Fifth Business by Robertson Davies is the first novel in his acclaimed Deptford Trilogy, presented in the Penguin Classics edition with an introduction by Gail Godwin. The novel follows Dunstan Ramsay, a history teacher whose life is shaped by a single childhood event—a snowball thrown in a small Ontario town that alters the course of several lives—and his lifelong quest to understand meaning, memory, and myth. As Ramsay’s narrative unfolds against the backdrop of World War I and beyond, Davies elegantly weaves together psychological depth, mythic resonance, and philosophical reflection. The result is a story that stands alone as both a compelling portrait of a complex life and a profound meditation on guilt, identity, and the marvelous hidden in the ordinary.
Gail Godwin’s introduction in this Penguin Classics edition enriches the reading experience by offering contemporary insight into Davies’s themes and enduring literary power.
About the Author
Robertson Davies (1913–1995) was one of Canada’s most distinguished authors and intellectuals. Born and raised in Ontario, he studied at Upper Canada College, Queen’s University, and Balliol College, Oxford. Davies’s career spanned acting, publishing, and academia, including serving as Master of Massey College at the University of Toronto. He wrote more than thirty works, including novels, plays, essays, and literary criticism, but he is best known internationally for his novels—especially the Deptford Trilogy, which brought him wide acclaim for its psychological insight and rich blend of myth, history, and character. Davies received numerous honors, including becoming a Companion of the Order of Canada and an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
