Farley Mowat controversy update??

[cbar...@earthlink.net]

My wife and I just revisited a childhood book of ours, "The Dog Who Wouldn't
Be" by Farley Mowat. We've read a few of Mowat's books over the years, seen
Never Cry Wolf, etc. Have always enjoyed this author and his work.

Was disturbed to recently find out that Mowat was the subject of an alleged
"hit piece" type article in approx. 1996 by one John Goddard, apparently
taking the author to task for liberal use of exaggeration, fabrication etc.
instead of sticking strictly to facts (in the spirit of nonfiction writing I
suppose). Anyway, Mowat promised a response, and apparently one eventually
appeared in the Toronto Globe and Mail or a similar Canadian newspaper.

Can anyone point me to this response, provide information about it, or
otherwise give me an update? I like Mowat enough, and agree with his
positions on nature/wildlife enough, and know that he's at heart a
storyteller, such that whatever ultimately occurred will not really tarnish
his image with me but I still feel the need to see how this situation resolved
(if it did). Thanks for any info and comments.

[Don Phillipson]

<cbar...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:n7Du8.10134$L1.8...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...

> Was disturbed to recently find out that Mowat was the subject of an
alleged
> "hit piece" type article in approx. 1996 by one John Goddard, apparently
> taking the author to task for liberal use of exaggeration, fabrication
etc.
> instead of sticking strictly to facts (in the spirit of nonfiction writing
I
> suppose). Anyway, Mowat promised a response, and apparently one
eventually
> appeared in the Toronto Globe and Mail or a similar Canadian newspaper.

If I were in Toronto in person I should consult
(1) the Toronto Public Library (which used to
collect clippings files of literary news)
(2) The Canadian Press's clippings library.
Both no doubt now have web sites. But I
don't know if they would include what you
want.

Mowat is a controversialist, thus well documented.
(You could try a Google search.) At least two
episodes concern you:
1. His early books like Never Cry Wolf about
personal work in natural history in the North.
He has been accused of romantic exaggeration
and outright fabrication.
2. One of his most recent books postulated a
migration of "Albans" from Europe, unknown to
both recorded European history and N.American
archaeology. Scholars thought this was completely
imaginary yet presented to the public as "fringe fact."
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)
dphil...@trytel.com
be presented even as if fact

you may be able to get an

[Nikki's Book Nook]

Just did a search and Mowat's actual response does not seem to be on
the internet but here is an article from 1996 about his response.
http://www.canoe.ca/JamBooksFeatures/mowat_may6.html

Nikki

cbar...@earthlink.net wrote in message news:<n7Du8.10134$L1.8...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net>...

[kat >^.^<]

Don Phillipson <dphil...@trytel.com> wrote in message
news:xfFu8.82$Y7.4...@rdr1.wms.teleglobe.net...

> <cbar...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:n7Du8.10134$L1.8...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
>
> > Was disturbed to recently find out that Mowat was the subject of an
> alleged
> > "hit piece" type article in approx. 1996 by one John Goddard, apparently
> > taking the author to task for liberal use of exaggeration, fabrication
> etc.
> > instead of sticking strictly to facts (in the spirit of nonfiction
writing
> I
> > suppose). Anyway, Mowat promised a response, and apparently one
> eventually
> > appeared in the Toronto Globe and Mail or a similar Canadian newspaper.

Couldn't find the article in ten minutes or less. Here are two abstracts as
produced by Proquest:

In self-defence of Farley Mowat: The man, the myth, the legend
The Ottawa Citizen; Ottawa, Ontario; May 7, 1996; Farley Mowat;

Sub Title: [FINAL Edition]
Column Name: LETTER OF THE DAY
Section: NEWS
Start Page: A.12
Page Count: 0
Text Word Count: 567
Document Type: COLUMN; LETTER
Source Type: NEWSPAPER
ISSN: 08393222
UMI Article Re. No.: OTTC-2805-28
UMI Journal Code: OTTC
Abstract:
Saturday Night was once Canada's most prestigious and informative journal; a
trifle staid sometimes, but full of solid and honest stuff. It also prided
itself on fair play. In 1952, when I was attacked in its pages for my
exposure in People of the Deer of the sometimes fatal and always
reprehensible neglect of the Inuit by the arctic establishments, the editors
of Saturday Night accorded me equal space in the same issue in which to make
reply.

My publishers and I were led to believe Saturday Night had commissioned an
article that would amount to a general assessment of my writing career. With
this understanding, my wife and I extended our hospitality and co-operation
to a man who turned out to be a hired gun retained by Saturday Night to
bring down a somewhat antiquated (though not yet toothless) literary lion.

**********************

Stretching the truth the truth?: Hired gun conducted a `character
assassination'
Calgary Herald; Calgary, Alberta; May 14, 1996; Farley Mowat;

Sub Title: [FINAL Edition]
Section: COMMENT
Start Page: A.15
Page Count: 0
Text Word Count: 1023
Document Type: GENERAL
Source Type: NEWSPAPER
ISSN: 08281815
UMI Article Re. No.: CALH--734-64
UMI Journal Code: CALH
Abstract:
Saturday Night was once Canada's most prestigious and informative journal; a
trifle staid sometimes, but full of solid and honest stuff. It also prided
itself on fair play. In 1952, when I was attacked in its pages for my
exposure in People of the Deer of the sometimes fatal and always
reprehensible neglect of the Inuit by the Arctic establishments, the editors
of Saturday Night accorded me equal space in the same issue in which to make
reply.

Nor was I given any prior information that a reply might be called for. My
publishers and I believed Saturday Night had commissioned an article which
would amount to a general assessment of my writing career. With this
understanding, my wife and I extended our hospitality and co-operation to a
man who turned out to be a hired gun retained by Saturday Night to bring
down a somewhat antiquated (though not yet toothless) literary lion.

Needless to say, such permission was neither sought from, nor granted by,
me. I did not, incidentally, embargo this material to conceal the truth -- I
did so because it has been, and continues to be, a major fount from which I
draw for my ongoing work. Although it is, and remains, my personal
intellectual property, Saturday Night published significant portions of the
material despite the fact that Kenneth Whyte, editor of Saturday Night, had
been informed that I was in the process of writing a book based on it.

[Paulette Gibson]

Apparently Mr. Mowat wrote a reply on May 6, 1996 in the Toronto Globe and
Mail.

<cbar...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:n7Du8.10134$L1.8...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...

[Elsi]

Don Phillipson <dphil...@trytel.com> wrote:

> Was disturbed to recently find out that Mowat was the subject of an
> alleged
> "hit piece" type article in approx. 1996 by one John Goddard, apparently
> taking the author to task for liberal use of exaggeration, fabrication
> etc.
> instead of sticking strictly to facts (in the spirit of nonfiction
> writing
> I
> suppose). Anyway, Mowat promised a response, and apparently one
> eventually
> appeared in the Toronto Globe and Mail or a similar Canadian newspaper.

To which "kat >^.^<" replied:

> Couldn't find the article in ten minutes or less. Here are two abstracts as
> produced by Proquest:

--------- snipped -----------

I searched EBSCOHost databases and found an article by Kevin Michael
Grace published in Alberta Report / Newsmagazine, 5/27/96. The abstract
reads: "Reports that Canadian writer Farley Mowat has abused facts in
his books, according to a study of his archives by John Goddard
published in the May 1996 `Saturday Night' magazine. Charges of Goddard
that Mowat has misrepresented personal circumstances, experiences,
travels, methodology and the position of the federal government; Mowat's
defense of falsehood as an obligation to a higher truth."

I found this paragraph telling:

-- begin quote --
When Mr. Goddard confronted Mr. Mowat, the grand old man of Canadian
literature was defiant: "I never let the facts get in the way of the
truth!" Mr. Mowat defended his falsehoods as an obligation to a higher
truth; the Inuit were in crisis and needed a champion: "Nobody was going
to pay any attention to them unless their situation was dramatized, and
I dramatized it." Since the Saturday Night piece appeared, Mr. Mowat has
accused Mr. Goddard of "character assassination" but has yet to rebut
any of his charges. His primary complaint is that Mr. Goddard allegedly
used his archive without permission.
-- end quote --

EBSCOHost also carries the Toronto Star, but apparently not back to
1996. I found an article about Farley Mowat written in November 2000.
This one, by the same John Goddard (who, by the way is a Toronto star
copy editor) criticizes Mowat's continued promises to set the record
straight but failure to do so. "Farley redux", Toronto Star,
11/12/2000.

Another article from January 2002 announces that the Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society is renaming its flagship, now called the Ocean
Warrior, the MV Farley Mowat to honour the
author and environmentalist. "Literary legend Mowat certain to make
waves", Toronto Star, 01/18/2002.

Regards,
Elsi