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Farley McGill Mowat

ファーリー・マクギル・モワット

Farley McGill Mowat

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1921-05-12 （Belleville, Ontario, Canada）
Died
2014-05-06 （Cobourg, Ontario, Canada） age 92
Nationality
Canadian
Languages
English
Religion
Anglican (attended Anglican church)
Residence History
Belleville, Ontario (birth) → Richmond Hill, Ontario (grew up) → Windsor, Ontario (1930–1933) → Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (teenage years) → Port Hope, Ontario (later life) → Cape Breton Island (summer residence)

Career

Occupations
Author, Soldier, Environmentalist, Naturalist, Philanthropist
Active Years
1952-2014
Affiliations
Supporter of the Green Party of Canada, Patron of the Nova Scotia Nature Trust (donated land), North American Native Plant Society (honorary director)
Influenced By
Francis Harper, Frank Banfield
Influenced
Canadian environmental movement and numerous writers/environmentalists, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (honorary supporter and namesake)

Education

University of Toronto
Faculty of Science / Zoology
Period: 1930年代–途中退学
Country: Canada
Studied zoology at the University of Toronto but did not complete a degree

Awards

Governor General's Award (Juvenile Fiction)
1956
Work: Lost in the Barrens
Category: 児童向けフィクション
Organization: Governor General's Awards
Result: 受賞
Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award
1958
Work: Lost in the Barrens
Organization: Canadian Library Association
Result: 受賞
Anisfield–Wolf Book Award
1953
Work: People of the Deer
Organization: Anisfield–Wolf Foundation
Result: 受賞
Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People
1970
Category: 功績賞
Organization: Writers' Trust of Canada
Result: 受賞
Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
1970
Work: The Boat Who Wouldn't Float
Organization: Stephen Leacock Medal committee
Result: 受賞
Mark Twain Award
1971
Organization: Mark Twain Award (organizations vary)
Result: 受賞
Gemini Award (best documentary script)
1989
Work: The New North
Category: ドキュメンタリー脚本
Organization: Gemini Awards
Result: 受賞
Officer of the Order of Canada
1981
Organization: Order of Canada
Result: 叙勲
National Outdoor Book Award (Lifetime Achievement)
2005
Category: Lifetime Achievement
Organization: National Outdoor Book Award
Result: 受賞
Canada's Walk of Fame (Star)
2010
Organization: Canada's Walk of Fame
Result: 受賞（顕彰）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

People of the Deer

1952 Non-fiction (field study / reportage) 240 pages

A field-report style account of the Ihalmiut Inuit in Northern Canada, describing hardships, starvation and traditional life. Based on Mowat's field experiences; some factual claims have been debated.

Northern lifeColonial and Indigenous relationsEnvironmental issues

Never Cry Wolf

1963 Non-fiction (personal account) 200 pages

An account of the author's experiences with Arctic wolves, challenging common misconceptions about wolf behavior. Widely influential and adapted into a 1983 film.

Animal behaviorChallenging human misconceptionsCoexistence with nature
Adaptations
  • [Film] Never Cry Wolf / Carroll Ballard (1983)

Lost in the Barrens

1956 Young adult fiction (adventure) 192 pages

A youth adventure novel set in Northern Canada. Published in 1956 and recipient of multiple children's literature awards.

AdventureFriendshipNorthern wilderness
Adaptations
  • [Television / Miniseries] Lost in the Barrens (1990 miniseries) (1990)

The Boat Who Wouldn't Float

1969 Memoir / Essay 240 pages

A humorous memoir recounting Mowat's time in Newfoundland. Winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal in 1970.

HumourMaritime and fishing lifePersonal experience

Owls in the Family

1962 Children's memoir 160 pages

A childhood memoir about the author's experiences with animals, especially owls. Popular in children's literature.

Human-animal interactionChildhood perspectiveNature description

Bibliography

  • People of the Deer
  • The Regiment
  • Lost in the Barrens
  • The Dog Who Wouldn't Be
  • Coppermine Journey
  • The Grey Seas Under
  • Owls in the Family
  • Never Cry Wolf
  • The Curse of the Viking Grave
  • The Snow Walker
  • Sea of Slaughter
  • My Discovery of America
  • Virunga: The Passion of Dian Fossey (Woman in the Mists)
  • And No Birds Sang
  • The Farfarers
  • My Father's Son
  • Born Naked
  • Aftermath
  • High Latitudes
  • No Man's River

Adaptations

  • Never Cry Wolf (film, 1983)
  • Lost in the Barrens (1990 miniseries)
  • The Curse of the Viking Grave (1992 miniseries)
  • The Snow Walker (film, 2003)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Poetic natural descriptionNarrative-driven non-fictionHumorous and anecdotal memoir style
Recurring Motifs
Northern wildernessHuman-animal relationshipsEnvironmental conservation and social justice

Health

  • Combat stress reaction / wartime trauma (PTSD-related)
    第2次世界大戦（1943–1945）
    Combat experiences in Italy influenced his life and writing; he experienced battle stress reactions and recounted traumatic wartime episodes in his memoirs.

Legacy

Farley Mowat gained international fame for his writings on the North and nature. His narrative style and environmental advocacy influenced many readers and policy debates, while some factual claims provoked controversy. His works were widely translated and his archives are preserved in academic collections.

Museums

  • Farley Mowat sculpture (University of Saskatchewan / Saskatoon) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (University of Saskatchewan) Opened in 2014

Academic Societies

  • North American Native Plant Society (honorary director)

Archives

  • William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections, McMaster University (Farley Mowat fonds)

In Popular Culture

  • Namesake of the sheepdog 'Farley' in the comic strip For Better or For Worse
  • Referenced as a saint-like figure in Margaret Atwood's novel The Year of the Flood
  • Namesake of Sea Shepherd vessels, associated with marine conservation activism

Quotes

  • I believe in God the way my dog does
    Source: Quoted in interviews / Vancouver Sun blog (archived) (2014)

Trivia

  • His works were reportedly translated into 52 languages
  • Sold more than 17 million books worldwide
  • Some of his books provoked controversy over factual accuracy; he was quoted as saying he 'never let the facts get in the way of the truth'
  • Namesake of Sea Shepherd vessels and of a dog character in the comic For Better or For Worse