Farley Mowat
I have a crush on Farley Mowat. Perhaps it’s my strong affinity for bearded men with a backwoods story to tell. Maybe it’s his dreamy eyes that always look like they’re harbouring a secret. It could be his outspoken passion for the Others. Regardless here is a Canadian environmental activist, naturalist and author who continues to tantalize my literary g-spot.
Farley’s well known novels include “Owls in the Family” and “Never Cry Wolf”. Unbeknownst to me or my elementary school educators, these are standard texts for the Canadian under 13 crowd. I was introduced to Farley at a relatively late age by a former roommate. She lent me her copy of “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be”. Oh how I roared as Mowat recounted growing up in Saskatchewan with a frugal mother, a wacky librarian father and a dog who was convinced he was otherwise. I was hooked.
I proceeded to journey through this national gem’s collections in a disorderly, achronological manner. I went to the Barren lands with him in “People of the Deer” and experienced a forgotten people in Canada’s north that have been devastated by white infiltration. We spent days at sea together in “The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float”. How much either of us remembers is up for debate as Mowat was always passing around the rum. The Old Man in the Sea had to be appeased after all.
I am far from completing his collection and have not indulged myself in even half of this icon’s work. Mowat published his fortieth and rumoured final novel, “Otherwise” in October 2008 and I can’t wait to dive into it and spend some more time with this handsome bearded chap.

This post was written by Sheri Connolly, a student at The King’s University College in Edmonton, AB.
Posted: February 26th, 2009 under Connolly, King's Students.
Tags: bearded beauty, Boat who Wouldn't Float, Canadian authors, Farley Mowat, g-spot, Otherwise, Owls in the Family
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Comment from carlenegroen
Time February 26, 2009 at 4:45 pm
OOH how I loved reading all those books. I read using my dad’s old copies that had that really nice old book smell! I should read some again! very inspirational