The Case of Billy Mavreas

Who is Billy Mavreas and why am I writing a review of his book?

Two fair questions, of course. They might lead to others, but for now, I will try to answer them for you.

Billy Mavreas was a former owner of a shop in Montreal, Canada called “Monastiraki”. This particular shop was full of curios, knick-knacks, tchotchkes, and the like. I remember the first time I walked in there and felt nervous about knocking something over or stepping on something valuable. But it was not a typical antique shop. My first conversation with Mr. Mavreas proved this. I saw a copy of The Mothers of Invention’s “Absolutely Free” album…still in the original plastic. He confessed that it was indeed a first pressing and had never been opened or re-wrapped. It simply rested on a high shelf as a conversation piece. And we did have many conversations over many stops made in that wonderful Mile-End space. The fact that he had to close it is still a very ugly pill to swallow, but I understand that there are reasons behind the decision that I may never understand.

And why am I writing about him? Well, he is, as a friend, one of the most interesting people I have met in the city. He had the interesting habit of never forgetting who I was when I passed by, which was not a weekly occurrence (I must have been away from the store for over two years when I stopped by just before its closing and he greeted me like an old friend). And he is also an interesting study in pack-rat behaviour (there was once a special on CBC Television that featured a brief interview with Mr. Mavreas where he explained why he had the need to collect and curate things). I understood this completely, feeling that I now had the same issues with my books (not a bad habit at all).

Yes, I promised to talk about his book. Conundrum Press, a Canadian imprint, has created a series called Conundrum 25. Mr. Mavreas’s Next Time Around is number six in the series and it is one of the more interesting creations of the printing house. It is quite slim, simple and charming. My copy was almost not purchased because of my difficulty in finding it at Drawn and Quarterly (I was eventually shown a copy that was pre-signed near the front of that famous bookstore). And I dived in.

This is not a typical novel, or even graphic novel. Yes, it does continue that process of collecting and curating that I mentioned earlier, but this time it is the memories in the author’s head that get aired and reviewed. The book is full of what must have been simple cutouts and ink sketches that tell the story of a figure who is attempting to tell a story. It is not an easy thing to begin here:

“I’m Drawing A Blank”

“Do I Have A Story?”

These are the first lines of a book with very little text, and they seem fair. We have landscapes, homes and silhouettes to guide us, not language. Mr. Mavreas thinks like a filmmaker or painter, and the reader can do the rest of the work, especially with imagery of souls leaving the body, houses now occupied by old ghosts and memories (family is much on the author’s mind), and cityscapes that provide little escape, beyond what the mind can imagine and the author write down.

And the author does write. In fact, the last pages are of that same simple silhouette now at work. But there is a catch. The story is there, and it is…

“The Kind I Can’t Tell Anybody About.”

Sounds perhaps a little too meta for you? Perhaps… Some of us want our tales and cartoons to have a simple life of panels and easy resolutions, but I was far too charmed by this one to dismiss these effects.

If you can find it, read it and love it. Billy deserves as much…

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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.

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