Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004)
Of his forty-seven books, this was Berton’s personal favourite, partly because the characters were inspired by his own children. The Secret World of Og brought the author more fan mail than anything else he wrote – at least a dozen letters a week from children across Canada. [source]
McClelland and Stewart Limited
I was elated to be have shown the original letter to Mr.Berton at a book signing at Indigo Books in North Vancouver in the autumn of 2003. He was delighted.
I adore his illustrations in his book CATS I HAVE KNOWN AND LOVED:
This post is dedicated to a great Canadian, Ken Boesem.
I am so, so happy you left your comment on my blog so I could read this most wonderful letter. I’m glad you got a chance to show him the letter all those years later. Those are the moments authors must adore. Thanks again. I’ll spend some time at your blog soon.
How fantastic!!
Thought you’d like to know that there is a wonderful book review of The Secret World of Og in the No. 15, Winter, 1963 copy of Canadian Literature. The review is titled ‘Green Men and Owls’ by Inglis F. Bells. You can read it here: http://bit.ly/RMsQAe or here: http://canlit.ca/issues/15 It begins on page 70 and reinforces many of the observations that you and your readers have pointed out about the gems and specialties in the writing.