A Man of Free Intelligence:
An Introduction to the World of George Woodcock

by Alan Twigg

During his lifetime, George 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”. His unrivalled productivity as British Columbia’s foremost man of letters was achieved in concert with consistent political ideals and humanitarian actions since he and Ingeborg Woodcock arrived to build a cabin in B.C. in 1949. The précis below serves as a concise introduction to George Woodcock’s wide-ranging career as a public intellectual. Also included is an interview/conversation that occurred between Alan Twigg and George Woodcock, founding editor of Canadian Literature, in 1994, during the making of the documentary film George Woodcock: Anarchist of Cherry Street.

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