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IMMIGRANT BY STEPHEN GILL

Robert Durrell

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*Appeared in Nugget Book Reviews,

Feb. 16, 1979

Stephen Gill, author of Immigrant and Why, was born and educated in India, and abroad. He now resides in Cornwall where he runs Vesta Publications. He has written critical studies, plays, poems, short stories, a grammar handbook, a political history, several anthologies and two novels.

Gill believes in World Federalism and edits the Canadian edition of that magazine. He bases his life and writing on this philosophy and considers himself a citizen of the world.

Immigrant outlines the problems and experiences of Indian student Reghu Nath who arrives in Canada in the fall of 1967 to enrol in the doctorate program at the University of Ottawa. However, financial difficulties, problems in communicating in English, professors' attitudes, lack of involvement in courses, unfriendliness and poor performance combined to precipitate Reghu's decision to withdraw from his studies and seek work.

Tight economic conditions and Reghu's immigrant status hamper his chances of getting a job. He even obtains his Canadian citizenship papers and moves to Montreal where he believes employment opportunities to be better. In India, he taught school for several years. Consequently, he replied to a newspaper ad offering a teaching post in Sherbrooke. He travels to that city, has a promising interview, believes his application has been accepted and returns the next day to find his job has been given to a native Canadian. He has many similar experiences. At this point, Reghu decides to return to Ottawa. At the university's library, he meets library worker Prabha who takes her own life because of loneliness, antagonism and difficulty of adapting to the Canadian lifestyle. At the end of the book, Reghu is offered a position as a cinema manager and readers feel he will accept it.

Immigrant sensitively conveys the aspirations and fears of Reghu as he struggles to establish a new life in a hostile environment. Gill's story also touches on Canadian racial prejudices as he provides insights into the attitudes and views of natives and newcomers. Stephen Gill, a milti-talented and sensitive gentleman, has created an informative and powerful portrait of Canadian immigrants' experiences in the 1970s.