Grey Owl: The Mystery of Archie Belaney

by Garnet Ruffo Ruffo

Armand Ruffo creates a complex and wonderfully textured portrait of one of Canada's most fascinating public figures in Grey The Mystery of Archie Belaney. This unique, accessible collection of narrative poetry examines a dynamic, often contradicory, always fascinating man who reconstructed his character to deliver his message of conservation to the world. Grey The Mystery of Archie Belaney is a compelling study of an intriguing character – a white man who assumed a native "voice" to promote his ideas and ideals to an international audience. In turn, the book raises difficult questions about identity and voice, aboriginal culture, human rights, and the environment.Ruffo draws on extensive archival research, and family memories – Grey Owl lived for three years with Ruffo's grandmother's family in the small northern Ontario community of Biscotasing – to offer new insights about the man and his mission. With clear, direct, and evocative language, Ruffo writes from Grey Owl's own perspective as well as from the viewpoints of women he loved and men with whom he worked. The poems detail both his professional achievements and his personal failures.Ruffo brings a deep understanding of aboriginal thought, excellent research skills, and a mature craft to this collection. Grey The Mystery of Archie Belaney marks a significant contribution to aboriginal writing and to Canadian literature.

Genres: Poetry, Canada, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, History, Nature

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us who long to recreate our lives, this is the story of someone who did. And fooled the world but not the original People he emulated. He lived a better life and became a better person.

[Shahna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to know more.

He seems like a dick.

[Tra Cey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of writings from Archie and those around to him. Good period piece read and provided the background info I was looking for before visiting PA Nat Park this summer.

[Monique Attrux · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more interesting than I had expected. The use of the poetic form was a good choice.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting take on the life of an enigmatic man, subtitled ‘The Mystery of Archie Belaney’. I also think the format Ruffo uses of a series of poems in in keeping with the man that took so much poetic license with his own story. It filled in more detail than the movie ignored or romanticized. Grey Owl; Archie Belamey was a drunkard and he did not end his life with ‘Pony’ as the film leads you to believe. As a matter of fact, after his death it is she who reveals his true identity and that he was a bigamist because he never divorced any of his wives and at the time of his death he was a ‘married’ to a woman ‘Silver Moon’, though she too wasn’t Indian but she apparently didn’t know his secret that he was as European as she, not that half-breed he pretended to be. Ruffo handled the death of Grey Owl very elegantly in three poems and then uses press clippings or quotes as the dénouement was nicely done. Because it was written in poetic form it was also romanticized. I would still like to read a fact based biography of the man who passed himself off as ‘Grey Owl’.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written combination of prose and poetry outlining the life of Grey Owl. Written by a Canadian Aboriginal author adopting the voice of an English-born man who adopted the voice and persona of a Canadian Aboriginal in the early 1900s and became famous.
Ruffo's poetry in this book is wonderful and he manages to convincingly adopt not only the believable voice of Grey Owl, but also those of his many wives and friends. He weaves the story of a man who loses himself to the fictional person he has created, and asks at what point was it too late for him to turn back.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was actually looking for a book by Grey Owl when this one was given to me. Although initially disappointed, I ended up enjoying this a lot. The author uses short [usually less than a page:] monologues from a variety of people close to Grey Owl to flesh out the story.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

makes me want to be a biologist, a friking awsome one.

[Marija]

Give me a break!