Books by David Helwig

A collection of unpublished poems by a distinguished poet and novelist.

A self-made woman's dramatic sweep through the turmoils of mid-century America and Europe. Jean has no plan; self-contained, imaginative, and resilient, she acts first and rationalizes later. Her specialty is moving on, choosing adventure all the way. At 17, she is ready to slip into the secret life of adults. To save a smuggler on Lake Ontario, she rows hard and keeps her mouth shut. Posing for art classes and "art" photographs in New York leads to a silent movie career in California and Paris, which in turn leads to marriage into an aristocratic family. After riots and strikes, after World War II and compromises with Vichy, after losing her family and her money, she uses a friend's leavings to remake herself as an art dealer. Old age finds Jean in a Montreal apartment, still earning her living by letting people look at her, still propelled by uncontrollable bravery. The Time of Her Life follows a strong and beautiful woman through a life permeated with drama and intrigue.

A snug country house, a snowy landscape in a place that could be Prince Edward Island, a small-town lawyer bumbling through an emotional crisis -- "Close to the Fire" is a winter's tale that warms the heart while gently chilling the blood. Many years ago, the lawyer (then a student) persuaded the woman who is now his wife to desert Orland, her older husband, and run away with him. Now Orland arrives on their doorstep to die. The lawyer recalls the moral force he exerted to make Marijke change loyalties instead of simply enjoying a little adultery. Does sheltering a dying man atone for stealing his wife? The lawyer doesn't know and isn't sure he cares until a dramatic fire and Orland's death rearrange the domestic hearth.