The School-Marm Tree

In 1919, Howard O’Hagan went east to study law at McGill University. There, Stephen Leacock was one of his professors, and, with A.J.M. Smith, he edited the McGill Daily. Graduating in 1925 with a B.A. and a L.L.B., he came back west where, without being called to the bar, he practised law long enough to have one man thrown in jail and another released. Howard O’Hagan never did want to become a lawyer. Instead, he began to guide and pack in the Rockies. Between jobs and life in Australia, New York, England, Berkeley, Victoria and Italy, it was to the Rockies that he always returned. Fred Brewster, his life-long friend and one of the leading guides and outfitters in the area, introduced him to two park rangers on a cold, bitter Jasper night, paying him the greatest compliment of his life: “I want you to meet Howard O’Hagan, the best mountain man I’ve ever travelled with.”

The School-Marm Tree is a novel about mountains: about the “presence” in mountains, about the heart’s desire to go beyond mountains. No other writer in Canada knows mountains as O’Hagan does, or has quite the same affinity for them. The School-Marm Tree witnesses that knowledge and affinity.

Reviews

The School-Marm Tree is testimony to Howard O’Hagan’s intelligence as a novelist for he has what D.H. Lawrence saw in Hardy—a deep sensuous understanding.”
Globe and Mail


Awards

There are no awards found for this book.
Excerpts & Samples ×

In 1919, Howard O’Hagan went east to study law at McGill University. There, Stephen Leacock was one of his professors, and, with A.J.M. Smith, he edited the McGill Daily. Graduating in 1925 with a B.A. and a L.L.B., he came back west where, without being called to the bar, he practised law long enough to have one man thrown in jail and another released. Howard O’Hagan never did want to become a lawyer. Instead, he began to guide and pack in the Rockies. Between jobs and life in Australia, New York, England, Berkeley, Victoria and Italy, it was to the Rockies that he always returned. Fred Brewster, his life-long friend and one of the leading guides and outfitters in the area, introduced him to two park rangers on a cold, bitter Jasper night, paying him the greatest compliment of his life: “I want you to meet Howard O’Hagan, the best mountain man I’ve ever travelled with.”

The School-Marm Tree is a novel about mountains: about the “presence” in mountains, about the heart’s desire to go beyond mountains. No other writer in Canada knows mountains as O’Hagan does, or has quite the same affinity for them. The School-Marm Tree witnesses that knowledge and affinity.

Reader Reviews

Details

Dimensions:

256 Pages
8.5in * 216mm * 5.5in * 140mm * 0.5625in14mm
365gr
13oz

Published:

January 01, 1977

City of Publication:

Vancouver

Country of Publication:

CA

Publisher:

Talonbooks

ISBN:

9780889221291

Book Subjects:

FICTION / Literary

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

No author posts found.

Related Blog Posts

There are no posts with this book.