David Solway
Encyclopedia
David Solway is a Canadian
poet
, educational theorist, travel writer and literary critic
of Jewish descent.
He is a member of the Jubilate Circle and formerly a teacher of English Literature
at John Abbott College
. He has spent most of his life in the Montreal
area and now lives in Hudson
, Quebec
.
Solway is known for his work both as a poet
, essayist and as a teacher
, as well as for his polemical outspokenness, especially in defence of Zionism
, George W. Bush
and the war on terror
. For inspiration, he invented a Greek poet named Andreas Karavis
as a heteronym
, whose work he published in apparent translation.
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...
, educational theorist, travel writer and literary critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
of Jewish descent.
He is a member of the Jubilate Circle and formerly a teacher of English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at John Abbott College
John Abbott College
John Abbott College is an English-language general and professional educational college located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada, near the western tip of the Island of Montreal. The enabling legislation is the General and Vocational Colleges Act -History:The college was accredited in...
. He has spent most of his life in the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
area and now lives in Hudson
Hudson, Quebec
Hudson, Quebec, Canada, is a town with a population of 5,088 on the south-west bank of the lower Ottawa River, in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. Situated about west of downtown Montreal, many residents commute to work on the Island of Montreal.- Location and...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Solway is known for his work both as a 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...
, essayist and as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, as well as for his polemical outspokenness, especially in defence of Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and the war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. For inspiration, he invented a Greek poet named Andreas Karavis
Andreas Karavis
Andreas Karavis is a non-existent Greek poet created by Canadian poet David Solway.On October 1999, Books in Canada published an article entitled "Modern Homer" about a supposedly newly-discovered Greek poet Andreas Karavis, with an interview, a photograph, and an essay by David Solway...
as a heteronym
Heteronym
Heteronym may refer to:* Heteronym , one of a group of words with identical spellings but different meanings and pronunciations; though sometimes they have enough homophony to be considered a mondegreen...
, whose work he published in apparent translation.
Poetry
- The Road to Arginos (1976)
- Twelve Sonnets (1978)
- Mephistopheles and the Astronaut (1979)
- Stones in Water (1983)
- Modern Marriage (1987)
- Bedrock (1993)
- Chess Pieces (1999)
- Saracen Island: The Poetry of Andreas Karavis (as Andreas Karavis; 2000)
- The Lover's Progress: Poems after William Hogarth (2001)
- Franklin's Passage (2003)
- The Pallikari Of Nesmine Rifat (as Nesmine Rifat; 2005)
- Reaching for Clear: The Poetry of Rhys Savarin (2007) (winner of the A. M. Klein Prize for PoetryQuebec Writers' Federation AwardsThe Quebec Writers' Federation Awards are a series of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Quebec Writers' Federation to the best works of literature in English by writers from Quebec.-Categories:...
)
Essays and criticism
- Education Lost (1989)
- Random Walks
- Lying about the Wolf: Essays in Culture & Education (1997)
- The Turtle Hypodermic of Sickenpods: Liberal Studies in the Corporate Age (2000)
- An Andreas Karavis Companion (2000)
- Director's Cut (2003)
- The Big Lie: On Terror, Antisemitism, and Identity (2007)
- Hear, O Israel! (2009)