Facts about Robertson Davies

1. 15

   Five of Robertson Davies' novels were adapted for television and film between 1985 and 2003, bringing his complex narratives to visual audiences across North America and Europe.

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2. 14

   Canadian author Robertson Davies received honorary doctorates from 28 universities across North America and Europe, reflecting his international scholarly influence beyond his fiction writing.

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3. 13

   A prolific diarist throughout his life, Robertson Davies maintained detailed journals for over 50 years that revealed his intellectual development and became valuable resources for literary scholars studying his creative process.

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4. 12

   Massey College's founding benefactor, Vincent Massey, had Robertson Davies design its curriculum around the concept of intellectual community rather than academic specialization.

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5. 11

   His 1985 novel What's Bred in the Bone won the Governor General's Literary Award, making Davies a two-time recipient of Canada's highest literary honor.

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6. 10

   Robertson Davies received the Governor General's Literary Award in 1972 for The Manticore, the second novel in his acclaimed Deptford Trilogy.

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7. 09

   Over 30 novels and numerous short story collections flowed from Robertson Davies' pen across six decades, establishing him as one of Canada's most prolific and celebrated literary figures.

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8. 08

   Robertson Davies' Cornish family background and early exposure to theater through his mother's interests shaped his lifelong fascination with mythology and Jungian psychology that permeated his novels.

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9. 07

   Davies' novel Murther & Walking Spirits, published in 1991 when he was 78 years old, became his final work before his death in 1995.

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10. 06

    During the 1940s, Robertson Davies worked as a playwright and actor, performing with the Old Vic Theatre Company in London before transitioning to his career as a novelist.

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11. 05

    At age 70, Robertson Davies was appointed Canadian High Commissioner to Australia in 1983, serving in the diplomatic post for two years before returning to Canada.

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12. 04

    Born in 1913 in Thamesville, Ontario, Robertson Davies grew up in a family where his father was a prominent newspaper editor and politician.

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13. 03

    Davies served as the first Master of Massey College at the University of Toronto from 1963 until his retirement, establishing the residential college's intellectual traditions and governing it for 18 years.

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14. 02

    In 1970, Robertson Davies completed the Deptford Trilogy's final novel, Fifth Business, which earned him international recognition at age 57.

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15. 01

    The author of Fifth Business spent 22 years as a professor of English literature at the University of Toronto before retiring in 1981.

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