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The Murther & Walking Spirits

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description The Murther & Walking Spirits Overview

Murther & Walking Spirits is a 1991 novel by Canadian writer Robertson Davies. Its narrator, Connor Gilmartin, is murdered and then attends a film festival as a ghost, where he watches films that reveal episodes from his family's history; the novel combines ghost story, family saga, historical material, and sustained attention to cinema and criticism. It is suited to readers of literary fiction interested in ancestry, memory, and narrative perspective.

help The Murther & Walking Spirits FAQ

What does 'Murther' in the title mean?

'Murther' is an archaic Scottish and older English spelling of 'murder,' which fits since the narrator is killed in the book's opening pages. Robertson Davies chose the antique word to signal the novel's blend of murder story and older storytelling traditions.

What is the plot of The Murther & Walking Spirits?

Connor Gilmartin, a newspaper man, is murdered and then attends a Toronto film festival as a ghost, where the films turn out to dramatize episodes from his own family's history going back generations. The 1991 novel folds a ghost story into a family saga.

Is The Murther & Walking Spirits part of a Robertson Davies trilogy?

Davies was famous for his trilogies, including the Deptford trilogy that began with Fifth Business, and this 1991 novel was reportedly intended to open a new trilogy. He died in 1995 before any continuation appeared, leaving it a standalone.

How does the film festival premise work in the novel?

As the ghostly narrator sits through successive screenings, each film plays back an episode from his ancestors' past, letting Davies retell a century of family history through cinema. It's an unusual device that makes the novel read partly like a film programme of the dead.

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