author
Edward William Thomson
1849–1924
A lively early Canadian man of letters, he moved through war, surveying, and journalism before turning those experiences into fiction, poetry, and sharp-eyed commentary. Best remembered for stories rooted in Ottawa Valley life, he helped shape the short story in Canada.
2 Audiobooks
Old Man Savarin, and Other Stories
by Edward William Thomson
Old Man Savarin Stories: Tales of Canada and Canadians
by Edward William Thomson
About the author
Born in Peel County, Ontario, in 1849, Edward William Thomson was a Canadian journalist and writer whose career ranged widely before literature became his lasting claim to fame. Sources agree that he served with Union cavalry during the American Civil War, later worked as a surveyor and civil engineer, and then built a long career in journalism in Canada and the United States.
Thomson is especially associated with short stories set in the French-Canadian, Irish, and Scottish communities along the Ottawa River. He also wrote poetry, and his best-known title is Old Man Savarin and Other Stories. Parks Canada recognizes him as a national historic person, noting his importance as a journalist, poet, and novelist.
What makes his work stand out is the way it draws on real places, working lives, and regional voices without losing warmth or momentum. For listeners exploring older Canadian writing, Thomson offers a vivid glimpse of the country's literary beginnings and the border-crossing life of a writer who had already seen a great deal before he put it on the page.