E.J. Pratt: Letters

by Elizabeth A. Popham (Editor), David G. Pitt (Editor)

Overview

This edition of E.J. Pratt's letters is the final volume in the Collected Works series. Because of Pratt's role in the making of Canadian culture between and after the World Wars, his correspondence highlights key moments in our cultural history and provides a view of the enterprise from its very centre.

The letters take us into his "workshop," illuminating the research behind his distinctive documentary long poems and the social nature of his creative production. They also reveal the complex network of writers, critics, artists and political figures of which Pratt was a part, the evolution of the Canadian book trade from the 1920s through to the early 1960s, and the emergence of radio (and specifically, of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) as a tool for forging national identity. Pratt's correspondence both confirms the public persona of one of Canada's first literary celebrities and provides glimpses of the private character behind the mask.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442650237
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	01/16/2017
Series:	Collected Works of E.J.Pratt
Pages:	792
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Popham is professor in the Department of English Literature at Trent University.
David G. Pitt is emeritus professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Editorial procedures

Acknowledgments

Biographical chronology

Letters

I Peregrinations: 1903-25

II A Taste of National Acclaim: 1925-32

III Prospect and Promotion: 1932-39

IV Historical Fact and Epic Construction: 1939-44

V Steering between Extremes: 1944-48

VI Knockings at the Door: 1948-53

VII Accepting the Years: 1953-55

VIII As Good as Any Old Horse My Age: 1955-64

Appendix : Some Letters by Viola Pratt

Abbreviations

Textual notes

Index

What People are Saying About This

Frank Davey

"Readers curious to learn more about Pratt's life will find the collection an enjoyably revealing read."

Sherrill Grace

"The editors have done a formidable amount of work that will make a lasting contribution to Canadian culture, as well as to Pratt's life."

Editorial Reviews

"Elizabeth Popham and David G. Pitt provide an invaluable resource to scholars of Canadian modernist poetry with E.J. Pratt: Letters, the last instalment of the Collected Works series the collection that the editors present is vast – and wholly indispensable for scholars in the field and those with an interest in Pratt's poetry Popham and Pitt's detailed effort is undeniable, serving any interest reader beyond expectation This resource is one for the shelves of any researcher in the field, and will no doubt be cited regularly. "—David Johnstone, Canadian Literature Reviews, 234 Autumn 2017
"The editors have done a formidable amount of work that will make a lasting contribution to Canadian culture, as well as to Pratt's life."—Sherrill Grace, Professor Emerita, University of British Columbia
"Readers curious to learn more about Pratt's life will find the collection an enjoyably revealing read."—Frank Davey, Professor Emeritus, Western University

From the Publisher

"Elizabeth Popham and David G. Pitt provide an invaluable resource to scholars of Canadian modernist poetry with E.J. Pratt: Letters, the last instalment of the Collected Works series... the collection that the editors present is vast — and wholly indispensable for scholars in the field and those with an interest in Pratt's poetry ... Popham and Pitt's detailed effort is undeniable, serving any interest reader beyond expectation ... This resource is one for the shelves of any researcher in the field, and will no doubt be cited regularly. "

Canadian Literature Reviews, 234 Autumn 2017 - David Johnstone