Scott Symons has achieved a reputation as an important author on the basis of a relatively small output. Many Canadian writers of his generation are better known and more widely read, but few evoke such a strong response. This is partly because of the uncompromising nature of Symons's romantic, Tory vision and the sheer exuberance of his prose; it also derives from the equally uncompromising nature of his private life, which he has taken few pains to hide from public view. No Canadian writer has been so critical of his country and his people: in his four published books and in scores of articles, lectures, and television programs, Symons has attacked virtually every major aspect of modern Canada. Yet he has also found much to celebrate--including his country's British and French traditions, homosexual and heterosexual love, birds and flowers, and the mystery of the Eucharist--exploring these topics with...