It’s Canada Day, and we’re celebrating here at IWG. Farley Mowat was, and still is, one of Canada’s most famous authors (and environmentalists). He sadly passed away in May 2014, but his books are still very much remembered. Let’s have a look at Farley’s fantastic life.
Farley’s first book was titled People of the Deer, and was released in 1952. It was inspired after Farley took a field trip to the Canadian Arctic. This book made Farley a popular, but controversial person. His next book was released in 1956, and was called Lost in the Barrens and won Farley a Governor General’s Award.
Never Cry Wolf followed in 1963. The book talks about his time and experiences in the Canadian Arctic. To this day, many still think that this book is possibly fictionalized, but Farley maintained otherwise. At one point, Farley went on a book tour to promote a new book. When trying to fly to America, from Pearson Airport (Toronto), the customs agents at the airport denied Farley entry. At the time, American laws allowed American customs agents to deny entry to anyone they thought were Communist Sympathizers. The law was eventually overturned in 1990, and Farley wrote about this experience in his book, My Discovery of America.
Farley was an experienced environmentalist, and also loved animals. He was very interested in Dian Fossey, an American ethologist. Dian studied gorillas, and in 1985, was savagely murdered in Rwanda. He wrote two books on Dian – Woman in the Mists and Virunga: The Passion of Dian Fossey.
Farley’s works (and some of his life) were not without criticism. A former Canadian Wildlife Service scientist compared Never Cry Wolf to the fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood. The scientist said that both stories had the same factual content. Others have said that Mowat is no scientist, and that most of Farley’s findings and reporting were either false or greatly exaggerated. Despite these criticisms, Farley’s books and other works are still greatly popular and nobody else has criticized his works.
Farley was the recipient of numerous awards over his lifetime. Awards and honours ranged from the Governor General’s Award, numerous Book of the Year awards to the Hans Christian Andersen International Award and the Mark Twain Award. Farley received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2010.
Farley had several children with his wife, Claire. He was previously married. Together, he and Claire spent their later years in Port Hope, Ontario, and summers on a farm in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Other famous books of his include Owls in the Family, The Curse of the Viking Grave, The Farfarers: Before the Norse, and Sibir: My Discovery of Siberia.
While Farley is no longer with us, his environmental and literary works continue to live on. The Farley Mowat Library re-released many of his works, with new designs and intros. His works have now been released in print and e-book format. Farley’s books are legendary in Canada, and all over the world, and his legacy will continue to live on.