Its sobriety and perceptivity obviated the sensationalism of Simma Holt's cynically packaged Terror in the Name of God (1964), the cover of which featured a large, naked woman outside a burning building and excluded its interior subtitle The Story of the Sons of Freedom Doukhobors. was his collaboration with Ivan Avakumovic for The Doukhobors (1968). Of the approximately 150 books written or edited by George Woodcock, the most vital for B.C. As the generators of two, still-functioning, non-profit organizations, TRAS and CIVA, the Woodcocks quietly and constructively influenced millions of lives, but never had children of their own and avoided the public spotlight.ĭuring his lifetime, Woodcock was variously described as 'quite possibly the most civilized man in Canada,' 'by far Canada's most prolific writer,' 'Canada's Tolstoy,' 'a regional, national and international treasure,' and 'a kind of John Stuart Mill of dedication to intellectual excellence and the cause of human liberty.' Woodcock's oft-reprinted Anarchism: A History of Libertarian Ideas and Movements (1962) demystifies anarchism and views it as constructive philosophy a biography of his dear but difficult friend George Orwell, The Crystal Spirit (1966), will also long remain in print. The Woodcocks remained close friends with the Dalai Lama since they first visited him in Dharamsala, India, in 1961.

The George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for British Columbia is fittingly named for the anarchist philosopher whose unrivalled productivity was achieved in concert with consistent ideals and humanitarian actions ever since he and Ingeborg Woodcock arrived from London, England, and built a rough cabin at Sooke in 1949. After their deaths, the Woodcocks' little house was demolished in order to generate their bequest of almost $2.3 million to the Writers Trust of Canada to support writers in distress. A friend and biographer of George Orwell, and a friend to the Dalai Lama, Woodcock became the first author to receive Freedom of the City from Vancouver City Council.

Here, as well, Woodcock edited Canadian Literature, the first publication entirely devoted to Canadian books. Here he lived as 'a man of free intelligence' from 1959 to 1995 with his wife Ingeborg, raising funds for two charities they founded-Tibetan Refugee Aid Society and Canada India Village Aid-while writing and editing approximately 150 books. Self-described as 'a British Columbian by choice, a Canadian by birth,' the Winnipeg-born, England-educated anarchist George Woodcock was B.C.'s most prodigious man of letters.

Winter Arrives by Roz Marshall