Gardiner began writing his personal essays as a respite from the heavy demands of editorial leadership. Unlike his political editorials, which required a firm stance and sharp arguments, these essays were meandering, personal, and reflective. They were an attempt to capture the "side shows" of life, as he called them—the minor incidents and passing thoughts that make up the bulk of human existence.
In the early 20th century, as Toronto exploded from a modest post-Victorian town into a sprawling industrial metropolis, Alfred Gardiner stepped forward with a radical idea: a city needs green veins just as much as it needs concrete arteries. His legacy is literally carved into the landscape of the city, most famously in the and the transformation of the Don Valley. alfred gardiner
His style is immediately recognizable. It possesses a lyrical quality, a rhythmic flow that seems effortless, though it was the result of meticulous crafting. In an age where literature was becoming increasingly complex and cynical, Gardiner remained an optimist and a humanist. He wrote with a quiet humor that never mocked its subjects, only the absurdity of the human condition. Gardiner began writing his personal essays as a