The Kindred of the Wild: A Book of Animal Life

by Charles G.D. Roberts

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.

Genres: Nature

266 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts, was a Canadian poet and prose writer who is known as the Father of Canadian Poetry. He was almost the first Canadian author to obtain worldwide reputation and influence; he was also a tireless promoter and encourager of Canadian literature. He published numerous works on Canadian exploration and natural history, verse, travel books, and fiction. At his death he was regarded as Canada's leading man of letters.

Besides his own body of work, Roberts served as an inspiration and a source of assistance for other Canadian poets of his time.

Roberts, his cousin Bliss Carman, Archibald Lampman, and Duncan Campbell Scott are known as the Confederation Poets.

Reviews

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is very similar to The Secret Trails or any of Roberts's other nature stories. You see, his nature stories are very predictable. This makes them rather boring. I do not enjoy his writing style. And I think I've mentioned all these things in my review of The Secret Trails! It's hard to come up with anything new to say when the two books are SO SIMILAR. I could have appreciated this book if my teacher wouldn't have read it to my class right after finishing another of Roberts's books. Short stories always get old fast, but especially so when they're all on the same subject, all by the same writer.

I apologise for this review highly objective review: I was simply very bored with the book. If you enjoy nature stories (and haven't been hearing them every day for the past 2 months), you'll probably love it!

[Nightshade · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely brutal book. I remember when I first came across it a few years ago, I struggled to read past "The Moonlight Trails". Some of the stories are much more intensely brutal and dark than the first and some are more triumphant and hopeful.

I felt I owed it to my animal kin to read this book. Afterall I worship nature, but I cannot claim to, if I turn away from the brutality and cruelty often found in their stories.

[Joanne Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a child 50 years ago; my parents had read it as children. I remember loving it, and the stories have always stayed with me. What I enjoyed most was seeing things from the animals' points of view. I did not know until recently that the writer was Canadian. Although I studied the "Confederation Poets" in high school, I don't remember covering the poetry of Charles G.D. Roberts. I hope to find a copy of this book someday, to share with great nieces and nephews, and to re-read it myself.