Blodwen Davies
Born(1897-05-18)May 18, 1897
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedSeptember 10, 1966(1966-09-10) (aged 69)
Cedar Grove, Markham, Ontario, Canada
Pen nameBrook Abbott
OccupationWriter
NationalityCanadian
Period20th century
GenreHistory, travelogues

Blodwen Davies[1] (May 18, 1897 – September 10, 1966) was a Canadian journalist, historian and travel writer.

Biography

Davies was born in Montreal,[2] Quebec in 1897. Her parents were David Williams Davies, a coal miner and boiler engineer and Edith McQueston. She was educated at a convent in nearby Longueuil. After graduation, she became a journalist and worked for a newspaper in Fort William, Ontario.[3]

In 1921, she moved to Toronto where she became an advocate for the Group of Seven and eventually became the biographer for Tom Thomson. She published A Study of Tom Thomson: The Story of a Man Who Looked for Beauty and for Truth in the Wilderness in 1935. She earned a living as a freelance writer and researcher. Many of her books explored Canada's social history, highlighting the same cities and regions that were also favourites of the Group of Seven.[4] In the late 1930s, she moved to New York City where she became involved in Scientific humanism. She co-wrote a book with Oliver Reiser, Planetary Democracy on the subject. In 1946, she moved back to Ontario where she lived on a rural property north of Toronto. She spent the remainder of her life writing travelogues about Canada and studying the lore of the local Mennonite community. She died in Cedar Grove, Ontario in 1966.[3]

Works

  • Storied Streets Of Quebec, (1927)
  • Old Father Forest, (1930)
  • Daniel Du Lhut, (1930)
  • Ruffles And Rapiers, (1930)
  • Paddle And Palette: The Story Of Tom Thomson..., (1930)
  • Saguenay 'Saginawa': The River Of Deep Waters, (1930)
  • The Charm Of Ottawa, (1932)
  • Saguenay And Gaspe, (1932)
  • Romantic Quebec, (1932)
  • A Study Of Tom Thomson, (1935)
  • Planetary Democracy, (1944) [with Oliver L REISER]
  • Youth, Marriage And The Family, (1948)
  • Gaspé: Land Of History And Romance, (1949)
  • Quebec: Portrait Of A Province, (1951)
  • Ottawa: Portrait Of A Capital, (1954)
  • A String Of Amber: The Heritage Of The Mennonites, (1973)

Source:[5]

Legacy

In 2021 Blodwen Davies Park open in Greensborough area of Markham was opened.

References

  1. ↑ Sometimes spelt Blodinén
  2. ↑ Some biographies suggest Longueuil
  3. 1 2 McNally, Linnea; Wright, Daryn (December 10, 2018). "Blodwen Davies". Canadian Writing Research Collaboratory: Canada's Early Women Writers.
  4. ↑ Moran, Rodger J. (December 13, 2013). "Blodwen Davies". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  5. ↑ "Author - Blodwen Davies". Author and Book Info.
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