Canadian Author, And The Very Last Renaissance Man

Canadian Author, And the Very Last Renaissance Man, William Efford

I feel certain, in my heart, that Canadian Author William “Bill” Efford” must be the very last “Renaissance Man” in the country!

Author, Cynthia Ross Tustin – July 18th, 2021

The Renaissance Man

Are you familiar with the term Renaissance Man?  What springs to mind?  Aside from that creepy old guy from the Dos XX’s beer commercials.  Leonardo da Vinci was considered the quintessential Renaissance Man; although he technically wasn’t the first.  The original was Battista Alberti (1404-72)

According to The Helpful Professor, the notion of the Renaissance man was coined by Alberti.  He believed in the concept of the Universal Man, Italian Uomo Universale, an ideal that developed in Renaissance Italy that “a man can do all things if he will.”

This ideal embodied the basic tenets of Renaissance Humanism, which considered man the center of the universe, limitless in his capacities for development, and led to the notion that men should try to embrace all knowledge and develop their own capacities as fully as possible.

I totally agree with this concept… embracing all knowledge and developing one’s skill part.  Not the men are the center of the universe part.  I’m certainly on board with the lifelong, diverse learning part!

The Very Last Renaissance Man

Alberti was the original Renaissance man. Da Vinci was the poster boy for the Renaissance man.  But I think my friend William Efford, Bill, might very well be the last Renaissance man.

In reality, a Renaissance man is a person with genuine adroitness in, and understanding of, multiple diverse fields, and when combined, those fields enhance one another to make him/her a more talented and productive person.

Now I’m sure you’re thinking there are all kinds of smart talented people out there.  Just ask any proud and overbearing mother about her children.  The nuance about a Renaissance man is the striving.  They strive to master more and more varied areas of interest.  That’s why I’ve cornered my friend Bill into an interview.  Just when I think Bill couldn’t get any more interesting…he does.  And I say he might be the “very last” because I don’t know anyone else quite like him.

The Author & His Books

Bill has had a fire service and public safety career. He has a background/understanding of building construction and engineering and understands complex codes and statutes. Sincere retiring, he’s written several fiction novels. He is well-read, well-traveled, and plays a mean folk guitar at the local public house! He’s even taught himself woodworking so that he could build himself a canoe…that could be separated into two pieces so it would fit in his car.

A Conversation w/ Canadian Author, Bill Efford

This week’s interview is a conversation about two of his highly acclaimed books, Picaroon (2009) and In From the Rain (2011).  He is passionate about his newest (soon to be published), and most controversial work, Northern River.  Bill also shares insider details about his first-ever, “labor of love”, biography. 

I was fascinated to learn that Bill had once kibitzed with legendary Canadian author Pierre Burton, who encouraged him to write “an entire book”  about the life and Klondike adventures of Captain P.H. Ray.  

The Interview

Here’s our interview.  I hope you find Bill, his books, and his stories as fascinating as I do!  It’s his vast pool of knowledge, skill, and experience that make our conversations so much fun.  And it’s his “striving” to always increase those skills and that knowledge that make him a Renaissance Man!!

Cheers,

Cynthia

You may also be interested in reading about these two individuals who continually “strive” to learn new things.

A Fascinating Conversation With A Retired FDNY Firefighter: Manhattan To Montana

Is Crossing The North Atlantic In A Row Boat Your Dream?

I acknowledge that the land on which I live is the traditional territory of the Wendake-ionwl,  Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ , Mississauga, and Haudenosaunee peoples.

Photos from Bill Efford, Amazon, and iStock