A Peter Gzowski Reader

The man who affected the reading habits of millions of Canadians gives us the work of a lifetime

Long before he became a radio voice Peter Gzowski was a writer. This book is an anthology of his best writing over a career spanning more than 50 years, starting with pieces from his time writing for The Varsity, and his early days as a young reporter caught in a forest fire.

Each entry forms a new chapter and typically begins with an introduction from Peter Gzowski today, setting it in context. When he was a young writer at Maclean’s in 1959, he did a piece on Gordie Howe which still stands up today. In the same period, he wrote articles on racism in Saskatchewan (“This Is Our Alabama”), and, in 1961, a profile of an interesting young man named Trudeau.

Later, we follow him into the world of his books, with choice excerpts from his best work. From his book on the Edmonton Oilers, The Game of Our Lives, for example, there’s his famous piece on skating, and another much-quoted passage on Wayne Gretzky. Look for choice pieces from The Morningside Papers (1984–95) and three pieces from his autobiography The Private Voice, and many pieces from here and there including “Song for Canada,” which he wrote with Ian Tyson.

Above all, look for exciting new work never before collected in book form, including a thrilling account of sailing in Antigua in seas so high that the boat is dismasted, at the mercy of the waves. And there is a lovely piece about his earliest boyhood days growing up in what was then Galt, and by contrast, a look at Canada today.

This is a cornucopia of Gzowski, selected by Peter himself, that is a tasty blend of the personal and the objective, and always good reading.


From the Hardcover edition.

Former host of CBC Radio’s “Morningside,” Peter Gzowski was one of Canada’s pre-eminent journalists. He was a Companion of the Order of Canada, the winner of seven ACTRA awards, as well as the Peabody Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting – the only Canadian ever to have been given the award for work as an individual. He received many lifetime achievement awards and honorary doctorates from twelve Canadian universities, the citation for the University of Calgary describing him as “the cartographer of the Canadian soul.”

He was the author of many best-selling books, including The Game of Our Lives, his memorable work on hockey (1981), The Private Voice, his memoir from 1988, five collections of Morningside Papers, the retrospective The Morningside Years, and two collections of columns, Canadian Living, and Friends, Moments, Countryside. His most recent book, published last fall, was an anthology of his best work entitled A Peter Gzowski Reader.

Peter Gzowski passed away on Thursday, January 24, 2002.


From the Hardcover edition.