Gwendolyn MacEwen
Encyclopedia
Gwendolyn Margaret MacEwen (1 September 1941 – 29 November 1987) was a Canadian poet
and novelist. A "sophisticated, wide-ranging and thoughtful writer," she published more than 20 books in her brief life. "A sense of magic and mystery from her own interests in the Gnostics, Ancient Egypt
and magic
itself, and from her wonderment at life and death, makes her writing unique.... She's still regarded by most as one of the best Canadian poets."
, Ontario
. Her mother, Elsie, spent much of her life as a patient in mental health institutions. Her father, Alick, suffered from alcoholism. Gwendolyn MacEwen grew up in the High Park area of the city, and attended Western Technical-Commercial School
.
MacEwen was a prodigy. Her first poem was published in The Canadian Forum
when she was only 17, and she left school at 18 to pursue a writing career. By 18 she had written her first novel, Julian the Magician.
"She was small (5'4") and slight, with a round pale face, huge blue eyes usually rimmed in kohl (Egyptian eye shadow), and long dark straight hair."
Her first book of poetry, The Drunken Clock, was published in 1961. She married poet Milton Acorn
, 19 years her senior, in 1962, although they divorced two years later.
She published over twenty books, in a variety of genres. She also wrote numerous radio docudramas for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC), including a "much-admired radio drama", Terror and Erebus, in 1965.
With her second husband, Greek musician Niko Tsingos, MacEwen opened a Toronto coffeehouse, The Trojan Horse, in 1972. She and Tsingos translated some of the poetry of contemporary Greek writer Yiannis Ritsos
(published in her 1981 book Trojan Women).
She taught herself to read Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, and French, translated writers from each of those languages. In 1978 her translation of Euripides
' drama The Trojan Women was first performed in Toronto.
She served as writer in residence at the University of Western Ontario
in 1985, and the University of Toronto
in 1986 and 1987.
MacEwen died in 1987, at the age of 46, of health problems related to alcoholism
. She is buried in Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery
.
, MacEwen "displayed a commanding interest in magic and history as well as an elaborate and penetrating dexterity in her versecraft."
Her two novels – Julian the Magician, dealing with the ambiguous relationship between the hermetic
philosophies of the early Renaissance
and Christianity
; and King of Egypt, King of Dreams, which imaginatively reconstructed the life and religious reformation of Egyptian
pharaoh
Akhenaton – blend fantasy and history.
in 1969
for her poetry collection The Shadow Maker. She was awarded a second Governor General's Award posthumously in 1987
for Afterworlds.
Other awards and prizes MacEwen won include the CBC New Canadian Writing Contest for poetry in 1965; the A.J.M. Smith Poetry Award in 1973; the Borestone Mountain Poetry Award in 1983; the CBC Literary Competition, for short story in 1983; and the Du Maurier Awards, gold and silver for poetry, in 1983.
Her writing has been translated into many languages including Chinese
, French
, German
, and Italian
.
Rosemary Sullivan
published a biography of MacEwen, Shadow Maker: The Life of Gwendolyn MacEwen, in 1995
, which itself won the Governor General's Award
, for non-fiction in 1995
.
Fictional tributes to MacEwen have been published by Margaret Atwood
(the short story "Isis in Darkness"), and Lorne S. Jones (the novel Mighty Oaks).
A one-woman play by Linda Griffiths
, Alien Creature: A Visitation from Gwendolyn MacEwen, won the Dora Mavor Moore Award
and the Chalmers Award
in 2000.
The former Walmer Road Park in Toronto, on Walmer Road and Lowther Avenue, was renamed Gwendolyn MacEwen Park in her honor in 1994. On September 9, 2006, a bronze bust of MacEwen by her friend, sculptor John McCombe Reynolds, was unveiled in the park.
Except where noted, bibliographic information courtesy of Brock University.
Canadian poetry
- Beginnings:The earliest works of poetry, mainly written by visitors, described the new territories in optimistic terms, mainly targeted at a European audience...
and novelist. A "sophisticated, wide-ranging and thoughtful writer," she published more than 20 books in her brief life. "A sense of magic and mystery from her own interests in the Gnostics, Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
and magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
itself, and from her wonderment at life and death, makes her writing unique.... She's still regarded by most as one of the best Canadian poets."
Life
MacEwen was born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Her mother, Elsie, spent much of her life as a patient in mental health institutions. Her father, Alick, suffered from alcoholism. Gwendolyn MacEwen grew up in the High Park area of the city, and attended Western Technical-Commercial School
Western Technical-Commercial School
Western Technical-Commercial School ' is a high school in the High Park North neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada. It shares the same building with Ursula Franklin Academy and The Student School. Originally two schools when it was opened, Western Technical and Western Commercial, the present school is...
.
MacEwen was a prodigy. Her first poem was published in The Canadian Forum
Canadian Forum
The Canadian Forum was a left-wing literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine.It was founded in 1920 at the University of Toronto as a forum for political and cultural ideas...
when she was only 17, and she left school at 18 to pursue a writing career. By 18 she had written her first novel, Julian the Magician.
"She was small (5'4") and slight, with a round pale face, huge blue eyes usually rimmed in kohl (Egyptian eye shadow), and long dark straight hair."
Her first book of poetry, The Drunken Clock, was published in 1961. She married poet Milton Acorn
Milton Acorn
Milton James Rhode Acorn , nicknamed The People's Poet by his peers, was a Canadian poet, writer, and playwright. He was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island....
, 19 years her senior, in 1962, although they divorced two years later.
She published over twenty books, in a variety of genres. She also wrote numerous radio docudramas for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC), including a "much-admired radio drama", Terror and Erebus, in 1965.
With her second husband, Greek musician Niko Tsingos, MacEwen opened a Toronto coffeehouse, The Trojan Horse, in 1972. She and Tsingos translated some of the poetry of contemporary Greek writer Yiannis Ritsos
Yiannis Ritsos
Yiannis Ritsos was a Greek poet and left-wing activist and an active member of the Greek Resistance during World War II.-Early life:...
(published in her 1981 book Trojan Women).
She taught herself to read Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, and French, translated writers from each of those languages. In 1978 her translation of Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
' drama The Trojan Women was first performed in Toronto.
She served as writer in residence at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in 1985, and the 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...
in 1986 and 1987.
MacEwen died in 1987, at the age of 46, of health problems related to alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. She is buried in Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Mount Pleasant Cemetery can refer to several different cemeteries, including:*Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada*Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Taunton, Massachusetts, USA*Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey, USA...
.
Writing
"A sophisticated, wide-ranging and thoughtful writer," says The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia
The 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,...
, MacEwen "displayed a commanding interest in magic and history as well as an elaborate and penetrating dexterity in her versecraft."
Her two novels – Julian the Magician, dealing with the ambiguous relationship between the hermetic
Hermetic
* Hermeticism, a magical and religious movement stemming from the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus* Hermeticism , a literary movement in poetry started in Italy* Hermetics, the deliberate use of esoteric imagery...
philosophies of the early Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
; and King of Egypt, King of Dreams, which imaginatively reconstructed the life and religious reformation of Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Akhenaton – blend fantasy and history.
Recognition
MacEwen won the Governor General's AwardGovernor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
in 1969
1969 in literature
The year 1969 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Booker Prize is awarded.* "Penelope Ashe", author of the bestselling novel Naked Came the Stranger, is found to be several people who each took a turn writing a chapter of what they described as "junk" in...
for her poetry collection The Shadow Maker. She was awarded a second Governor General's Award posthumously in 1987
1987 in literature
The year 1987 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Wolfe was paid $5 million for the film rights to his novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, the most ever earned by an author, at the time.-Fiction:...
for Afterworlds.
Other awards and prizes MacEwen won include the CBC New Canadian Writing Contest for poetry in 1965; the A.J.M. Smith Poetry Award in 1973; the Borestone Mountain Poetry Award in 1983; the CBC Literary Competition, for short story in 1983; and the Du Maurier Awards, gold and silver for poetry, in 1983.
Her writing has been translated into many languages including Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
Rosemary Sullivan
Rosemary Sullivan
Rosemary Sullivan is a Canadian poet, biographer, and anthologist.Sullivan was born in the small town of Valois on Lac St. Louis, which is located just outside of Montreal, Quebec. After graduating from St. Thomas high school, she attended McGill University on a scholarship, and earned her...
published a biography of MacEwen, Shadow Maker: The Life of Gwendolyn MacEwen, in 1995
1995 in literature
The year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....
, which itself won the Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
, for non-fiction in 1995
1995 Governor General's Awards
The 1995 Governor General's Literary Awards were presented by Roméo LeBlanc, Governor General of Canada on November 14 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto...
.
Fictional tributes to MacEwen have been published by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
(the short story "Isis in Darkness"), and Lorne S. Jones (the novel Mighty Oaks).
A one-woman play by Linda Griffiths
Linda Griffiths
Linda Griffiths is a Canadian actor and playwright.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Griffiths studied at Dawson College, the National Theatre School for one year, and McGill University....
, Alien Creature: A Visitation from Gwendolyn MacEwen, won the Dora Mavor Moore Award
Dora Mavor Moore Award
The Dora Mavor Moore Award is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance, and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the award was established on December 13, 1978...
and the Chalmers Award
Chalmers Award
Chalmers Award may refer to:* An early version of the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award, presented from 1911 to 1914,* a Canadian series of arts awards funded by the Chalmers family of arts patrons, including the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Awards, the Jean A. Chalmers National...
in 2000.
The former Walmer Road Park in Toronto, on Walmer Road and Lowther Avenue, was renamed Gwendolyn MacEwen Park in her honor in 1994. On September 9, 2006, a bronze bust of MacEwen by her friend, sculptor John McCombe Reynolds, was unveiled in the park.
Poetry
- Selah. Toronto: Aleph Press, 19611961 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January 20–Robert Frost recites his poem "The Gift Outright" at United States President John F...
. - The Drunken Clock. Toronto: Aleph Press, 19611961 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January 20–Robert Frost recites his poem "The Gift Outright" at United States President John F...
. - The Rising Fire. Toronto: Contact Press, 19631963 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January 26 – Raghunath Vishnu Pandit, an Indian poet who wrote in both Konkani and Marathi languages, publishes five books of poems this day* The Belfast Group, a discussion group of poets in...
. - Terror and Erebus (1965)
- A Breakfast for Barbarians. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 19661966 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Raymond Souster founds the League of Canadian Poets...
. - The Armies of the Moon . Toronto: Macmillan, 19721972 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* John Betjeman becomes Poet Laureate...
. ISBN 9780770508685 - Magic Animals: Selected Poems Old and New. Toronto: Macmillan, 19741974 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman....
. ISBN 9780770512149 - Trojan Women, 19811981 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Jane Greer launched Plains Poetry Journal, an advance guard of the New Formalism movement....
. - The Fire-Eaters. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 19821982 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*Final edition of This Magazine published....
. ISBN 9780887501791 - The T. E. Lawrence Poems. Oakville: Mosaic Press, 19821982 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*Final edition of This Magazine published....
. - Earth-Light: Selected Poetry 1963-1982. Toronto: General Publishing, 19821982 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*Final edition of This Magazine published....
. ISBN 9780773611177 - The Man with Three Violins 19861986 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* New American Writing, an annual literary magazine concentrating on poetry, is founded in Chicago, Illinois....
HMS Press (Toronto) ISBN 0-919957-83-8 - Afterworlds. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 19871987 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Charles Bukowski, fictionalised as alter ego Henry Chinaski, becomes the subject of the film Barfly starring Mickey Rourke....
. ISBN 9780771054280
- Atwood, Margaret and Barry Callaghan, eds. The Poetry of Gwendolyn MacEwen: The Early Years (Volume One). Toronto: Exile Editions, 19931993 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January 20 — Maya Angelou reads "On the Pulse of Morning" at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton* T. S...
. ISBN 9781550965438 - Atwood, Margaret and Barry Callaghan, eds. The Poetry of Gwendolyn MacEwen: The Later Years (Volume Two). Toronto: Exile Editions, 1993. ISBN 9781550965476
Fiction
- Noman. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1972.
- Noman's Land: stories Coach House Press, 1985. ISBN 9780889103122
Non-fiction
- Mermaids and Ikons: A Greek Summer. Toronto: House of Anansi, 1978. ISBN 9780887840623
Children's books
- The Chocolate Moose. Toronto: N/C Press, 1979. ISBN 9780919601574
- The Honey Drum. Oakville: Mosaic Press, 1983. ISBN 9780889622289
- Dragon Sandwiches Black Moss Press, 1987. ISBN 9780887531576
Translated
- Euripides. The Trojan Women. 1979.
- Aristophanes. The Birds. 1983.
Except where noted, bibliographic information courtesy of Brock University.
Discography
- Open Secret. CBC Learning Systems, 1972. [phonograph record]
- Celebration: Famous Canadian Poets CD Canadian Poetry AssociationCanadian Poetry AssociationThe Canadian Poetry Association began as a grass-roots organization dedicated to promoting the reading, writing, publishing and preservation of poetry in Canada through the individual efforts of members; promoting communication among poets, publishers and the general public; encouraging leadership...
— 2001 ISBN 1-55253-032-9 (CD#3) ( with Raymond SousterRaymond SousterRaymond Holmes Souster, OC is a Canadian poet whose writing career spans almost 70 years. He has published more than 50 volumes of his own verse, and edited or co-edited a dozen volumes of others' poetry...
)
Books
- Jan Bartley. Invocations: the poetry and prose of Gwendolyn MacEwen. 1983)
- Rosemary Sullivan. Shadow Maker: The Life of Gwendolyn MacEwen. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1995.
Articles
- Atwood, Margaret. “MacEwen’s Muse.” Canadian Literature 45 (1970): 24-32.
- Barrett, Elizabeth. “A Tour de Force.” Evidence 8 (1964): 140-143.
- Davey, Frank. “Gwendolyn MacEwen: The Secret of Alchemy.” Open Letter (second series) 4 (1973): 5-23.
- Di Michele, Mary. “Gwendolyn MacEwen: 1941-1987.” Books in Canada 17.1 (1988): 6.
- Gerry, Thomas M. “Green Yet Free of Seasons: Gwendolyn MacEwen and the Mystical Tradition of Canadian Poetry.” Studies in Canadian Literature 16.2 (1991/1992): 147-161.
- Gillam, Robyn. “The Gaze of a Stranger: Gwendolyn MacEwen’s Hieratic Eye.” Paragraph 13.2 (1991): 10-13.
- Godfrey, Dave. “Figments of a Northern Mind.” Tamarack Review 31 (1964): 90-91.
- Gose, E.B. “They Shall Have Arcana.” Canadian Literature 21 (1964): 36-45.
- Harding Russell, Gillian. “Gwendolyn MacEwen’s ‘The Nine Arcana of the Kings’ as Creative Myth and Paradigm.” English Studies in Canada 15.2 (1988): 204-217.
- Harding Russell, Gillian. “Iconic Mythopoeia in MacEwen’s The T.E. Lawrence Poems.” Studies in Canadian Literature 9.1 (1984): 95-107.
- Helwig, Maggie. “The Shadowmaker Confirmed the Poet in Me.” Catholic New Times 21.19 (1997): 13,14.
- Jones, D.G. “Language of Our Time.” Canadian Literature 29 (1966): 67-69.
- Kelly, M. T. “Thoughts From a Friend (Profile of Gwendolyn MacEwen).” Canadian Woman Studies 9.2 (1988): 89.
- Kemp, Penn. “A Musing I Would Like to have Shared with Gwendolyn MacEwen.” Tessera 5 (1988): 49-57.
- “MacEwen Possessed a Talent that was Fragile, Precocious.” Globe and Mail (Metro Edition) 2 Dec 1987: A10, C5.
- Marshall, Joyce. “Remembering Gwendolyn MacEwen.” Brick 45 (1993): 61-65.
- Marshall, Tom. “Several Takes on Gwendolyn MacEwen.” Quarry 38.1 (1989): 76-83.
- “Obituary: Author.” Gwendolyn MacEwen. Quill and Quire 54.3 (1988): 62.
- Potvin, Elisabeth. “Gwendolyn MacEwen and Female Spiritual Desire.” Canadian Poetry 28 (1991): 18-39.
- Purdy, Al. “Death in the Family.” Saturday Night 103.5 (1988): 65-66.
- Ringrose, Christopher. “Vision Enveloped in Night.” Canadian Literature 53 (1972): 102-104.
- Sowton, Ian. “To Improvise an Eden.” Edge 2 (1964): 119-124.
- Tsingos, Nikolas. “Poems for Gwendolyn MacEwen.” Descant 24.4 (1993/ 1994): 41.
- Warwick, Ellen D. “To Seek a Single Symmetry.” Canadian Literature 71 (1976): 21-34.
- Wilkinson, Shelagh. “Gwendolyn MacEwen's Trojan Women: Old Myth into New Life.” Canadian Woman Studies 8.3 (1987): 81-83.
- Wood, Brent. “From The Rising Fire to Afterworlds: The Visionary Circle in the Poetry of Gwendolyn MacEwen.” Canadian Poetry 47 (2000): 40-69.
External links
- Canadian Poetry Online: Gwendolyn MacEwen - Biography and 7 poems (Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear, Fragments from A Childhood, Magic Cats, Poems in Braille, Memoirs of a Mad Cook, The Drunken Clock, Dark Pines Under Water)
- Gwendolyn MacEwen Papers, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library