Last Updated Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:59:45 EDT

CBC Arts

Joy Kogawa's house, which received a last-minute reprieve from
demolition when it was bought by a Vancouver heritage agency this
spring, will open to the public this Sunday.

The modest wood-frame house in Marpole is featured in Obasan, Kogawa's much loved novel about the internment of Japanese Canadians, and her children's book, Naomi's Road.

The
Land Conservancy of British Columbia bought the house in May and plans
to turn it into a residence for writers and an education centre
about the Japanese internment during the Second World War.

But the public is being given a one-day chance to see the bungalow before restoration work begins.

Kogawa will be there for a scheduled book signing and the desk and typewriter that she used to write Obasan will be on display.

The event is a fund-raiser to help pay for restoration of the house, which could cost an estimated $500,000.

The
house itself was saved from a wrecking ball through the intervention of
the Land Conservancy, which led a campaign to save it, working with
writers' groups and heritage groups.

The campaign drew
donations from 550 people from around the world and a last-minute
corporate donation of $500,000 helped with the purchase price.

A developer who owned the property wanted more than $700,000 for the house, which has been neglected over the years.

Kogawa lived in the house with her family from 1937 to 1942, when it was confiscated by the government.

The
house has national significance as a symbol of the racial
discrimination experienced by Japanese-Canadians during the Second
World War.

The house is one of the few residences left in
Vancouver that is identified as having been sold by the Canadian
government without the lawful owner's permission.

The house is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.