Essentially Canadian

Allan Sullivan wrote over forty works of popular fiction between 1890 and
1940; today it is difficult to find even one copy of many of these works. A
well-known and widely read author in the first half of this century, Sullivan
wrote thrillers, historical romance, children's stories, and novels set in the
north ( _The Great Divide_ , _The Fur Masters_ , _Cariboo Road_ ). Now there
is no complete collection of his published works anywhere in the world.

In this literary biography of Alan Sullivan, the author interweaves Sullivan's
life story and his literary career. Drawing on published and unpublished
material as well as on information supplied by Sullivan's four children,
McLeod traces the influence on Sullivan's writings of his early years in Sault
Ste. Marie and in mining and construction camps, of society life in Toronto,
of visits to the Arctic and Europe, and residence on an English country
estate. Sullivan is seen as a man whose essential characteristics are those of
Canada, and whose literary work is parallelled by the paintings of the Group
of Seven artists. His literary works are discussed and evaluated in the light
of Sullivan's own and other Canadian critical theories.

The bibliography provides a convenient listing of Sullivan's book-length
publications. The volume will be of value to students of literature, but will
also appeal to anyone interested in Canadian life and culture.