Discovering Robertson Davies

That Davies was alive throughout the years of preparation and publication of his biography was a mixed blessing. It made it possible to observe him in many contexts, and his excellent memory meant that much could be learned from interviews. But his memory was not perfect and there were parts of his life he shied away from and papers he chose not to make available. If balance and accuracy were to be achieved, interviews with friends, enemies, and neutral observers were needed, as was a thorough examination of the record – newspapers edited by Davies’ father, his own editorials and articles, his manuscripts and professional correspondence, private letters still in the hands of correspondents, diaries (insofar as he was willing to make them available), and the like. While Man of Myth was in preparation, he was sufficiently skittish that the possibility he might withdraw from the project was ever present. He had much to say about the difficulties of writing biography in two novels and in many letters, but he claimed he’d never read his own biography so he would not have to answer questions about it.