Tamara Lindeman of The Weather Station loved reading this classic memoir by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
'What's interesting about the memoir is it doesn't feel at all hopeless'
This interview originally aired on May 1, 2021.
Tamara Lindeman is a singer-songwriter who heads up The Weather Station, a folk music project out of Toronto. The Weather Station released their fifth album, Ignorance, in 2021. The album is on the 2021 Polaris Music Prize shortlist.
The Polaris Music Prize annually celebrates the best Canadian album of the year, awarding the artist $50,000. There are 10 albums on the shortlist. The winner will be announced on Sept. 27, 2021.
Ignorance is a folk rock album that explores climate change, activism, fear and the destruction of our natural world. Featuring lush instrumentation and mediative lyrics, the album is the Toronto singer-songwriter's look at how art can influence positive action and change.
In May of 2021, Lindeman spoke with CBC Radio's The Next Chapter about why she loved reading Flight to Arras by the late French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
A story of good faith and hope
"Flight to Arras by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry takes place in 1940. De Saint-Exupéry was in the French Air Force and he's flying on a reconnaissance mission. He's watching the Nazi advance over his country, the whole country is on fire, and they're so under prepared.
"They're vastly outnumbered. Most of his comrades are dying every day — but it's not remotely a war book. It's sort of written inside of his mind. He looks down on the countryside and the descriptions are so beautiful and poetic.
What's interesting about the book is it doesn't feel at all hopeless.
"What's interesting about the memoir is it doesn't feel at all hopeless. It doesn't feel like a war book at all because he finds so much beauty and meaning in a totally meaningless, horrible situation."
Tamara Lindeman's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
Watch | CBC Music profiles Tamara Lindeman of The Weather Station:
