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Farley Mowat dead at 92

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Aug 22, 2013
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He was a polarizing figure to be sure but his story telling ability and verve for the environment is something I will always admire. It was reading his book Lost in the Barrens that sparked my interest in the North and the follow up Curse of the Viking Grave turned into a roaring fire. There are two people in my life that attribute to my love of the outdoors and he was one. The other was my high-school Outdoor Ed Teacher.

It truly does sadden me to see this man pass. I hope history will treat him better than Conrad Black did.

RIP Farley Mowat
 
Sad day indeed. I devoured every book of his I could get ahold of in highschool. He could sure could inspire the imagination.
 
I just ordered "Coppermine Journey; An Account of Great Adventure" by Farley Mowat today, although I had no idea he died. Pretty strange.
 
I've just been sharing with a brother, all the book titles of F. Mowat I've enjoyed over the years. There've been a few. There's still a few more I'd like to read. Mowat was an irascible fellow, but you'd need to be to speak out against certain things nowadays. Controversy followed him because of his admitted blending of fictitious story lines with factual events. I accepted this, and moved on to continue enjoying his books. I intend to continue to read and enjoy many of his titles for years to come. His passing is sad news, but he led the life he loved, and it was a long one.
 
Funny or ironic or maybe even sad that Mowat's troubles with the fluidity of truth and facts came at the hands of Conrad Black. A man himself who has had in my opinion an even more difficult relationship with facts and truths.

One of the books that most impressed me was No Man's River, which was in essence a retelling of People of the Deer. And if you read Mowats biography you realize why some of the details around the original was altered. Mowat was part of a science field study when he got turfed and was told in no uncertain terms he was not allowed to write about, mention or even tell anybody he was part of the progeam, or something to that effect.

Fascinating man.
 
Mowat's books are novels, and I find it odd that people nit-pick over specific facts & details - that misses the point entirely. His writing has engaged the imaginations of countless Canadians, and inspired many to explore the great landscapes of this country.

Farley was a true Canadian, through & through.
 
Like Red Langford, in the first post, I remember reading and rereading Lost in the Barrens and Curse of the Viking Grave. That led to Black Joke, and so on. He was a big part of growing up in the 70's. And tHough it was dense, I loved Westviking, his theory of Norse settlement in Newfoundland. A wonderful book.
A colourful character with a great imagination. There aren't too many writers like him left, who manage to show Canadian urban dwellers the delights and challenges of life in the immense country that lies north of our cities huddled on the southern border.
 
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