Fred Taylor

John Virtue uncovers the dynamics of a prominent Ottawa family and reveals the divergent paths of brothers E.P. and Fred Taylor. E.P. became mid-century Canada's leading industrialist, while Fred became an artist and a Communist. Fred spent his youth trying to impress his father, while living in the shadow of his successful older brother. He eventually separated himself from family members - although never from their financial support - and turned to art and clandestine politics. Fred's Communism embarrassed E.P. and caused a rift between the brothers that lasted for two decades. A man who struggled to suppress his rage, Fred once shot and wounded a rival artist in a hunting incident, leading friends to question whether the shooting had been accidental.Depicting the conflicted relationship between its two protagonists, Fred Taylor: Brother in the Shadows offers fascinating insights into the intellectuals and working-class people who became communists in Canada and their complicated and contradictory relations with the society they were rejecting.Virtue, John is the author of 'Fred Taylor', published 2008 under ISBN 9780773533592 and ISBN 0773533591.