''I Heard the Owl Call My Name'' is a best-selling 1967 novel by Margaret Craven. The book tells the story of a young

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

named Mark Brian who, unbeknownst to him, has not long to live. He learns about the meaning of life when he is to be sent to a

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

parish in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Publication

First published in

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in 1967, it was not until 1973 that the book was picked up by an American publisher. Released to wide acclaim, it reached No. 1 on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list.

Synopsis

Mark Brian, a young

, is sent to the

village of Kingcome in

, home to people of the Dzawa̱da̱'enux̱w tribe of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation (who are given the now-archaic name "Kwakiutl" in the book). His

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

sends him, knowing that Mark is suffering from an unnamed, fatal disease, in order to learn all there is to learn about life including some of life's hard lessons in the time left to him. Mark is unaware of his terminal illness and his bishop does not tell him. Life in the remote village is simple yet it offers many lessons for Mark. He learns to win the friendship of some of the First Nations people and encounters their deeply rooted faith and ancient beliefs. This helps him mature more quickly. He has to face a number of difficult situations when people die in the village. Mark is open-minded, yet he has much to learn. Through various experiences and inter-relationships, Mark learns from the villagers and they from him. By the time he has spent one year there, he considers the small village his home and family, and they consider him part of their nation. Mark is about to be recalled by his bishop when he hears the owl call his name, which foretells imminent death according to Kwakwaka'wakw belief. The book presents both sympathetic and unsympathetic white characters. Those that come to sight-see the village and to exploit and those that come to learn and to help. Its Dzawa̱da̱'enux̱w characters who have contact with the outside world variously succeed and fail to survive in it. The book emphasizes how hard it is for them to adapt to the outside world. The work debates whether the Dzawa̱da̱'enux̱w culture and way of life is dying or whether it can survive. The remoteness of the village suggests that it may be possible for the culture to survive.

TV film adaptation

In 1973, the year of its American release, the book was adapted by

Gerald Di Pego Gerald Di Pego (born July 22, 1941) is an American screenwriter and producer. Feature film screenplays *'' W'' (also known as ''I Want Her Dead''), Cinerama, 1974 *'' Sharky's Machine'', Orion, 1981 *''Phenomenon'', Buena Vista, 1996 *'' Messag ...

as a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

of the same title directed by

Daryl Duke Daryl Duke (8 March 1929 – 21 October 2006) was a Canadian film and television director. Biography Duke was born at Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became one of CBC Television's earliest regional producers. His career continued with C ...

and starring

Tom Courtenay Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of t ...

and

Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 7, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film, stage, and television actor who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Henry King (director), Henry King's ''Twelve O'Clock High'' (1949). E ...

''Again Calls the Owl''

Margaret Craven later wrote an autobiography titled ''Again Calls the Owl'' which is often incorrectly referred to as a sequel to ''I Heard the Owl Call My Name''. However, it is a true recounting of Margaret Craven's life. Margaret spent some of her time studying the native culture to write the original book. Though it does describe some of the real events which would later inspire the characters and plot of ''I Heard the Owl Call My Name'', it does not feature any of the characters in ''I Heard the Owl Call My Name'' or continue the story of the novel.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0070206 1967 American novels 1973 television films 1973 films Films based on American novels American television films Films directed by Daryl Duke American novels adapted into films Novels set in British Columbia Clarke, Irwin & Company books