Author | G. Herbert Sallans |
---|---|
Publisher | Ryerson Press |
Publication date | 1942 |
Publication place | Canada |
Pages | 234 |
Little Man is a Canadian novel written by G. Herbert Sallans in 1942. It is a coming of age story set in the early part of the 20th century, depicting the life of a young man growing up in the Canadian west. It won the Governor General's award for fiction in 1942. It is semi-autobiographical, following Sallans' own life story up until the release of the novel.
The story begins in France during World War I. George Battle, a new recruit experiences first hand the concussive experience of trench warfare. What follows is a flashback to his early life growing up in Saskatchewan farm country. Various episodes in Battle's life are portrayed: college, World War I duty in the artillery, a journalist job in British Columbia and finally how his life is affected by the Second World War. [1]
Little Man won the first Ryerson Fiction Award in 1942. At the time of the award, the prize was worth $500. The judges were: S. Morgan-Powell, chief editor of the Montreal Star; Pelham Edgar, a professor at Victoria College; and Lorne Pierce of Ryerson Press. [2] It later won the Governor General's Literary Award for best fiction novel. The judges were: novelist Alan Sullivan; J. E. Middleton, editor of the Toronto Saturday Night magazine; and Norman Endicott, a professor of English at the University of Toronto. [3]
The selection of Little Man was viewed by some readers as a poor choice. More popular books included Hardy's All the Trumpets Sounded; Raddall's His Majesty's Yankees; and Campbell's Thorn-apple Tree. Little Man's best attribute was its story of contemporary Canadian life. The novel was not praised for its writing quality or its general structure. [3]
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The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English. It is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, seven each for creators of English- and French-language books. The awards was created by the Canadian Authors Association in partnership with Lord Tweedsmuir in 1936. In 1959, the award became part of the Governor General's Awards program at the Canada Council for the Arts in 1959. The age requirement is 18 and up.
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The Ryerson Fiction Award, also known as the All-Canada Prize, was a Canadian literary award, presented irregularly between 1942 and 1960. Presented by Ryerson Press, the award was given to an unpublished manuscript by a new or emerging writer, which was then published by Ryerson Press, and the prize consisted of $1,000 of which $500 was an advance on royalties.