Mr Darwin's Shooter
Encyclopedia
Mr Darwin's Shooter is a 1998 novel by Roger McDonald
. It describes the life of Syms Covington
, manservant to Charles Darwin
on the voyage of the Beagle
.
The book deals with three periods of Covington's life: childhood, adolescence whilst on the HMS Beagle
, and middle age, where Covington is struggling to deal with the conflict between his religious views and his role in the formulation of the theory of natural selection
Roger McDonald
Roger McDonald is the author of seven novels, two works of non-fiction, and a number of other works....
. It describes the life of Syms Covington
Syms Covington
Syms Covington was a fiddler and cabin boy on HMS Beagle who became an assistant to Charles Darwin and was appointed as his personal servant in 1833, continuing in Darwin's service after the voyage until 1839. Originally named Simon Covington, he was born in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, the...
, manservant to Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
on the voyage of the Beagle
Voyage of the Beagle
The voyage of the Beagle can refer to:*The second voyage of HMS Beagle*Charles Darwin's book about that voyage, The Voyage of the Beagle*Other voyages of HMS Beagle...
.
The book deals with three periods of Covington's life: childhood, adolescence whilst on the HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames, at a cost of £7,803. In July of that year she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom in which...
, and middle age, where Covington is struggling to deal with the conflict between his religious views and his role in the formulation of the theory of natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
Awards and nominations
- 1999 NSW Premier's Award for Fiction,
- 1999 Victorian Premier's Award for Fiction,
- 2000 National Fiction Award,
- 2000 SA Premier's Literary Award