Looking for a great Canadian book of fiction or nonfiction that delves into what it means to be Canadian? How about 100 great books? The Literary Review of Canada did just that in 2006 when they made their list of the Most Important Canadian Books.
So what made the list, what didn’t and who are the great authors behind these works of art? Read on to find out where the top 1-25 books have been listed starting from the oldest to most recent. Some of the famous faces behind the books of Canada’s past include Sinclair Ross, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Susanna Moodie and Morley Callaghan.
The Top Ten (1545- 1904)
1. Bref récit et succincte narration de la navigation faite en MDXXXV et MDXXXVI (Account of the Second Voyage of the Navigation of 1535 and 1536) (1545) by Jacques Cartier
2. A Journey from Prince of Wales’s Fort in Hudson’s Bay to the Northern Ocean (1795) by Samuel Hearne
3. Wacousta; or The Prophecy: A Tale of the Canadas (1832) by John Richardson
4. Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839) by Lord Durham
5. Roughing It in the Bush, or Life in Canada (1852) by Susanna Moodie
6. Geological Survey of Canada: Report of Progress from Its Commencement to 1863 (1863)
7. Canada and the Canadian Question (1891) by Goldwin Smith
8. Wild Animals I Have Known: Being the Personal Histories of Lobo, Silverspot, Raggylug, Bingo, the Springfield Fox, the Pacing Mustang, Wully and Redruff (1898) by Ernest Thompson Seton
9. The Poems of Archibald Lampman (1900) by Archibald Lampman
10. The Imperialist (1904) by Sara Jeanette Duncan
The Early 20th Century Classics
11. Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery
12. Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912)by Stephen Leacock
13. Flint and Feather (1912) by E. Pauline Johnson
14. Maria Chapdelaine (1914)by Louis Hémon
15. Jalna (1927) by Mazo de la Roche
16. The Fur-Trade in Canada: An Introduction to Canadian Economic History (1930) by Harold A. Innis
17. Such Is My Beloved (1934)by Morley Callaghan
18. The Commercial Empire of the St. Lawrence, 1760–1850 (1937)by Donald Creighton
19. Menaud, maître-draveur (Boss of the River) (1937)by Félix-Antoine Savard
20. As for Me and My House (1941)by Sinclair Ross
21. Two Solitudes (1945) by Hugh MacLennan
22. Bonheur d’occasion (The Tin Flute) (1945) by Gabrielle Roy
23. Report of the Royal Commission to Investigate the Facts Relating to and the Circumstances Surrounding the Communication by Public Officials and Other Persons in Positions of Trust of Secret and Confidential Information to Agents of a Foreign Power (1946)by Kellock-Taschereau Commission
24. Who Has Seen the Wind (1947)by W.O. Mitchell
25. Les Plouffe (The Plouffe Family) (1948) by Roger Lemelin
Moving Forward in Time
The first 25 of the 100 books encapture the history of Canada from the early days onwards. Check out the remaining 75 Most Important Books in Canada's past- The Ultimate List of Canadian Literature Books 26-50; The Ultimate List of Canadian Literature Books 51-75; The Ultimate List of Canadian Literature Books 76-100- to explore the more modern accounts of Canadian literatureOr, check out the entire Top 100 including reviews as well as an introduction by Canada's literary sweetheart, Margaret Atwood at the Literary Review of Canada.
