Vancouver has given the world many famous writers representing different genres and styles. You can meet Vancouver natives in the literary sphere very often. They are truly talented and combine all the best qualities that later help them achieve great success. Another interesting feature of almost all Vancouver authors is that they often need a push. It can be people who appear on the path of future writers or some events.
George Woodcock also experienced such a push in his life. It wasn’t an event but a life coincidence that highlighted his desire to engage in writing activities.
However, it is fair to mention that in addition to writing, George was also actively involved in charity.
So, George Woodcock became a famous Canadian writer. He worked in the genre of political biography. He also wrote historical books and essays. In addition, George was known as a literary critic.
The writer also tried his hand at poetry and published travel notes.
In 1959, George founded the Canadian Literature journal. It was the first academic publication devoted to Canadian writing. Outside the country, Woodcock achieved great fame thanks to his book on anarchism. It covered libertarian ideas and movements.
Woodcock’s uniqueness lies not only in his gift but also in the unusual approaches and views on everything. In addition, this person can be safely named a true philanthropist. After all, he tried to help those in dire need. Moreover, he did it modestly by creating special programs and founding related organizations. George wasn’t jealous of fame and didn’t have a hard time enduring the emergence of new generations of authors who, in fact, were his competitors. On the contrary, he tried to support young writers who were experiencing financial difficulties.
In general, George Woodcock’s personality is truly unique, therefore he deserves to be written and talked about.
Learn more about this man at ivancouver. (Source: georgewoodcock.com)
Early years
George was born in Manitoba, but soon his family moved to England. Even though the family wasn’t rich, the boy’s grandfather wanted to take on the costs of his education if he agreed to become a student at the University of Cambridge. However, his grandson didn’t agree because he didn’t want to study at the Anglican clergy seminary.
However, George decided to start working as a clerk at the Great Western Railway. Then he became seriously interested in anarchism. He had every chance of remaining an anarchist forever, especially since he devoted books to this topic.
At that time, he learned about such prominent literary figures as T. S. Eliot and A. Huxley. He also established a very close relationship with one of the most famous art theorists Herbert Read.
Publishing the first work
George’s first published work was a collection of poems called The White Island. It happened in 1940.
George spent the Second World War working on a farm in Essex.
Return to Vancouver
Later, he moved to Oregon, where he founded the Untide Press. Thus, he wanted to bring poetry to society, albeit in an inexpensive but very attractive format.
In the post-war period, he decided to return to Canada and settled permanently in Vancouver.
In 1955, George took a position in the English Department at the University of British Columbia. He worked there until the 1970s. Around that time, Woodcock began to write more actively.
Then he published books dedicated to travel, collections of his poetry and works on anarchism, which brought him the greatest fame.
Founding programs and organizations
At the end of his life, George Woodcock became increasingly interested in the plight of the Tibetan people. He visited India, studied Buddhism, met the Dalai Lama and founded the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society. His wife helped him found Canada India Village Aid. This organization sponsored projects that helped rural India. Both organizations embodied George’s idea of voluntary international cooperation, regardless of national boundaries.
The writer and his wife also were involved in creating a program aimed at supporting Canadian writers.
It was founded in 1989 and was dedicated to providing financial assistance to any writer who faced unforeseen financial problems that threatened the creation of new works.
The foundation cooperated exclusively with writers working in fiction and non-fiction, poetry and plays.
George Woodcock passed away in Vancouver on January 28, 1995.
Friendship with Orwell
The writer first met George Orwell as a result of their public controversy in Partisan Review.
In his London Letter, which was published in 1942, Orwell noted that pacifism can be considered pro-fascist in terms of the fight against fascism.
Woodcock was unhappy with this. After all, he was the founder and editor of the anti-war newspaper Now, which Orwell repeatedly mentioned in his articles. Therefore, he noted that all of Orwell’s publications are cultural reviews of the British anarchist movement.
Despite all of this, they managed to become good friends and corresponded until the last days of Orwell’s life.
Later, Woodcock wrote a critical study of Orwell’s works, which won a Governor General’s Award.
Moreover, the writer named his work after the last line of Orwell’s poem. It was dedicated to an Italian militiaman with whom he met in 1936 when the civil war was in full swing.
Interesting approach
George Woodcock won numerous awards and titles. However, he had long established his own, unlike anyone else’s, principle in this matter. It has made him unique and will distinguish the writer from thousands of others even after many years.
He accepted the awards from his colleagues but not from the state. The only exception was the Freedom of the City of Vancouver, which he accepted in 1994. He simply loved Vancouver, its people and everything connected with it.
Photo sources: luxediteur, pixabay