelson plays Paul Heibert and RJ Nichol "All the Other Guys." An ode to Sarah's great deceased family pet, Rover Binks.

: Sarah Binks; Typescript copy (140 pages) of Sarah Binks that went to publisher. This book was first published in 1947, and it is based on some hundred poems supposedly written by Sarah Binks, "The Sweet Songstress of Saskatchewan."

: The Finest Flower; The finest flower I have known, The rarest blossom I have met, Has gone to seed, her beauty flown, Her day is done, her sun is set. "This makes me scratch myself and ask, When Shall my powers fade?" It puts me severely to the task, To face this fact undismayed., "Sarah Binks a Musical Tribute" created by Ken Mitchell (book) and Douglas Hicton (music) using lyrics by Paul Hiebert. Recorded live at the majestic Theatre in Biggar Saskatchewan. Directed by John Huston, with Angie Tysseland as musical director and pianist. Dana Wylie played the part of Sarah Binks, and Carol Wylie played "All the Other Gals"; Ian C Nelson plays Paul Heibert and RJ Nichol "All the Other Guys." "The Finest Flower" is a poem where Sarah reflects on her own mortality - in this musical it is the final song, sung by both Paul Hiebert and Sarah Binks about her death.

: The Laurel's Egg; I know not what shall it betoken, That I so sorrowful seem,A marklet from out of old, spoken, That comes me not out of the bean.The loft is cool and it darkles, And ruefully floweth the Clean,The top of the mountain-top sparkles, In evening sun-shine sheen.The fairest young woman sitteth, There wonderful up on top,Her golden-like outfit glitteth, She combeth her golden mop;She combs it with golden comb-full And sings one song thereto,That has one wonderful, wonderful And powerful toodle-di-doo.The shipper is very small shiplet, Begrabs it with very wild cry,He looks not the rock and the riplet, He looks but up top on the high.I believe that the whales will devour, The end of the shipper and ship,And that has in her singing bower, The Laurel's egg done it., "Sarah Binks a Musical Tribute" created by Ken Mitchell (book) and Douglas Hicton (music) using lyrics by Paul Hiebert. Recorded live at the majestic Theatre in Biggar Saskatchewan. Directed by John Huston, with Angie Tysseland as musical director and pianist. Dana Wylie played the part of Sarah Binks, and Carol Wylie played "All the Other Gals"; Ian C Nelson plays Paul Heibert and RJ Nichol "All the Other Guys." "The Laurel's Egg" is Sarah's poorly translated version of "Die Lorelei" by famous German poet Heinrich Heine.

: The Morning Edition Sarah Binks Segment Part 1 [Monday]; The Morning Edition is broadcast daily (Monday to Friday) on CBC Radio 1 and has a host discuss "breaking news, issues, and water cooler talk from across Saskatchewan and around the world" (from www.cbc.ca/morningeditionabout). "This clip starts with [Professor] Ron Marken reading some vintage Binks. The overall discussion that follows focuses on Binks' stye and relative artistic merit." - Doug Millington, former The Morning Edition Reporter

: The Morning Edition Sarah Binks Segment Part 2 [Tuesday]; The Morning Edition is broadcast daily (Monday to Friday) on CBC Radio 1 and has a host discuss "breaking news, issues, and water cooler talk from across Saskatchewan and around the world" (from www.cbc.ca/morningeditionabout). "This one focuses on the life of Sarah Binks, her great romantic love, her professional influences, her inimitable skill at translation, then an inevitable return to an admiration of her poetic style." - Doug Millington, former The Morning Edition Reporter

: The Morning Edition Sarah Binks Segment Part 3 [Wednesday]; The Morning Edition is broadcast daily (Monday to Friday) on CBC Radio 1 and has a host discuss "breaking news, issues, and water cooler talk from across Saskatchewan and around the world" (from www.cbc.ca/morningeditionabout). "This third installment begins with an extended analysis of the influence of the great Henry Welken on Sarah's professional literary career and that relationship's influence on Sarah's "Darkest Africa" period. There is also an explication of her greatest achievement, winning the coveted Wheat Pool Medal for that towering poetic achievement "Up From The Magma". The piece ends with a discussion of Sarah's tragic death from mercury poisoning as a result of accidentally biting off the end of a horse thermometer while chewing on a mint." - Doug Millington

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Hiebert Collection

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