(W.O. Mitchell was honored by Canada Post with a commemorative stamp)
(Often called Canada’s great novel over the years, a Depression/prairies masterpiece; dj, Macmillan, 1947; design: William Easton, uncredited author pho on blurb; rare flatsigned)
(left: the rare U.S. dj which left out 7,000 words; Little, Brown, and Co., 1947; jacket drawing by George F. Kelley; right: Mitchell reading his own masterpiece on CDs; BTC Audio Books/Goose Lane Editions, n.d.)
(Rare VHS, Janus/Embassy Home Entertainment, 1984, originally Souris River Films, 1977 & filmed in 1979; starred Jose Ferrer & Gordon Pinsent; directed by Allan King)
(left: DJ artwork spread by William Lytle; design: Leslie Smart; right: inscribed title page, Macmillan, 1962)
(A remarkable reading by the author, CDs, BTC Audio Books/Goose Lane Editions, n.d.)
(left: dj pictorial artwork spread by Lewis Parker; design: Leslie Smart; dj, Macmillan, 1961; right: flatsigned dj of sequel to Jake and the Kid, McClelland & Stewart, 1989; photo: Michael Keller, cover design: Avril Orloff)
(sealed VHS, CBC, 1998; CBC’s popular Life & Times series featured many important Canadian writers including Mordecai Richler, Stephen Leacock, Robertson Davies, Farley Mowat, Irving Layton, and Morley Callaghan)
(Rare signed letter, to Jack Hersh who edited Contact, an international magazine from 1952-1954)
William Ormond (W.O.) Mitchell (1914-1998), perhaps our greatest prairie and Depression author, was born in Weyburn. SK. He initially trained in philosophy and psychology, receiving a BA and teaching certificate at U of A in 1943. He then had a varied career in journalism and radio, writing several film and play scripts to help pay the family bills.
His main claim to fame is his coming-of-age Depression novel, Who Has Seen the Wind, one of the top 10 novels ever written, with a definite claim to being the Great Canadian Novel. This book sold 1 million copies in Canada alone, and has been widely taught in Canadian high schools.
Mitchell has been called the ‘Mark Twain of Canada’ for his Jake and the Kid stories published in two editions and made into a popular CBC radio series from 1950-1956. He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1973 and in 2004, Canada Post published a stamp recognizing his 60-year-career. There are two schools named in his honor–one in Calgary and the other in Kanata, ON.
I remember meeting W.O. in person at an English teacher’s conference. I invited him to judge a poetry event at a banquet, but he was too tired and graciously declined. He was fond of snorting snuff and I won’t soon forget the tobacco stains on his shirt and tie, and his unruly white hair. Come to think of it, he did look and sound ‘Twainish’! He was quite the unforgettable character!