Best Canadian Essays 2026 - by Brian Bethune (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"A superb collection of national thinkers, crackling with insight on the issues of the age."--Chatelaine

Selected and introduced by Brian Bethune, Best Canadian Essays 2026 provides a unique perspective on what constitutes the best Canadian nonfiction writing published in the previous year. Featuring topics of motherhood and the choice to be child-free, climate change, catfishing, addiction and mental health, these fourteen essays offer poignant and clear-eyed insights into the diverse--sometimes underexplored--aspects of our society and ourselves.

Featuring:

Hollie Adams - Peter Babiak - Chris Banks - Ronna Bloom - Andreae Callanan - Kelsey Gilchrist - Cynthia Gralla - Basma Kavanagh - Mark Kingwell - Kyo Maclear - Stephen Marche - Shane Neilson - Ian Roy - Darryl Whetter

Review Quotes

Praise for the Best Canadian Series

"One of the best things about the end of the year is having a chance to look back. The three Best Canadian volumes . . . are a snapshot of some of the finest in Canadian writing this year."
--Robert J. Wiersema, Toronto Star

"Brian Bethune chose fourteen compelling pieces that take on pressing issues: the climate crisis, medical assistance in dying, voluntary childlessness, addiction . . . In his introduction, Bethune writes, 'The most entrancing essays are intensely personal.' For them to reach a broader audience, however, they must also find meaning in individual experiences. These pieces do just that."
--Jadine Ngan, Literary Review of Canada

"A superb collection of national thinkers, crackling with insight on the issues of the age."
--Chatelaine

"Each of the authors in Best Canadian Essays 2024 offers a particular style and perspective, but the essays work together to provide a picture of some of the issues Canadians have been facing. Many readers are likely to find something to interest them in this short collection of essays."
--Susan Huebert, Winnipeg Free Press

"The arrival, late in the fall each year, of [this] collection is always cause for fanfare."
--Quill & Quire

About the Author