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Nature Essays

The Kindred of the Wild

A Book of Animal Life

by (author) Charles G.D. Roberts

introduction by James Polk

Publisher
Dundurn Press
Initial publish date
Sep 2013
Category
Essays, General, General
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781459701489
    Publish Date
    Sep 2013
    List Price
    $9.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781459701472
    Publish Date
    Sep 2013
    List Price
    $28.99

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Description

Charles G.D. Roberts’s fame rests on a series of very popular animal stories.

Charles G.D. Roberts was a distinguished writer of his time who published more than forty volumes of poetry, romance fiction, and nature writing – making him one of the most popular writers of his time. He pioneered the animal story in which he went beyond surface elements of nature and endowed his animal "characters" with qualities of feeling and intelligence that brought them closer to their human cousins. Roberts’ career as a writer transcended his Canadian roots and he was internationally known and popular in America and England.

What was particularly appreciated by his readers was Roberts’ close observation of nature and his efforts to endow animals with emotions and understand their mental processes. By 1932, Kindred of the Wild had been re-issued twenty-three times, attesting to its ongoing appeal. Roberts was knighted for his contribution to literature and his services in the Allied cause in the First World War.

 

About the authors

Charles G.D Roberts (1860-1943) was a poet and prose writer. After a childhood in New Brunswick, he became a heralded poet who later turned to fiction, writing an extensive series of animal stories and pioneering a genre that remains popular today. His works include Eyes of the Wilderness, The Vagrant of Time, and Earth's Enigmas. Roberts spent the last years of his life in Toronto, where he died.

Charles G.D. Roberts' profile page

James Polk has written on the Canadian animal story as a unique genre in articles, reviews, and a book, Wilderness Writers. He served as cultural policy adviser in the Ontario government and is the author of a novel, short stories, and a play. He is the recipient of the Janice E. Handford Award from the Ontario Book Publishers for his contribution to literary publishing. He lives in Toronto.

 

James Polk's profile page