The Letters of Frederick Philip Grove

Frederick Philip Grove was an important Canadian novelist and essayist, and a pioneer in the development of Canadian fiction. He was one of a small group of prairie writers who, between the wars, began to introduce realism to Canadian fiction. Among his most well-known works are the novels The Master of the Mill and A Search for America, and the ‘autobiography’ In Search of Myself.

Until recently, little has been known about Grove’s life prior to his settling in Manitoba as a teacher late in 1912. However, Professor Douglas Spettigue’s investigations now seem to have established beyond reasonable doubt that Grove was, prior to 1910 or 1912, Felix Paul Greve of Germany. This volume contains 514 letters written by Grove between 1913 and his death in 1948, and, in an appendix, 15 letters written by Felix Paul Greve between 1902 and 1909. The letters are arranged in chronological order and are supplemented with extensive notes on Grove’s correspondents and on book, journal, literary, and topical allusions. The letters Grove wrote to his wife, to his publishers, and to literary friends such as Watson Kirkconnell, W.J. Alexander, Carleton Stanley, and Richard Crouch are revealing of his complex and contradictory character. They are valuable both for the light they shed on his career and on publishing his time, and for their shrewd commentary on the works of his Canadian contemporaries, such as Martha Ostenso, Morley Callaghan, Mazo de la Roche, Raymond Knister, and Hugh MacLennan.

This is the first complete scholarly edition of the letters of any Canadian author. It will be indispensable to students of Grove and his work, it should be read by anyone interested in the development of Canadian literature.