Hear Us O Lord from Heaven Thy Dwelling Place

Hear Us O Lord from Heaven Thy Dwelling Place, by Malcolm Lowry (1961), and published posthumously, won the 1961 Governor General's Award. It is a collection of 7 interrelated stories and novellas forming a shared thematic structure and unity of movement. Set in British Columbia, the stories feature 5 protagonists with different names and nationalities, but these characters are primarily aspects of one personality, a man who is undergoing a journey of self-discovery. These central characters are estranged from nature, tyrannized by the past, concerned about the ugly encroachment of civilization, and occasionally misanthropic. However, the final story becomes a lyrical affirmation of the joy of living, as the narrator achieves harmony and balance through his acceptance of the world around him.