A Note from the Editor

When, in 1995, I first accepted to (quietly) take over the stewardship of the International Fiction Review, since its founder, Saad Elkhadem, was due to retire, I was struck by fear. In our current climate of rapid consumption, new technologies, limited library budgets, and ever shrinking college and university departments, editing and publishing a scholarly, nonprofit-oriented periodical seemed a daunting, if not hopeless, task. As I was rummaging through the IFR archive, trying to familiarize myself with the IFR's history, I soon discovered that the job of editing had never been an easy one and that, in fact, the competent launch of the journal in 1974 and its successful establishment in the following decades were the truly remarkable tasks that had already been accomplished for me. I soon took comfort in the discovery that, above and beyond the ceaseless efforts of an editor, it is the immeasurable support of the active scholarly community that translates ideas of publishing into an actual publication and that, in the end, it is the positive reception by the wider readership that sustains and justifies the existence of an academic journal.

Hopefully, this 25th anniversary issue will spark that same enthusiasm as the inaugural issue did in 1974; undoubtedly, this anniversary issue will be a cause for celebration for all those who have been involved with and contributed to the IFR in many different ways since the early beginnings. They cannot all be named, for IFR space is limited here too, and to recognize Stanley Atherton, Adèle Bloch, David Bond, Anthony Boxill, Thomas Condon, Kurt Flickert, John Fletcher, Doris Kadish, David Matual, Dale McIntyre, Roger Moore, Dexter Noël, Eustace Palmer, Uma Parameswaran, Fernando Poyatos, Miriam Roshwald, is to recognize only a few representatives of the long list of individuals who have, willingly or unintentionally, shaped the journal and its history.

Any time of celebration is also a time of saying thanks, and it with joy that I acknowledge the many helping brains and hands that have made the editor's workload easier and all editorial responsibilities a pleasure to bear. My thanks are to Sibylla Dickson, our managing editor, to Cristina Argaez, who computerized all of our files, to Patsy Moorcraft, our new Departmental secretary, for handling many of the laborious day-to-day activities, and also to Charles Stuart, who has been proofreading our camera-ready copies for many years.

I am thankful for the generous patronage of the University of New Brunswick administration, which has been instrumental in sustaining the IFR through-out the years and in many ways effectively sheltered the journal from the often devastating effects of the ruthless cutbacks during the past decade of economic drought. I thank Peter Kent, the Dean of Arts, who provides support not only on the financial side with an annual grant to the five journals published in the Faculty, but also on other fronts—those one tends to forget, but cannot do without—with a spacious office, an E-mail account, release time for the editor, and fair recognition for his work. The Department of German and Russian has been channeling some additional funding into our IFR accounts and keeps lending the editor valuable secretarial assistance, office supplies, and technical support, all of which is greatly appreciated.

My heartfelt gratitude extends to our many contributors for supplying this journal so freely with their expertise, insight, talent and trust; to our Editorial Board and Advisory Board members for their suggestions, criticism, and reassurance; to the publishers who shower us with books for reviews; and to all of our subscribers for their interest, feedback, and active support.

But above all, I am most grateful to Saad Elkhadem, editor of twenty-two years, for his continuous encouragement and practical advice. I am delighted and honored to have inherited a journal of such fine reputation, equipped with standing subscriptions by individuals and libraries from around the globe. Thank you, Saad, for the exceptional opportunity and enormous confidence you extended me; I can only hope that I have served, and will continue to serve, our worldwide community of readers with equal diligence, efficiency, and talent.

The Editor