Miriam Waddington
Encyclopedia
Miriam Waddington was a Canadian
poet
, short story
writer and translator
.
Born in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, she studied English at the University of Toronto
(B.A. 1939) and social work the University of Pennsylvania
(M.A.). She worked for many years as a social worker in Montreal
. She later relocated to the then Toronto
suburb of North York, where she worked for North York Family Services. In 1964, she joined the English
department at York University
. She retired in 1983.
Waddington was part of a Montreal circle that included F.R. Scott, Irving Layton
and Louis Dudek
.
She is a well known name in Canadian literary circles, especially those dealing in Canadian poetry and literature in general. Her name is one that is discussed at the university level in courses that deal in Canadian literature.
She died in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. After her death, much of her own works and personal library were donated by her sons to the archives of Simon Fraser University
in Burnaby, British Columbia. The donation was worth the approximate equivalent of a $25 000 dollar endowment. Her archival fonds is held at Library and Archives Canada
.
Waddington received the J.J. Segal award in 1972. She was the Canada Council Exchange Poet to Wales in 1980, and served as writer-in-residence at the Windsor Public Library and at the University of Ottawa
.
She received honorary doctorates from Lakehead University
in 1975 and York University
in 1985.
Her poem "Jacques Cartier in Toronto" is featured on the back of the Canadian $100 bill
released in 2004.
An example of one of Waddington's poems entitled "Flying With Milton," is as follows with an excerpt from Keats.
....he flew
With daring Milton through the fields of air
Keats
Flying with Milton through
his fields of air on a dark
November day in Toronto I
dreamed of terraced hillsides
new forest plantings in Jamaica
irrigation schemes in Israel
and free mountains in Africa
I dreamed of storm windows
piled up on racks in suburban
garages of fresh air and peace
and gardens for everyone I
dreamed of violence suspended
from a sonnet string tied to
the apron of April and I hung
on the dangling world a single
bead in a string of beads one
frail point to sink into the centre
where I could turn the spokes
of Milton's eternal wheel to
speaking radiation
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy Brock University.
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...
, short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
.
Born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, she studied English at 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...
(B.A. 1939) and social work the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(M.A.). She worked for many years as a social worker in 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...
. She later relocated to the then Toronto
Toronto
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...
suburb of North York, where she worked for North York Family Services. In 1964, she joined the English
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....
department at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
. She retired in 1983.
Waddington was part of a Montreal circle that included F.R. Scott, Irving Layton
Irving Layton
Irving Peter Layton, OC was a Romanian-born Canadian poet. He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made enemies. As T...
and Louis Dudek
Louis Dudek
Louis Dudek, OC was a Canadian poet, academic, and publisher known for his role in defining Modernism in poetry, and for his literary criticism. He was the author of over two dozen books...
.
She is a well known name in Canadian literary circles, especially those dealing in Canadian poetry and literature in general. Her name is one that is discussed at the university level in courses that deal in Canadian literature.
She died in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
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...
. After her death, much of her own works and personal library were donated by her sons to the archives of Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
in Burnaby, British Columbia. The donation was worth the approximate equivalent of a $25 000 dollar endowment. Her archival fonds is held at Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...
.
Honours
Waddington was awarded Borestone Mountain Awards for best poetry in 1963, 1966, and 1974.Waddington received the J.J. Segal award in 1972. She was the Canada Council Exchange Poet to Wales in 1980, and served as writer-in-residence at the Windsor Public Library and at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
.
She received honorary doctorates from Lakehead University
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...
in 1975 and York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in 1985.
Her poem "Jacques Cartier in Toronto" is featured on the back of the Canadian $100 bill
Canadian hundred-dollar bill
The Canadian hundred-dollar bill is one of five different banknotes of the Canadian dollar. It is the highest-valued and least-circulated of the bills since the $1000 bill was gradually removed from circulation starting in 2000....
released in 2004.
Poetry
- Green World. Montreal: First Statement, 1945.
- The Second Silence. Toronto: Ryerson, 1955.
- The Season's Lovers. Toronto: Ryerson, 1958.
- Four Poems. n.p.: n.p., 196-?
- The Glass Trumpet. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1966.
- Flying with Milton. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Unicorn Press, 1969.
- Say Yes. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1969.
- Dream Telescope. London: Anvil Press Poetry, 1972.
- Driving Home: Poems New and Selected. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1972.
- The Price of Gold. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1976.
- Mister Never. Winnipeg: Turnstone Press, 1978.
- The Visitants. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1981.
- Collected Poems. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1986.
- The Last Landscape. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1992.
- Canada: Romancing the Land - 1996
An example of one of Waddington's poems entitled "Flying With Milton," is as follows with an excerpt from Keats.
....he flew
With daring Milton through the fields of air
Keats
Flying with Milton through
his fields of air on a dark
November day in Toronto I
dreamed of terraced hillsides
new forest plantings in Jamaica
irrigation schemes in Israel
and free mountains in Africa
I dreamed of storm windows
piled up on racks in suburban
garages of fresh air and peace
and gardens for everyone I
dreamed of violence suspended
from a sonnet string tied to
the apron of April and I hung
on the dangling world a single
bead in a string of beads one
frail point to sink into the centre
where I could turn the spokes
of Milton's eternal wheel to
speaking radiation
Non-fiction
- A.M. Klein. Toronto: Copp Clark Publishing, 1970.
- Folklore in the Poetry of A.M. Klein. St. John's, NF: Memorial University, 1981.
- Apartment Seven: Essays New and Selected. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Edited
- Waddington, Miriam, ed. The Collected Poems of A.M. Klein. Toronto: Mc-Graw-Hill Ryerson, 1974.
- Waddington, Miriam, ed. John Sutherland: Essays, Controversies and Poems. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy Brock University.