Jim Munro鈥檚 appointment to the Order of sa国际传媒 is a feather in the cap for Victoria, a validation of independent bookstores and a note of encouragement for Canadian writers.
Munro, who runs downtown Victoria鈥檚 Munro鈥檚 Books, was among 12 British Columbians named to the order by Gov. Gen. David Johnston Monday, 鈥渇or his championship of countless Canadian writers and for his sustained community engagement as an independent bookseller.鈥�
It鈥檚 heartening to see that success and class are not mutually exclusive. Munro and his then-wife Alice Munro opened their bookstore in 1963 on Yates Street, moving a few years later to Market Square. In the early 1980s, Munro bought the 1909 Royal Bank building and restored the building to its former grandeur, operating the business in a manner that befits its surroundings.
鈥淚n a world of Honey Boo Boos, twerking and other unrelenting vulgarity, Munro鈥檚 Books offers a calm oasis of civility and grace,鈥� wrote sa国际传媒 arts columnist Adrian Chamberlain when the business celebrated its 50th anniversary last September.
The Order of sa国际传媒 is one more honour associated with the bookstore. Early in the life of the business, some of the store鈥檚 less-distinguished books prompted Alice Munro, with whom Jim is still friends, to get serious about her writing. Last October, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for excellence in short-story writing.
In the face of a steady stream of mindless digital amusements, it鈥檚 encouraging to see recognition for the value of the printed word.
