Francis William Grey

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Francis William Grey (1860–1939) was a British-born Canadian writer and academic.[1] He was most noted for his 1899 novel The Curé of St. Philippe, which was republished by McClelland and Stewart's New Canadian Library series in 1970.[2]

Born and educated in England, Grey moved to Canada in adulthood and worked as a professor of English at the University of Ottawa,[3] and later for the National Archives of Canada.[1] Married to a French Canadian woman, he became knowledgeable about French Canadian culture; The Curé of St. Philippe has often been regarded by critics as a relatively weak novel in terms of storytelling, yet a strong and highly detailed portrait of French Canadian social and cultural organization in its era through its depiction of a small town in the process of building and launching its own new Roman Catholic church.[4] It was Grey's only novel, although he published academic non-fiction, poetry and theatrical plays.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Carl F. Klinck, Alfred G. Bailey, Claude Bissell, Roy Daniells, Northrop Frye, Desmond Pacey (eds.) Literary History of Canada: Canadian Literature in English. University of Toronto Press, 1976. ISBN 9781487590970.
  2. ^ Janet B. Friskney, New Canadian Library: The Ross-McClelland Years, 1952-1978. University of Toronto Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8020-9746-0. pp. 169-170.
  3. ^ "Local Briefs". Ottawa Citizen, June 13, 1903.
  4. ^ "The Curé of St. Philippe". The Month, May 1899. p. 556.