author
George Stewart
1848–1906
A lively champion of Canadian writing in the late 19th century, this editor, publisher, and lecturer worked to show that Canada could have a literature of its own. He is also remembered for writing a firsthand-era account of the devastating 1877 fire in Saint John, New Brunswick.
1 Audiobook
The Story of the Great Fire in St. John, N.B., June 20th, 1877
by George Stewart
About the author
Born in New York City on November 26, 1848, he moved to Canada as a child and was educated in Ontario before settling in Saint John, New Brunswick. Trained as a druggist and chemist, he built a career that ranged far beyond pharmacy, becoming an editor, publisher, author, and lecturer.
He was deeply involved in Canadian literary life and is often described as an early advocate for a distinct Canadian literature rather than one overshadowed by British or American models. His writing and editorial work connected him with newspapers, journals, and learned societies, and he later lived and worked in Quebec City.
Among his best-known books is The Story of the Great Fire in St. John, N.B., June 20th, 1877, a vivid account of one of the city's defining disasters. He died in Quebec City on February 27, 1906, leaving behind a body of work tied closely to the growth of Canadian cultural and literary identity.