Little Man is a Canadian novel written by G. Herbert Sallans in 1942. It is a coming of age story set in the early part of the 20th century, depicting the life of a young man growing up in the Canadian west. It won the Governor General's award for fiction in 1942. It is semi-autobiographical, following Sallans' own life story up until the release of the novel.
The story begins in France during World War I. George Battle, a new recruit experiences first hand the concussive experience of trench warfare. What follows is a flashback to his early life growing up in Saskatchewan farm country. Various episodes in Battle's life are portrayed: college, World War I duty in the artillery, a journalist job in British Columbia and finally how his life is affected by the Second World War.[1]
Little Man won the first Ryerson Fiction Award in 1942. At the time of the award, the prize was worth $500. The judges were: S. Morgan-Powell, chief editor of the Montreal Star; Pelham Edgar, a professor at Victoria College; and Lorne Pierce of Ryerson Press.[2] It later won the Governor General's Literary Award for best fiction novel. The judges were: novelist Alan Sullivan; J. E. Middleton, editor of the Toronto Saturday Night magazine; and Norman Endicott, a professor of English at the University of Toronto.[3]
The selection of Little Man was viewed by some readers as a poor choice. More popular books included Hardy'sAll the Trumpovets Sounded; Raddall'sHis Majesty's Yankees; and Campbell'sThorn-apple Tree. Little Man's best attribute was its story of contemporary Canadian life. The novel was not praised for its writing quality or its general structure.[3]
^"G. H. Sallans' 'Little Man' All-Canada Award Winner". Toronto Daily Star. November 21, 1942. p. 9.
^"G. Herbert Sallans, Newspaperman, Wins Ryerson $500 Fiction Prize". The Globe and Mail. May 9, 1942. p. 8.
^ abDeacon, William Arthur (June 19, 1943). "Governor-General's Annual Literary Awards Go to Sallans, Birney, Hutchison, Mclnnis". The Globe and Mail. p. 11.
