Roy Daniells
Encyclopedia
Roy Daniells, was a Canadian
poetry
professor. He helped build the University of British Columbia
's creative writing department and fostered the careers of several major Canadian writers.
(UK) on April 6, 1902, but received the bulk of his education in Canada following his family's relocation to Victoria, BC in 1910. He attended University of British Columbia
(UBC) and University of Toronto
, receiving a Ph.D. from the latter in 1936. Thereafter, he worked at the University of Manitoba
, heading its English department until 1946 when he took a position at his alma mater
UBC. When Garnet Sedgewick retired in 1948, Daniells became department head, holding that post until 1965. During that time, he helped establish a Creative Writing Department at UBC and also promoted the university's funding of studies in Canadian Literature.
In 1965, Daniells was named the first University Professor of English Language and Literature. Daniells helped the writing careers of Margaret Avison
, Earle Birney
, Joy Coghill
, Daryl Duke
, Roderick Haig-Brown
, Eli Mandel
, Margaret Laurence
, Eric Nicol
, Sheila Watson, Phyllis Webb
, Adele Wiseman
, and George Woodcock
, among others. He retired in 1974.
and seventeenth century English literature, but also published widely on Canadian literature and history, including the 1969 volume Alexander Mackenzie and the North West (Great Travellers Series, London, Faber and Faber). He was also a poet with two published volumes.
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...
poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
professor. He helped build the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
's creative writing department and fostered the careers of several major Canadian writers.
Education and career
Daniells was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(UK) on April 6, 1902, but received the bulk of his education in Canada following his family's relocation to Victoria, BC in 1910. He attended University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
(UBC) and University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, receiving a Ph.D. from the latter in 1936. Thereafter, he worked at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, heading its English department until 1946 when he took a position at his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
UBC. When Garnet Sedgewick retired in 1948, Daniells became department head, holding that post until 1965. During that time, he helped establish a Creative Writing Department at UBC and also promoted the university's funding of studies in Canadian Literature.
In 1965, Daniells was named the first University Professor of English Language and Literature. Daniells helped the writing careers of Margaret Avison
Margaret Avison
Margaret Avison, OC was a Canadian poet who twice won Canada's Governor General's Award and has also won its Griffin Poetry Prize. "Her work has often been praised for the beauty of its language and images."-Life:...
, Earle Birney
Earle Birney
Earle Alfred Birney, OC, FRSC was a distinguished Canadian poet and novelist, who twice won the Governor General's Award, Canada's top literary honor, for his poetry.-Life:...
, Joy Coghill
Joy Coghill
Joy Coghill, O.C., is a Canadian actor, director, and writer.She and Myra Benson founded Canada's first children's theatre company, Holiday Theatre. In 1994, Coghill founded Western Gold, a theatre company for older professional actors. She holds honorary degrees from SFU and UBC...
, Daryl Duke
Daryl Duke
Daryl Duke was a Canadian film producer and director.Duke was born at Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became one of CBC Television's earliest regional producers...
, Roderick Haig-Brown
Roderick Haig-Brown
Roderick Haig-Brown was a Canadian writer and conservationist.-Early life:Born in Lancing, Sussex, England his father, Alan Haig-Brown, was a teacher and a prolific writer who published hundreds of articles and poems on sports, the military and educational issues in various periodicals...
, Eli Mandel
Eli Mandel
Eli Mandel was a Canadian poet, editor of many Canadian anthologies, and literary academic.-Biography:...
, Margaret Laurence
Margaret Laurence
Jean Margaret Laurence, CC was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, one of the major figures in Canadian literature.- Early years :...
, Eric Nicol
Eric Nicol
Eric Patrick Nicol was a Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper The Province...
, Sheila Watson, Phyllis Webb
Phyllis Webb
Phyllis Webb, is a Canadian poet and radio broadcaster. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes her as "a writer of stature in Canadian letters", and calls her work "brilliantly crafted, formal in its energies and humane in its concern"....
, Adele Wiseman
Adele Wiseman
Adele Wiseman was a Canadian author.Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, she received a B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 1949...
, and George Woodcock
George Woodcock
George Woodcock was a Canadian writer of political biography and history, an anarchist thinker, an essayist and literary critic. He was also a poet, and published several volumes of travel writing. He founded in 1959 the journal Canadian Literature, the first academic journal specifically...
, among others. He retired in 1974.
Publications
As an academic, Daniells had broad focus, specializing in John MiltonJohn Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
and seventeenth century English literature, but also published widely on Canadian literature and history, including the 1969 volume Alexander Mackenzie and the North West (Great Travellers Series, London, Faber and Faber). He was also a poet with two published volumes.
Awards and honours
- first University Professor of English Language and Literature (1965)
- Lorne Pierce MedalLorne Pierce MedalThe Lorne Pierce Medal is awarded every two years by the Royal Society of Canada to recognize achievement of special significance and conspicuous merit in imaginative or critical literature written in either English or French...
(1970) - Companion of the Order of Canada (1971)
Sources
External links
- Roy Daniells at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...