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Revision as of 16:05, 12 December 2024 by LiteratureCompanion (talk | contribs) (create article)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| 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.
Plot
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.
Awards
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. 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.
Reception
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.
References
- "G. H. Sallans' 'Little Man' All-Canada Award Winner". Toronto Daily Star. November 21, 1942. p. 9.
- "G. Herbert Sallans, Newspaperman, Wins Ryerson $500 Fiction Prize". The Globe and Mail. May 9, 1942. p. 8.
- ^ Deacon, William Arthur (June 19, 1943). "Governor-General's Annual Literary Awards Go to Sallans, Birney, Hutchison, Mclnnis". The Globe and Mail. p. 11.
External links
- Little Man at Faded Page (Canada)