The Quest for a National Nationalism
CBC Books | | Posted: February 1, 2021 9:13 PM | Last Updated: February 11, 2021
George Elliott Clarke
In his 2018 Pratt Lecture, The Quest for a 'National' Nationalism, renowned author and critic George Elliott Clarke investigates E.J. Pratt's poetic attempt to become the epic poet of Canada. And while Pratt's epic poems, such as Brebeuf and His Brethren and Towards the Last Spike, stand as lofty poetic achievements, the poet is never able to escape his own identity and speak convincingly for all Canadians. Unable to speak for Francophones, Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour, Pratt becomes the epic poet of the establishment, but never truly of the people. (From Breakwater Books)
George Elliott Clarke was Canada's parliamentary poet laureate and was the fourth poet laureate of Toronto. His recognitions include the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellows Prize, the Governor General's Literary Award and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award. His books include Whylah Falls, George and Rue and The Motorcyclist. He is a member of the Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Canada,
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