At age 92, Canadian author Farley Mowat passed away. Depending on who is talking or writing, he was a beloved author or possibly a bit of a rabble rouser.
When I heard of his death, my mind jumped to his books that I have read.
The very first one was “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be” – and I loved it! I laughed out loud at the antics of Mutt and his owner. The story takes place in and around Saskatoon, Saskatchewan during some of the depression and dust bowl years. For anyone who has travelled in that neck of the woods, or lived during that time, you will relate quite well.
However, Mutt is a character you will never forget. Mowat writes this hilarious description: “at some early moment of his existence he concluded there was no future in being dog. And so, with the tenacity which marked his every act, he set himself to become something else…he did not feel, as many foolish canines appear to do, that was human. He was tolerant of both species, but he claimed kin to neither…If he was unique in attitude, he was also unique in his appearance. In size he was not far from a setter, but in all other respects he was very far from any known breed. His hindquarters were elevated several inches higher than his forequarters; and at the same time he was distinctly canted from left to right. The result was that, when he was approaching, he appeared to be drifting off about three points starboard, while simultaneously giving an eerie impression of a submarine starting on a crash dive.”
The adventures the boy and dog experience and the exploits they create will keep you grinning at the least, and probably snickering aloud here and there. The book was a favorite from my childhood that I have re-read several times since then. Mowat’s “Owls In the Family” is another story of human and animal interaction with all the fun and mayhem that can result.
Mowat wrote many books about Canada’s wilderness, wildlife, and the people who lived in remote and barren lands. He was concerned about the ecological welfare of our country and he attempted to educate Canadians. According to Wikipedia he wrote 44 books – a vast achievement considering the breadth of this writings and the research and first-hand information that were necessary.
If you have never read anything by Farley Mowat, I challenge you to try one. Choose one of the storybooks or dive into one of his non-fiction works. You will be reading something that is extremely well-written and I expect you might find yourself reading more than one.
For those who have read his books – please share which book it was and your response to it. We would love to hear from you.
