Lawrence De Maria's Blog
October 19, 2025
Farley Mowat
Every now and then, I get a bee in my bonnet about an author that I think everyone should read.
Today’s column will be devoted to one such author. His name is Farley Mowat, and he died just short of his 93rd birthday in 2014.
Now, I realize that no one should be named Farley Mowat. Even a Canadian, which he was (and descended from a former Premier, no less!). Farley (I refuse to call him Mowat, which sounds like a furry rodent) was a prodigious talent, who wrote more than 40 books, some of which were turned into wonderful Hollywood movies. I blame him not being better known. If his moniker was Ernest Hemingway, he would be a household name!
He had a Hemingway -like life. In WWII, he went into the Canadian Army as a private, and came out a Captain, leading a rifle platoon in the invasion of Sicily, and later also saw combat in Italy. Later in the war, he went through enemy lines to arrange food drops to the starving Dutch. Saving countless lives.
After the war, he became an environmentalist, and spent years with furry Arctic animals (I’ll have to find out of “mowats” actually exist!). Farley almost single-handedly drew attention to the plight of the Inuit peoples, and serious environmental issues, bringing about substantive political changes in Canada.
And, boy, could he write. His books were translated into 52 languages, and he sold more than 17 million copies. His books on the Canadian north are classics. Farley’s great work, “Never Cry Wolf”, detailing his experiences with Arctic wolves, was made into one of those fabulous Hollywood films. Believe it or not, despite his war service, and his blue-blood pedigree, he was once denied entry in the United States as a “Communist sympathizer”.
Oh well, if only Canada was the 51st state. JUST KIDDING!
Many of his books are for children. New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof named Farley's “The Dog Who Wouldn't Be”, first published in 1957 (and never out of print), as one of the best children's books of all time. I used to work with Kristof, and never knew he loved the book.
I loved it to! In fact, that book is possibly my favorite of all time. I read it when I was a nee high to a grasshopper. I just bought several copies, one of which I sent to my grandson, Baxter, who loves dogs and books.
The dog in the book is a mongrel named “Mutt”, and every kid should have one just like him. I had one, Scruffy, and my family still talks about him although he has been gone more than 30 years. I have a photo of Scruffy on my desk, right next to me and Yogi Berra at a golf outing. (The resemblance of Scruffy and Yogi is remarkable.)
Anyway, I defy anyone, child or adult, to read “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be”, and not shed a tear at the ending.
All of Farley’s books should be read, most of them by kids.
Today’s column will be devoted to one such author. His name is Farley Mowat, and he died just short of his 93rd birthday in 2014.
Now, I realize that no one should be named Farley Mowat. Even a Canadian, which he was (and descended from a former Premier, no less!). Farley (I refuse to call him Mowat, which sounds like a furry rodent) was a prodigious talent, who wrote more than 40 books, some of which were turned into wonderful Hollywood movies. I blame him not being better known. If his moniker was Ernest Hemingway, he would be a household name!
He had a Hemingway -like life. In WWII, he went into the Canadian Army as a private, and came out a Captain, leading a rifle platoon in the invasion of Sicily, and later also saw combat in Italy. Later in the war, he went through enemy lines to arrange food drops to the starving Dutch. Saving countless lives.
After the war, he became an environmentalist, and spent years with furry Arctic animals (I’ll have to find out of “mowats” actually exist!). Farley almost single-handedly drew attention to the plight of the Inuit peoples, and serious environmental issues, bringing about substantive political changes in Canada.
And, boy, could he write. His books were translated into 52 languages, and he sold more than 17 million copies. His books on the Canadian north are classics. Farley’s great work, “Never Cry Wolf”, detailing his experiences with Arctic wolves, was made into one of those fabulous Hollywood films. Believe it or not, despite his war service, and his blue-blood pedigree, he was once denied entry in the United States as a “Communist sympathizer”.
Oh well, if only Canada was the 51st state. JUST KIDDING!
Many of his books are for children. New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof named Farley's “The Dog Who Wouldn't Be”, first published in 1957 (and never out of print), as one of the best children's books of all time. I used to work with Kristof, and never knew he loved the book.
I loved it to! In fact, that book is possibly my favorite of all time. I read it when I was a nee high to a grasshopper. I just bought several copies, one of which I sent to my grandson, Baxter, who loves dogs and books.
The dog in the book is a mongrel named “Mutt”, and every kid should have one just like him. I had one, Scruffy, and my family still talks about him although he has been gone more than 30 years. I have a photo of Scruffy on my desk, right next to me and Yogi Berra at a golf outing. (The resemblance of Scruffy and Yogi is remarkable.)
Anyway, I defy anyone, child or adult, to read “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be”, and not shed a tear at the ending.
All of Farley’s books should be read, most of them by kids.
