The legendary magician and evasion artist Harry Houdini has got a thrilling book written about him. Author, Steven Galloway, had to do extensive research on Houdini for this magician’s biography. Steven Galloway will talk while illusionist David Gifford provide a magic show at a Beyond Words event at the Chan Centre.

Steven Galloway’s latest book is The Confabulist and he will read passages from it while Gifford performs some spectacular illusions to bring to life what Galloway is actually describing in his book.

David Gifford is a superb stage magician and will not only demonstrate some scintillating magic tricks, but he will also talk about magic, how it works and how to start as a beginner.

In the novel ‘The Confabulist’, Houdini stipulates that magic doesn’t actually exist and that it is an illusion rather. Galloway is quick to say however, that it is the illusion that makes it magic. Galloway went on to add that there wouldn’t be real magic in the show, but that ‘there will only be the illusion of magic’.

The idea behind the show is for the audience to observe the magic tricks described in Steven’s book such as reality versus imagination. There would also be time for questions at the end of the show as well as a time for book signing.

Galloway is also well known for his novel ‘The Cellist of Sarajevo’ and is an associate professor and acting chair of the University of British Columbia’s creative writing program.

Gifford on the other hand has made a name for himself with his musically-accompanied magic performances. Gifford is also a visual art educator at the University of Victoria.

Galloway said that he was looking immensely forward to the magic event at Chan Centre, saying that he had never been accompanied by a magician before, reckoning that it was guaranteed to be a fun-night.