The Best of Wilfred Grenfell

Olaf Uwe Janzen is a history professor at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland.

This volume brings together a selection of Wilfred Grenfell’s
writings. This famous missionary doctor dedicated his life to improving
the moral condition of the fisherfolk of coastal, southern Labrador and
northern Newfoundland by providing them with social and economic
services. Grenfell supported his efforts with money raised by lecturing
and writing several hundred books and articles. So prodigious a
production inspires scepticism at Pope’s claim to have collected
Grenfell’s “best” writings with less than a dozen selections. Yet
on the whole, Pope is successful in his goal “to present Grenfell
through the vigour of his own words.” He includes Grenfell’s
“Adrift on the Ice,” an account of his most famous personal ordeal.
“Rescue at Sea,” “Rube Marvin’s Confession,” and “That
Christmas in Peace Haven” are typical of the tales Grenfell used to
win support for his work by arousing admiration of, and sympathy for,
the simple faith and unambiguous morality of “his” people; these
stories are still dramatic and moving today. “The Northern Lights”
and “The Gifts of Poverty” are more straightforward descriptions of
the physical and social landscape in which Grenfell worked. “In Double
Harness” reveals how Grenfell, at age 43, met and married Anne
MacClanahan, a wealthy American heiress. “Global Travel,” “The
Healthy Body,” and especially “What Christ Means to Me” are more
introspective, providing excellent insights into Grenfell’s personal
philosophy and convictions. An appendix lists the books Grenfell wrote
or edited and identifies the periodicals and journals that published his
articles. Today, Grenfell’s writings are out of print and unavailable
outside the library and the antiquarian bookstore. Through this slim
volume, Pope permits a new audience to rediscover this fascinating man
and the basis of his achievements.