What do you think?
Rate this book
In search of Owen Roblin
- GenresPoetry
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1974
About the author
Alfred Purdy
69 books27 followersAlfred Wellington Purdy was one of the most popular and important Canadian poets of the 20th century. Purdy's writing career spanned more than fifty years. His works include over thirty books of poetry; a novel; two volumes of memoirs and four books of correspondence. He has been called the nation's "unofficial poet laureate".
Born in Wooler, Ontario Purdy went to Albert College in Belleville, Ontario, and Trenton Collegiate Institute in Trenton, Ontario. He dropped out of school at 17 and rode the rails west to Vancouver. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Following the war, he worked in various jobs until the 1960s, when he was finally able to support himself as a writer, editor and poet.
Honours and awards Purdy received include the Order of Canada (O.C.) in 1982, the Order of Ontario in 1987, and the Governor General's Award, in 1965 for his collection The Cariboo Horses, and again in 1986 for The Collected Poems of Al Purdy. The League of Canadian Poets gave Purdy the Voice of the Land Award, a special award created by the League to honour his unique contribution to Canada.
Al Purdy died in North Saanich, B.C., on April 21, 2000. His final collection of poetry, Beyond Remembering: The Collected Poems of Al Purdy, was released posthumously in the fall of 2000.
On May 20, 2008, a large bronze statue of Purdy was unveiled in Queen's Park in downtown Toronto.
Born in Wooler, Ontario Purdy went to Albert College in Belleville, Ontario, and Trenton Collegiate Institute in Trenton, Ontario. He dropped out of school at 17 and rode the rails west to Vancouver. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Following the war, he worked in various jobs until the 1960s, when he was finally able to support himself as a writer, editor and poet.
Honours and awards Purdy received include the Order of Canada (O.C.) in 1982, the Order of Ontario in 1987, and the Governor General's Award, in 1965 for his collection The Cariboo Horses, and again in 1986 for The Collected Poems of Al Purdy. The League of Canadian Poets gave Purdy the Voice of the Land Award, a special award created by the League to honour his unique contribution to Canada.
Al Purdy died in North Saanich, B.C., on April 21, 2000. His final collection of poetry, Beyond Remembering: The Collected Poems of Al Purdy, was released posthumously in the fall of 2000.
On May 20, 2008, a large bronze statue of Purdy was unveiled in Queen's Park in downtown Toronto.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Read
July 15, 2022Al Purdy's poetry is uneven, and for this reason, a selected poems does his great poems a great service. But to understand Purdy's poetry and context as more than serving a memorabilia function for today (as Browning might say - see Browning's poem by that name), you have to go beyond even editors' efforts at damage control - including Sam Solecki's Beyond Remembering: The Collected Poems of Al Purdy. A place to start is In Search of Owen Roblin.
Ever since Purdy wrote to Earle Birney asking how to write better poetry, it is as if a function of Purdy's poetry is to invite his reader to assume the overinflated role of editor-judge. And of course, not all judgement is critical or negative. But much of Purdy criticism suffers from assuming this role, even as the criticism is indeed instructive. The instruction bears on the critic, not on Purdy.. This applies whether the critic is George Bowering, Solecki, or one of the ethically-astute recent critics.
Ever since Purdy wrote to Earle Birney asking how to write better poetry, it is as if a function of Purdy's poetry is to invite his reader to assume the overinflated role of editor-judge. And of course, not all judgement is critical or negative. But much of Purdy criticism suffers from assuming this role, even as the criticism is indeed instructive. The instruction bears on the critic, not on Purdy.. This applies whether the critic is George Bowering, Solecki, or one of the ethically-astute recent critics.
September 24, 2007
my second favorite canadian poet
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews