The Kindred of the Wild

Charles G.D. Roberts was a distinguished poet and novelist whose claim to fame rests on a series of very popular animal stories. Although not a professional naturalist, Roberts based his stories on observations made during time spent in natural surroundings, experiences that began with his boyhood in New Brunswick.

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Charles G.D. Roberts’s fame rests on a series of very popular animal stories.



Charles G.D. Roberts was a distinguished writer of his time who published more than forty volumes of poetry, romance fiction, and nature writing – making him one of the most popular writers of his time. He pioneered the animal story in which he went beyond surface elements of nature and endowed his animal "characters" with qualities of feeling and intelligence that brought them closer to their human cousins. Roberts’ career as a writer transcended his Canadian roots and he was internationally known and popular in America and England.

What was particularly appreciated by his readers was Roberts’ close observation of nature and his efforts to endow animals with emotions and understand their mental processes. By 1932, Kindred of the Wild had been re-issued twenty-three times, attesting to its ongoing appeal. Roberts was knighted for his contribution to literature and his services in the Allied cause in the First World War.