Hubert Evans
Hubert Reginald Evans was a Canadian author born in 1892 in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, who dedicated much of his life to writing in northern British Columbia. His early career began as a newspaper reporter at eighteen, and he served in World War I before settling in British Columbia after marrying Anna Winter in 1920. Evans is particularly known for his novels that explore themes of nature, adventure, and the lives of Indigenous peoples in his region. His most acclaimed work, "Mist on the River," published in 1954, portrays the challenges faced by a Native Canadian character navigating the complexities of cultural conflict. In addition to adult novels, Evans wrote several young adult adventure stories featuring dogs, including the "Derry" series, which are celebrated for their engaging plots and strong connections to the wilderness. Throughout his literary career, he also contributed to radio plays and published hundreds of stories in magazines. Later in life, after a hiatus following his wife's death, he published poetry and an autobiographical novel, continuing to reflect on themes of conservation and cultural understanding. Evans’s works remain significant for their insight into the interactions between Indigenous cultures and the industrial world, ensuring their relevance today.
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Hubert Evans
- Born: May 9, 1892
- Birthplace: Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada
- Died: June 17, 1986
- Place of death: Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada
Biography
Hubert Reginald Evans spent most of his life living and writing in northern British Columbia. He was born in 1892 in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada, where he became a newspaper reporter at the age of eighteen. He served in France and Flanders in the Canadian army during World War I. He married Anna Winter in 1920 and settled in British Columbia, where he wrote until his death at age ninety-four.
Evans wrote about nature, adventure, and the life and native people of his chosen setting, British Columbia. He is highly regarded for his novels for young adults, but wrote from his own experience for adults as well, and his most important novel, Mist on the River, was written for an adult audience.
During the 1920’s and 1930’s, Evans wrote radio plays and serials for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and he published hundreds of stories for magazines as well as Forest Friends, a collection of animal stories, The New Front Line, an autobiographical novel written about a returning veteran, and three of his dog adventure novels for young adults. Derry, Airedale of the Frontier, Derry’s Partner, and Derry of Totem Creek, are all adventure stories set in the north, featuring hero Ed Sibley and his dog. They are admired for their fast pace and dramatic conflicts with the wilderness. The Silent Call is a collection of stories including white and Native Canadian characters as well as birds, animals, and fish in their natural setting.
Mist on the River, published in 1954, is Evans’s classic novel, featuring the Native Canadian culture which he knew well. The hero of the novel, Cy Pitt, is a Native Canadian caught between the white and traditional worlds. The novel ends on a note of hope, as Cy becomes the new tribal chief, and it seems possible to reconcile the old and new ways. The novel has been praised for its accuracy and understanding of the problems of contemporary Native Canadians. Mountain Dog, written for young people, combines the themes and setting of Mist on the River with the heroic adventure of a man and his dog.
Evans did not write for many years after the death of his wife Anna in 1960. Later in his life, he published three volumes of poetry, Whittlings (1976), Endings (1978), and Mostly Coast People (1982). His final novel, written for adults, O Time in Your Flight (1979), is autobiographical. Set in 1899 in Ontario, the novel describes the events of the turn of the century through the eyes of a young boy. The story has been praised for its accurate depiction of the period and for capturing the universal joys and sorrows of boyhood.
Evans’s environmental themes of conservation and the wilderness and the cultural conflicts between Native Canadians and the industrial white world have kept his books fresh and relevant. Mountain Dog was reprinted in 1981 as Son of the Salmon People. His books for young people have been praised for their imaginative plots in the tradition of classic outdoor adventure and dog stories.