(signed Peter Martin Associates, 1966 dj; illustrations: Ekootak, design: Pat Dacey)
Nuligak (1895-1966) was a member of the Kitigariukmeut tribe of the Inuit. Nuligak lived by using tools of stone and bone similar to those of his ancestors from 10,000 years before. The above book is his autobiography about his transition from the old ways to the new ways, though this is a sad tale about the lost world of the Arctic Inuit.
(Oxford U Press, 1940 dj; illustrated by J.W. McLaren)
Watson Kirkconnell (1895-1977) was born in Port Hope, ON and he served in WWI, and was educated at Queen’s, U of T, and Oxford. A professor of English and Classics, he ended up at McMaster, and had the reputation as an expert linguist, translator, and distinguished scholar . The Flying Bull is an unusual, impressively-rhymed satire.
(Longmans, 1968 pb)
W(illiam) W(rightson) E(ustace) Ross (1894-1966) was born in Peterborough, ON, and graduated from U of T. A geophysicist, Ross was Director at the Magnetic Observatory in Agincourt, ON. His work has been preserved thanks to the above collection. Ross has been regarded as Canada’s first 2oth century poet and Canada’s leading Imagist of his day, often writing about nature and landscapes. He can be heard on the Six Toronto Poets album(Folkways) recently rereleased on CD.
(scarce 1940 dj, Macmillan–GG fiction winner in 1939)
Franklin Davey McDowell (1888-1965) was a CNR Publicity representative of the Central Region (based in Toronto) and a reporter and feature writer who also worked in the U.K. His historical stories and articles were widely published in Canada and the U.S. As seen in the above book, MacDowell was interested in Huronia history.
Hi. This is where the original blog entries ended (with writers born before 1952). When you read ‘down’ from here, you are reading in chronological order backwards. *So if you want to read the entire original blog in order, you need to go back to the OCT. 27, 2014 entry.
‘Above’ this entry is the Addendum of writers I missed and/or added after the original lineup. *The previous entry (Feb. 16) is the start of this added Addendum section, so if you want to read the Addendum writers in chronological order, that is where you would start.
(scarce signed Stoddart, 1994 pb; photo: John Reeves; cover: Angel Guerra, Brant Cowie)
Born in California to Canadian parents, Susan Musgrave (1951-) has written over 20 witty and wry books of poetry going back to 1970. She has also been a novelist, columnist, stand-up comic, political commentator, eco-feminist, and enfant terrible. She lives on Vancouver Island and is married to Stephen Reid, a once-convicted bank robber. I selected one of her best poems “Crossing to Brentwood on the Mill Bay Ferry–November 5, 1975” in both eds. of Inside Poetry (Harcourt).
(inscribed Simon & Schuster, 1989 dj)
Born in Long Lac, ON, Jane Urquhart (1949-) grew up in Toronto and lives in Wellesley, ON. Early on, she wrote Storm Glass, a notable story collection and went on to write The Underpainter which won the Governor General’s Award for fiction in 1997. In total, she has written 7 novels and won many other awards and honorary doctorates. Urquhart has lectured internationally and been published in several languages.
(inscribed McClelland & Stewart, 2003 dj; photo: Dan Cremin)
(left: e-mail from Rex to me after our meeting in Audrey’s Books, Edmonton; right: signed 2009 Doubleday dj; illustration: E.E. Cooper, design: Andrew Roberts0n)
Rex Murphy (1947-) was born and raised in Carbonear and Freshwater, Placentia Bay, NL. A precocious adolescent, Murphy started university at 15 and became a Rhodes Scholar. He is the country’s top witty journalist and has written for both the Globe and Mail and National Post. Murphy has also been featured on CBC Radio and on The National for his comments on Canadian personalities, politics, and culture. One-of-a-kind, he is wonderfully fearless and often tackles and questions politically correct issues that no other Canadian journalists would have the courage and nerve to cover.
(play based on Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons; signed Coach House Press, 1988 pb; cover photo: Michael Riley as Arkady, Robert Bockstael as Bazarov, celebrated 1988 CentreStage Co. production)
Toronto-born dramatist and screenwriter George F. Walker (1947-) has written several plays and some 30 scripts or shows. He dropped out of school and was once a taxi driver. In recognition of his entertaining and provocative work, he was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2006.
(signed Thistledown, 1984 pb; cover: Carling Wong)
(Sono Nis Press, 1991 pb; design: Morriss Printing Co.)
Born near Hines Creek. AB in Peace River country, Leona Gom (1946-) now lives in White Rock, BC. She has also written novels: Zero Avenue, The Y Chromosome, and Housebroken. I was impressed by her poems “Terry”, “Crash”, “Justice”, and “Capitalism” and selected them for three of my textbooks.
