Charles G. D. Roberts
Charles George Douglas Roberts, born on January 10, 1860, in Douglas, New Brunswick, Canada, is a prominent figure in Canadian literature, often referred to as the father of Canadian poetry. Initially educated at home by his minister father, he developed a deep appreciation for nature, which would heavily influence his writing. After graduating from the University of New Brunswick in 1879 and marrying Mary Fenety, Roberts published his first poetry collection, *Orion, and Other Poems*, in 1880.
Roberts's work, though romantic and somewhat derivative, was rooted in Canadian culture, and he quickly became a key member of a small group of national poets. Over his career, he published numerous poetry collections and is known for his innovative animal stories that depict wildlife behavior authentically, avoiding anthropomorphism. His 1886 book, *Earth's Enigmas*, marked the beginning of a successful series of animal stories, leading to notable works such as *Red Fox* (1905).
Roberts also served in the British Army during World War I, and his experiences during the war influenced his later poetry. He was knighted by King George V in 1935, reflecting his significant impact on Canadian literature. Despite his fame during his lifetime, none of his works remain in print today.
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Charles G. D. Roberts
- Born: January 10, 1860
- Birthplace: Douglas, New Brunswick, Canada
- Died: November 26, 1943
- Place of death: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Biography
Charles George Douglas Roberts was born on January 10, 1860, in Douglas, New Brunswick, Canada. He was taught at home by his father, George Goodridge Roberts, a minister. The family lived in a remote marshy area, and Roberts loved roaming the wild landscape and observing nature.
n 1879, when he was nineteen, Roberts graduated from the University of New Brunswick and became a teacher. The next year, he married Mary Fenety, and published his first book of poetry, Orion, and Other Poems (1880). His poetry was romantic and derivative, but it grew out of Canadian culture, and Roberts was soon one of a small group of important and influential national poets. He published seven books of poetry over the next two decades.
In 1881, Roberts completed a master’s degree at the University of New Brunswick and in 1885 became a professor at King’s College in Nova Scotia, teaching English, French, and economics. While at King’s College, he began writing stories whose main characters were animals—not anthropomorphic creatures in allegorical situations, but animals behaving like animals in natural settings that were often cruel and violent. Over his career, Roberts wrote hundreds of these stories told from the animals’ point of view, publishing them a first in magazines in Canada and the United States.
In 1885, Roberts left teaching and made a permanent break with his family. He moved to New York and never lived with his wife again, although he continued to support her and their children. In later years, he lived in various European cities, and the children sometimes joined him there.
In 1886, Roberts published his first book of animal stories, Earth’s Enigmas. This was a great critical and popular success, and led to nearly three dozen more volumes, many set in the wilds of New Brunswick where he had grown up. The most important of these was a novel, Red Fox (1905).
During World War I, Roberts served in the British Army. Many of the poems in the volume New Poems (1919), his first book of poetry in sixteen years, reflect on Roberts’s war experiences. In 1925, he returned to Canada for a reading tour, arranged by his oldest son, and was heralded as a national hero. The warm welcome Roberts received as he traveled across Canada led to a second wave of poetry and two more volumes. He toured Canada twice more in the 1920’s, and finally settled in Toronto to live.
Roberts was knighted by King George V in 1935. On November 26, 1943, he died in Toronto at the age of eighty-three. Roberts has often been called the father of Canadian poetry, a groundbreaking figure in the development of a true Canadian literature. Along with another Canadian writer, Ernest Thompson Seton, he created a truly new form of literature: the realistic story told from an animal’s point of view. In his lifetime, Roberts was one of the best-known and influential writers in Canada. None of his books remains in print.