Boswell's Children: The Art of the Biographer

R.G. Moyles is a professor of English at the University of Alberta.

“Biography and History: A Canadian-Irish Colloquium” at the
University of Edinburgh? One might indeed be puzzled by the odd
confluences until it is pointed out that this venerable Scottish
university has a prestigious Centre of Canadian Studies, which, in 1991
(the centenary of the deaths of two great politicians, Macdonald and
Parnell), hosted a conference on the interaction and interdependence of
written biography and history. The result of that convivial exchange of
ideas is a book of essays that explores, from a thoroughly practical
point of view, the intricacies of biographical research and writing.

Given the wide range of subjects—John Galt to Aimee Semple
McPherson—the editor has wisely chosen to arrange the essays in seven
groups: “Expectations” (dealing with the conference theme as a
whole); “Truth in Biography”; “Biographer and Subject” (the
problem of authorial distancing); “On the Edge of History” (the
lives of minor participants in historical events); “Cultural
Migration” (the impact of emigrant culture); “Laurier and
McCarthy” (the Manitoba Schools Question); and “History Enriched by
Biography.” The essays, by some eminent practitioners as well as by
theorists, are, without exception, informative and delightful to read.
While a few (such as Elspeth Cameron’s “Truth in Biography”) lean
toward a general consideration of biographical methodology, others (such
as Janice McGinnis’s “Aimee Semple McPherson”) focus on more
practical concerns and are themselves mini-biographies. There are 22
essays here; something for everyone, both to learn from and enjoy.