Francis William Grey

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 was one of the sons of Admiral George Grey (1809–1891), a younger son of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey.[3]

Grey moved to Canada and became a professor of English at the University of Ottawa,[4] later working for the National Archives of Canada.[1]

On 22 December 1885, Grey married Jessie Macleod Rolland, a daughter of Charles Rolland, of Kilmorie House, Ottawa, who was seigneur of Sainte Marie de Manoir, Quebec.[3] He became knowledgeable about French Canadian culture, and while The Curé of St. Philippe has been regarded as a weak in terms of storytelling, it is a strong and highly detailed portrait of French Canadian social and cultural organization in its era, depicting a small town in the process of building and launching its own new Roman Catholic church.[5] It was Grey's only novel, although he published academic non-fiction, poetry and theatrical plays.[1]

Grey's son George Archibald Grey (1886–1952) married Margery Campbell, a daughter of the poet William Wilfred Campbell, and their grandsons Richard and Philip Grey inherited the earldom in 1963 and 2013 respectively.[3]

References

  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. ^ a b c Burke's Peerage, volume 2 (2003), page 1664.
  4. ^ "Local Briefs". Ottawa Citizen, June 13, 1903.
  5. ^ "The Curé of St. Philippe". The Month, May 1899. p. 556.
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