Farley Tpb

There are many sides to Farley Mowat, and this biography touches on all of them. James King presents Mowat as an ambitious writer, a proud Canadian, a melancholy husband, a mischievous only child, and a passionate environmentalist. In the space of relatively few pages, King describes Mowat's very active life, remarking on every book, every beloved pet dog, many of his travels, the Second World War years, both marriages, and his troubles with publishers and editors.Did he leave anything out? Well, you can be sure that the Farley his friends and family know is still private, but not completely. This is primarily a book about Mowat's relationships with people, his moods, and his mistakes. It's a "warts and all" biography, but it's written with Canadian politeness --- James King is even-handed and fair. Farley cooperated with King on it, opening up archives of correspondence and submitting to interviews. He made no conditions, and King honored that with a respectful portrait.Aspiring writers should read this book. Farley had a bumpy but very successful career, starting with a controversial book (People of the Deer) in 1952. He spent the next 30 years trying to identify and master his literary strengths. His editors, his father, and his wife Claire helped him figure it out. If you want a successful writing career, you can learn a lot from this book.For fans of Farley Mowat, you get to find out how he came to write each book, how well they sold, and which books had the greatest effect on him. (Never Cry Wolf is his best-seller. Sea of Slaughter meant a great deal to him and required a lot of time and emotional strength. The Top of the World trilogy was never taken seriously by his publishers. Etc.) This is a well-written biography of a great man. I highly recommend it.