Raymond Souster
Encyclopedia
Raymond Holmes Souster, OC
(born January 15, 1921) is a Canadian
poet
whose writing career spans almost 70 years. He has published more than 50 volumes of his own verse, and edited or co-edited a dozen volumes of others' poetry. A resident of Toronto all of his life, he has been called that city's "most loved poet".
Robert Fulford wrote of Souster in 1998: "You can't read the history of Canadian poetry
without encountering him, yet somehow he remains obscure. His legendary shyness has created, over five decades, a curious form of anonymity: he's at once omnipresent and invisible."
, Ontario
, Souster grew up and continues to live in the Humberside area of the city. He joined the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
in 1939 and (apart from four years' service in the Royal Canadian Air Force
in World War II
) worked there until retiring in 1985.
Souster's first published poem appeared in First Statement, the little magazine founded by John Sutherland
in Montreal in 1942. In 1943, while still in the air force, Souster and two friends launched their own little poetry magazine, Direction. In 1944 he placed 21 poems in the anthology Unit of Five, alongside poetry by Louis Dudek
, Ronald Hambleton, P.K. Page, and James Wreford
.
With Dudek and Irving Layton
, Souster founded Contact magazine and Contact Press in 1952. The magazine lasted only until 1954, but Contact Press put out books until 1967. Its first book was Cerberus, an anthology of poetry by the trio. All three would be prolific writers on Contact Press over the next decade.
Contact Press published Souster's Selected Poems, edited by Dudek, in 1956, which brought Souster his first serious critical attention.
In 1956 Souster brought out under the Contact Press imprint a small booklet, Experiment 1923-29, of modernist poetry that Canadian poet W.W.E. Ross
had written in the 1920s, which saved Ross's work from obscurity.
Souster also helped new writers. He edited two anthologies for Contact, Poets 56 in 1956, and New Wave Canada: The New Explosion in Poetry in 1966. "Souster brought several young poets to Contact Press, and gave an important boost to the new poetry with New Wave Canada." The young poets included Margaret Atwood
, whose first book on Contact, The Circle Game, would win the Governor General's Award
in 1966
.
Michael Ondaatje
has written of Souster: "He brought many of us to the surface and we owe him everything."
Souster was one of the six founders of the League of Canadian Poets
in 1966 and its first president from 1967 to 1972.
The early 1960s were a prolific and distinguished period for Souster, culminating in his own Governor General's Award win in 1964 for his Collected Poems, The Colour of the Times. "In the late 1960s he embarked on the revision of his early poetry with a view to its reissue," a project that resulted in a Selected Poems in 1972, and the first four volumes of a now ten-volume Collected Poems in 1980.
Souster has also written fiction under the pseudonyms of "Raymond Holmes" and "John Holmes", for which he has drawn on his Air Force experience.
tradition, inscribing small pieces of space and time on the memory, catching a moment as it flies."
Souster was the Canadian poet of his generation most overtly interested in, and influenced by, the contemporary American scene. He was first attracted to Henry Miller, and later entered into lasting friendships and correspondence with Robert Creeley and Cid Corman.
for The Colour of the Times.
He was awarded a Centennial Medal in 1967.
Hanging In (1979) won the City of Toronto Book Award
in 1980.
Raymond Souster was named an Officer of the Order of Canada
in 1995. The Order of Canada website says of him: "One of Canada's most important, widely-read and enduring poets, he has been a vital force for the renewal of poetry since the 1940s. His poems describe life in Toronto, ordinary people and the daily events, feelings and experiences of modern city living. A co-founder of the Canadian League of Poets, he has been a source of encouragement and inspiration to several generations of poets while promoting Canadian literature among students of all ages."
Souster's Uptown Downtown (2006) was nominated for the 2007 City of Toronto Book Award.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy University of Toronto.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born January 15, 1921) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
whose writing career spans almost 70 years. He has published more than 50 volumes of his own verse, and edited or co-edited a dozen volumes of others' poetry. A resident of Toronto all of his life, he has been called that city's "most loved poet".
Robert Fulford wrote of Souster in 1998: "You can't read the history of Canadian poetry
Canadian poetry
- Beginnings:The earliest works of poetry, mainly written by visitors, described the new territories in optimistic terms, mainly targeted at a European audience...
without encountering him, yet somehow he remains obscure. His legendary shyness has created, over five decades, a curious form of anonymity: he's at once omnipresent and invisible."
Life
Born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Souster grew up and continues to live in the Humberside area of the city. He joined the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is one of Canada's chartered banks, fifth largest by deposits. The bank is headquartered at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario. CIBC's Institution Number is 010, and its SWIFT code is CIBCCATT....
in 1939 and (apart from four years' service in the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) worked there until retiring in 1985.
Souster's first published poem appeared in First Statement, the little magazine founded by John Sutherland
John Sutherland
John Andrew Sutherland is an English academic, emeritus professor, newspaper columnist and author.John Sutherland is now Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London. After graduating from the University of Leicester in 1964, he began his academic...
in Montreal in 1942. In 1943, while still in the air force, Souster and two friends launched their own little poetry magazine, Direction. In 1944 he placed 21 poems in the anthology Unit of Five, alongside poetry by Louis Dudek
Louis Dudek
Louis Dudek, OC was a Canadian poet, academic, and publisher known for his role in defining Modernism in poetry, and for his literary criticism. He was the author of over two dozen books...
, Ronald Hambleton, P.K. Page, and James Wreford
James Wreford Watson
James Wreford Watson was a Scottish/Canadian geographer and cartographer, who served as Canada's Chief Geographer...
.
With Dudek and Irving Layton
Irving Layton
Irving Peter Layton, OC was a Romanian-born Canadian poet. He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made enemies. As T...
, Souster founded Contact magazine and Contact Press in 1952. The magazine lasted only until 1954, but Contact Press put out books until 1967. Its first book was Cerberus, an anthology of poetry by the trio. All three would be prolific writers on Contact Press over the next decade.
Contact Press published Souster's Selected Poems, edited by Dudek, in 1956, which brought Souster his first serious critical attention.
In 1956 Souster brought out under the Contact Press imprint a small booklet, Experiment 1923-29, of modernist poetry that Canadian poet W.W.E. Ross
W.W.E. Ross
William Wrightson Eustace Ross was a Canadian geophysicist and poet. He was the first published poet in Canada to write Imagist poetry, and later the first to write surrealist verse, both of which have led some to call him "the first modern Canadian poet."-Life:Ross was born in Peterborough,...
had written in the 1920s, which saved Ross's work from obscurity.
Souster also helped new writers. He edited two anthologies for Contact, Poets 56 in 1956, and New Wave Canada: The New Explosion in Poetry in 1966. "Souster brought several young poets to Contact Press, and gave an important boost to the new poetry with New Wave Canada." The young poets included Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, whose first book on Contact, The Circle Game, would win the Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
in 1966
1966 Governor General's Awards
Each winner of the 1966 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-English Language:*Fiction: Margaret Laurence, A Jest of God ....
.
Michael Ondaatje
Michael Ondaatje
Philip Michael Ondaatje , OC, is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet of Burgher origin. He is perhaps best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel, The English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film.-Life and work:...
has written of Souster: "He brought many of us to the surface and we owe him everything."
Souster was one of the six founders of the League of Canadian Poets
League of Canadian Poets
The League of Canadian Poets , a non-profit arts service organization, is the national association of professional publishing and spoken word poets in Canada...
in 1966 and its first president from 1967 to 1972.
The early 1960s were a prolific and distinguished period for Souster, culminating in his own Governor General's Award win in 1964 for his Collected Poems, The Colour of the Times. "In the late 1960s he embarked on the revision of his early poetry with a view to its reissue," a project that resulted in a Selected Poems in 1972, and the first four volumes of a now ten-volume Collected Poems in 1980.
Souster has also written fiction under the pseudonyms of "Raymond Holmes" and "John Holmes", for which he has drawn on his Air Force experience.
Writing
Souster is a chronicler of his birth city. Fulford wrote that "many of us think of him first as the poet-in-chief of Toronto. A city comes to life only after writers have invented it, and Souster has been among Toronto's inventors, adding a layer of poetic reality to the abstractions of asphalt, glass, and brick. His Toronto poems work like photographs in the Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...
tradition, inscribing small pieces of space and time on the memory, catching a moment as it flies."
Souster was the Canadian poet of his generation most overtly interested in, and influenced by, the contemporary American scene. He was first attracted to Henry Miller, and later entered into lasting friendships and correspondence with Robert Creeley and Cid Corman.
Recognition
Souster won the Governor General's Award in 19641964 Governor General's Awards
Each winner of the 1964 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-English Language:*Fiction: Douglas LePan, The Deserter....
for The Colour of the Times.
He was awarded a Centennial Medal in 1967.
Hanging In (1979) won the City of Toronto Book Award
City of Toronto Book Award
The Toronto Book Awards are Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the city of Toronto to the author of the year's best fiction or non-fiction book or books "that are evocative of Toronto"....
in 1980.
Raymond Souster was named an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1995. The Order of Canada website says of him: "One of Canada's most important, widely-read and enduring poets, he has been a vital force for the renewal of poetry since the 1940s. His poems describe life in Toronto, ordinary people and the daily events, feelings and experiences of modern city living. A co-founder of the Canadian League of Poets, he has been a source of encouragement and inspiration to several generations of poets while promoting Canadian literature among students of all ages."
Souster's Uptown Downtown (2006) was nominated for the 2007 City of Toronto Book Award.
Poetry
- When We Are Young. Montreal: First Statement, 19451945 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes, based on George Crabbe's The Borough...
. - Go To Sleep, World. Toronto: Ryerson, 19471947 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Dorothy Parker divorces Alan Campbell for the first time....
. - City Hall Street. Toronto: Ryerson, 19511951 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Poet Cid Corman began Origin magazine in response to the failure of a magazine that Robert Creeley had planned. The magazine typically featured one writer per issue and ran, with breaks, until the...
. - with Irving LaytonIrving LaytonIrving Peter Layton, OC was a Romanian-born Canadian poet. He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made enemies. As T...
and Louis DudekLouis DudekLouis Dudek, OC was a Canadian poet, academic, and publisher known for his role in defining Modernism in poetry, and for his literary criticism. He was the author of over two dozen books...
. Cerberus. Toronto: Contact Press, 19521952 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* November — The Group British poetry movement of the 1950s and 1960s began at Downing College, Cambridge University, Philip Hobsbaum along with two friends — Tony Davis and Neil Morris...
. - Shake Hands with the Hangman: Poems 1940-52 Toronto: Contact Press, 19531953 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* George Plimpton, Peter Matthiessen and Harold L...
. - A Dream That Is Dying. Toronto: Contact Press, 19541954 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Robert Creeley founds and edits the Black Mountain Review...
. - Walking Death. Toronto: Contact Press, 19541954 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Robert Creeley founds and edits the Black Mountain Review...
. - For What Time Slays. Toronto: Contact Press, 19551955 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Group, a British poetry movement, starts meeting in London with gatherings taking place once a week, on Friday evenings, at first at Hobsbaum's flat and later at the house of Edward Lucie-Smith...
. - The Selected Poems. Louis Dudek ed. Toronto: Contact Press, 19561956 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* February 27—Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath meet in Cambridge...
. - Crepe-Hanger's Carnival: Selected Poems 1955-58 Toronto: Contact Press, 19581958 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Brazilian manifesto for concrete poetry, which focuses on visual and other sensory qualities...
. - A Local Pride. Toronto: Contact Press, 19621962 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Writers in the Soviet Union this year were allowed to publish criticism of Joseph Stalin and were given more freedom generally, although many were severely criticized for doing so...
. - Place of Meeting: Poems 1958-1960 (includes lithographs by Michael SnowMichael SnowMichael Snow, CC is a Canadian artist working in painting, sculpture, video, films, photography, holography, drawing, books and music.-Life:...
) Isaacs Gallery / Gallery Editions II, 19621962 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Writers in the Soviet Union this year were allowed to publish criticism of Joseph Stalin and were given more freedom generally, although many were severely criticized for doing so...
. - The Colour of the Times. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 19641964 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Among the many books of poetry published this year, Robert Lowell's For the Union Dead is greeted with particular acclaim...
. - Ten Elephants on Yonge Street. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 19651965 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Meic Stephens founds Poetry Wales...
. - As Is. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 19671967 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*Cecil Day-Lewis is selected as the new Poet Laureate of the UK....
. - Lost and Found: Uncollected Poems. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 19681968 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Belfast Group, a grouping of poets in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which was started in 1963 in poetry, lapsed in 1966 when founder Philip Hobsbaum left for Glasgow, is reconstituted this year by...
. - So Far, So Good: Poems, 1938/1968. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19691969 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* FIELD magazine founded at Oberlin College...
. - The Years. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19711971 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* This Magazine founded by Robert Grenier and Barrett Watten...
. - Selected Poems of Raymond Souster. Michael Maklem ed. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19721972 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* John Betjeman becomes Poet Laureate...
. - The Colour of the Times. Ten Elephants on Yonge Street. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 19731973 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Canadian poet and author, Michael Ondaatje adapts his 1970 book of poetry, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, into a play which this year is first produced in Stratford, Ontario; it will appear in...
. - Change-Up: New Poems. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19741974 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman....
. - Double Header: As Is; Lost & Found. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19751975 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* With the 1974, fall of the dictatorship in Greece, poets, authors and intellectuals who had fled after the coup of 1967 returned, and this year many began publishing in that country.* Brick Books, a...
. - Rain-Check. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19751975 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* With the 1974, fall of the dictatorship in Greece, poets, authors and intellectuals who had fled after the coup of 1967 returned, and this year many began publishing in that country.* Brick Books, a...
. - To Hell with Poetry. Burton, Ohio, 19761976 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Two poems written in 1965 by Mao Zedong just before the Cultural Revolution, including "Two Birds: A Dialogue", are published on January 1-Works published in English:Listed by nation where the work...
. - Extra Innings: New Poems. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19771977 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January – James Dickey, composed a poem he read at new United States President Jimmy Carter’s inaugural gala although not at the inauguration itself.* British publication Gay News successfully...
. - Hanging In: New Poems. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19791979 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Kenyon Review is restarted by Kenyon College 10 years after the original publication was closed....
. - Uniform Title - 1980
- Going the Distance. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19831983 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Frogmore Press founded by Andre Evans and Jeremy Page at the Frogmore tea-rooms in Folkestone...
. - Jubilee of Death: The Raid On Dieppe. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19841984 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*December 19 - Philip Larkin turns down the British Poet Laureateship, and Ted Hughes becomes Poet Laureate....
. - Queen City. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19841984 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*December 19 - Philip Larkin turns down the British Poet Laureateship, and Ted Hughes becomes Poet Laureate....
. - Flight of the Roller-Coaster: Poems for Younger Readers. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19851985 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The term "New Formalism" was first used in the article "The Yuppie Poet" in the May 1985 issue of the AWP Newsletter in an attack on the poetry movement...
. - and James DeahlJames DeahlJames Deahl is a Canadian poet and publisher.Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Deahl grew up in the city and in and around the Laurel Highlands region of the Appalachian Mountains. He moved to Canada in 1970 and holds dual American/Canadian citizenship...
. Into This Dark Earth. Toronto: Unfinished Monument Press, 19851985 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The term "New Formalism" was first used in the article "The Yuppie Poet" in the May 1985 issue of the AWP Newsletter in an attack on the poetry movement...
. - It Takes All Kinds. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19861986 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* New American Writing, an annual literary magazine concentrating on poetry, is founded in Chicago, Illinois....
. - The Eyes of Love. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19871987 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Charles Bukowski, fictionalised as alter ego Henry Chinaski, becomes the subject of the film Barfly starring Mickey Rourke....
. - Asking for More. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19881988 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The first annual The Best American Poetry volume is published this year....
. - Running Out the Clock. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19911991 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Forward Poetry Prize created...
. - Old Bank Notes. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19931993 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January 20 — Maya Angelou reads "On the Pulse of Morning" at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton* T. S...
. - Riding the Long Black Horse. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19931993 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January 20 — Maya Angelou reads "On the Pulse of Morning" at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton* T. S...
. - No Sad Songs Wanted Here. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19951995 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* February 16 — Announcement that 300 poems by S.T...
. - Close to Home. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19961996 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996 as way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States.* The movie Dead Man, written and...
. - Of Time & Toronto. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 20002000 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Griffin Poetry Prize is established, with one award given each year for the best work by a Canadian poet and one award given for best work in the English language internationally.* February —...
. - Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 20022002 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* After Ghazi al-Gosaibi, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Britain, publishes a poem praising a suicide bomber who had killed himself and two Israelis after blowing himself up in a supermarket; the...
. - Twenty-three New Poems. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 20032003 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry was opened at Queens University, Belfast, this year. It houses the Heaney Media Archive, a unique record of Heaney's entire oeuvre, as well as a full catalogue of...
. - Down to Earth Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, 20062006 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* French public notary Patrick Huet unveils Pieces of Hope to the Echo of the World in Lyon...
. - Wondrous Wobbly World: Poems for the New Millennium Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, 20062006 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* French public notary Patrick Huet unveils Pieces of Hope to the Echo of the World in Lyon...
. - Uptown Downtown Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, 20062006 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* French public notary Patrick Huet unveils Pieces of Hope to the Echo of the World in Lyon...
.
- Collected Poems of Raymond Souster 10 vols. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1980-2004. (covering 1940 - 2000)
Fiction
- The Winter of Time - 1949 (as "Raymond Holmes")
- On Target. Village Bookstore Press, 1972. (as "John Holmes")
- and Douglas Alcorn. From Hell to Breakfast. Toronto: Intruder Press, 1980.
Edited
- Direction, 1943-1946.
- Enterprise, 1948.
- Contact, 1952-1954.
- W.W.E. RossW.W.E. RossWilliam Wrightson Eustace Ross was a Canadian geophysicist and poet. He was the first published poet in Canada to write Imagist poetry, and later the first to write surrealist verse, both of which have led some to call him "the first modern Canadian poet."-Life:Ross was born in Peterborough,...
, Experiment 1923-1929 Toronto: Contact Press, 19561956 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* February 27—Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath meet in Cambridge...
. - Poets 56: Ten Younger English-Canadians. Toronto: Contact Press, 19561956 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* February 27—Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath meet in Cambridge...
. - Combustion., 1957-1960.
- New Wave Canada: The New Explosion in Canadian Poetry. Toronto: Contact Press, 19661966 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Raymond Souster founds the League of Canadian Poets...
. - and Douglas LochheadDouglas LochheadDouglas Lochhead, FRSC was a Canadian poet who lived in Sackville, New Brunswick, of which town he was the official poet laureate...
, eds. New Poems of the Seventies. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19701970 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* May – "La nuit de la poésie", a poetry reading in Montreal bringing together poets from French Canada to recite before an audience of more than 2,000 in the Théâtre du Gesu, lasting until 7...
. - and Douglas Lochhead, eds. Made in Canada. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19701970 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* May – "La nuit de la poésie", a poetry reading in Montreal bringing together poets from French Canada to recite before an audience of more than 2,000 in the Théâtre du Gesu, lasting until 7...
. - and Richard Woollatt, eds. Generation now. Longman Canada: 19701970 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* May – "La nuit de la poésie", a poetry reading in Montreal bringing together poets from French Canada to recite before an audience of more than 2,000 in the Théâtre du Gesu, lasting until 7...
. - and Richard Woollatt, eds. Sights and Sounds. Toronto: Macmillan, 19731973 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Canadian poet and author, Michael Ondaatje adapts his 1970 book of poetry, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, into a play which this year is first produced in Stratford, Ontario; it will appear in...
. - and Douglas Lochhead, eds. 100 Poems of Nineteenth Century Canada. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 19741974 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman....
. - and Richard Woollatt, eds. These Loved, These Hated Lands. Toronto: Doubleday of Canada, 19751975 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* With the 1974, fall of the dictatorship in Greece, poets, authors and intellectuals who had fled after the coup of 1967 returned, and this year many began publishing in that country.* Brick Books, a...
. - Vapour and Blue: Souster selects Campbell: the poetry of William Wilfred CampbellWilliam Wilfred CampbellWilliam Wilfred Campbell was a Canadian poet. He is often classed as one of the country's Confederation Poets, a group that included fellow Canadians Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, Archibald Lampman, and Duncan Campbell Scott; he was a colleague of Lampman and Scott...
. Paget Press, 19781978 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Magazine, edited by Bruce Andrews and Charles Bernstein, first published...
. - and Richard Woollatt, eds. Poems of a Snow-Eyed Country. Don Mills, ON: Academic Press, 19801980 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Mark Jarman and Robert McDowell started the small magazine The Reaper to promote narrative and formal poetry....
. - and Douglas Lochhead, eds. Powassan’s Drum: Selected Poems of Duncan Campbell ScottDuncan Campbell ScottDuncan Campbell Scott was a Canadian poet and prose writer. With Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, and Archibald Lampman, he is classed as one of Canada's Confederation Poets....
Ottawa: Tecumseh, 19851985 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The term "New Formalism" was first used in the article "The Yuppie Poet" in the May 1985 issue of the AWP Newsletter in an attack on the poetry movement...
. - and Douglas Lochhead, eds. Windflower: Poems Of Bliss CarmanBliss CarmanBliss Carman FRSC was a Canadian poet who lived most of his life in the United States, where he achieved international fame. He was acclaimed as Canada's poet laureate during his later years....
. Ottawa: Tecumseh, 19851985 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The term "New Formalism" was first used in the article "The Yuppie Poet" in the May 1985 issue of the AWP Newsletter in an attack on the poetry movement...
. ISBN 978-0919662070
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy University of Toronto.
Discography
- Celebration: Famous Canadian Poets CD Canadian Poetry AssociationCanadian Poetry AssociationThe Canadian Poetry Association began as a grass-roots organization dedicated to promoting the reading, writing, publishing and preservation of poetry in Canada through the individual efforts of members; promoting communication among poets, publishers and the general public; encouraging leadership...
— 2001 ISBN 1-55253-032-9 (CD#3) (with Gwendolyn MacEwenGwendolyn MacEwenGwendolyn Margaret MacEwen was a Canadian poet and novelist. A "sophisticated, wide-ranging and thoughtful writer," she published more than 20 books in her brief life. "A sense of magic and mystery from her own interests in the Gnostics, Ancient Egypt and magic itself, and from her wonderment at...
)
External links
- Selected Poetry of Raymond Souster - Biography & 16 poems ('Twas the Second Day before Christmas, Aftermath, Encounters with Mrs. Raccoon, The Face of the Plasterer, Flight of the Roller-Coaster, Four Girls at the Corner, Girl at the Corner of Dundas & Elizabeth, Gwen, Night on the Uplands, November 24, 1992, Prayer, Queen Anne's Lace, Riding the Thundering Horse, Short Short Song; To the Canadian Poets, 1940; Your Fellow Americans)
- "The wonderful enigma of Raymond Souster", Globe & Mail, 24 June 1998
- Raymond Souster's profile at the League of Canadian Poets
- The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, Souster's current publisher