Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Finding Farley

  We had an interesting note and drop off of a book by Farley Mowat.  If you don't know Mowat one of two things apply 1) you're not a Canadian or 2) you just haven't gotten around to him.  Mowat is the Canadian story teller and Nova Scotian writer of renown on both sides of the 49th parallel.  What's somewhat unique about this little note is that today is also the day of Mr. Mowat's death.  I chuckle at this piece in the Globe & Mail describing him as:

"a ferocious imp with a silver pen, an ardent environmentalist who opened up the idea of the North to curious southerners, a public clown who hid his shyness behind flamboyant rum-swigging and kilt-flipping, and a passionate polemicist who blurred the lines between fiction and facts to dramatize his cause."

  If you aren't familiar with his writing try The Boat that Wouldn't Float, an engaging tale of sinking money and time into a leaky boat set in provincial Nova Scotia.  There's also a short movie called Finding Farley about a Canadian family's journey to meet Farley at the end of an epic canoe trip from Alberta to Nova Scotia.  Here's to Farley, his love of the woods, his call to preserve and his writings which will endure.  If you're quick there's a copy of The Snow Walker back in the box:

A note about The Snow Walker, by Farley Mowat

No comments:

Post a Comment