Robert Bringhurst
Encyclopedia
Robert Bringhurst is a Canadian poet
, typographer and author
. He is the author of The Elements of Typographic Style
– a reference book of typefaces, glyphs and the visual and geometric arrangement of type. He has also translated works of epic poetry
from Haida mythology
into English.
He lives on Quadra Island
, near Campbell River, British Columbia
(approximately 170 km northwest of Vancouver
) with his wife Jan Zwicky
, a poet and philosopher.
, California
, he was raised in Utah
, Montana
, Wyoming
, Alberta
, and British Columbia
. Bringhurst studied architecture
, linguistics
, and physics
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, and comparative literature
and philosophy
at the University of Utah
. He holds a BA
from Indiana University and an MFA
in creative writing
from the University of British Columbia
.
Bringhurst has taught literature
, art history
and history of typography
at several universities and held fellow
ships from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Guggenheim Foundation
.
Both his poetry and his work on typography have been widely acclaimed, but his translations of the Haida legacy have raised controversy; while his translations have reinvigorated Haida culture and the language, which in 1991 was considered "likely to be lost unless strong efforts are made very quickly to perpetuate them". However, Bringhurst has been criticised by Haida communities and leaders for failing to acknowledge and spend time inside the Haida culture. Bringhurst has been accused of academic exploitation and cultural appropriation. There is also resentment around the covers of his translations because they feature his name rather than the names of the Haida who created the works. This has been perceived by Haida communities as an extensions of the colonial legacy. Traditionally, Haida stories, songs, crests, and other intellectual works are considered more sacred than physical property; it was customary for violators of intellectual property rights to receive corporal punishment
.
In 2005, Bringhurst won the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence
which recognizes British Columbia writers who have contributed to the development of literary excellence in the Province.
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...
, typographer and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is the author of The Elements of Typographic Style
The Elements of Typographic Style
The Elements of Typographic Style is a book by Canadian typographer, poet and translator Robert Bringhurst. Originally published in 1992 by Hartley & Marks Publishers, it was revised in 1996, 2001 , 2002 , 2004 , 2005 , and 2008...
– a reference book of typefaces, glyphs and the visual and geometric arrangement of type. He has also translated works of epic poetry
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
from Haida mythology
Haida mythology
The Haida are one of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their national territories lie along the west coast of Canada and include parts of south east Alaska....
into English.
He lives on Quadra Island
Quadra Island
Quadra Island is an island off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, part of the Discovery Islands. It is separated from Vancouver Island by Discovery Passage, and from Cortes Island by Sutil Channel...
, near Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
(approximately 170 km northwest of 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,...
) with his wife Jan Zwicky
Jan Zwicky
Jan Zwicky is a Canadian philosopher, poet, essayist, and musician.She received her B.A. from the University of Calgary and earned her PhD at the University of Toronto in 1981 where her studies focussed on the philosophy of logic and science...
, a poet and philosopher.
Life
Born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, he was raised in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, and 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...
. Bringhurst studied architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, and comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. He holds a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Indiana University and an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
.
Bringhurst has taught literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
and history of typography
History of typography
Contemporary typographers view typography as craft with a very long history tracing its origins back to the first punches and dies used to make seals and currency in ancient times...
at several universities and held fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ships from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Guggenheim Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
.
Both his poetry and his work on typography have been widely acclaimed, but his translations of the Haida legacy have raised controversy; while his translations have reinvigorated Haida culture and the language, which in 1991 was considered "likely to be lost unless strong efforts are made very quickly to perpetuate them". However, Bringhurst has been criticised by Haida communities and leaders for failing to acknowledge and spend time inside the Haida culture. Bringhurst has been accused of academic exploitation and cultural appropriation. There is also resentment around the covers of his translations because they feature his name rather than the names of the Haida who created the works. This has been perceived by Haida communities as an extensions of the colonial legacy. Traditionally, Haida stories, songs, crests, and other intellectual works are considered more sacred than physical property; it was customary for violators of intellectual property rights to receive corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
.
In 2005, Bringhurst won the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence
Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence
The Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence is administered by the BC Book Prizes and recognizes a writer who has contributed significantly to the development of literary excellence in British Columbia, as well as having written a substantial body of literary work throughout his or her...
which recognizes British Columbia writers who have contributed to the development of literary excellence in the Province.
Poetry
- The Shipwright's Log – 1972
- Cadastre – 1973
- Eight Objects – 1975
- Bergschrund – 1975
- Tzuhalem's Mountain – 1982
- The Beauty of the Weapons: Selected Poems 1972–82 – 1982 (nominated for a Governor General's Award1982 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1982 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*Guy Vanderhaeghe, Man DescendingOther Finalists:...
), 1985 (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
) - Tending the Fire – 1985
- The Blue Roofs of Japan – 1986 (Barbarian Press)
- Pieces of Map, Pieces of Music – 1986, 1987 (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
) - Conversations with a Toad – 1987
- The Calling: Selected Poems 1970–1995 – 1995
- Elements (with drawings by Ulf Nilsen) – 1995
- The Book of Silences – 2001
- Ursa Major – 2003 (shortlisted for the 2004 Dorothy Livesay Poetry PrizeDorothy Livesay Poetry PrizeThe Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, established in 1986, is awarded annually to the best collection of poetry by a resident of British Columbia, Canada.One of the B.C. Book Prizes, the award was originally known as the B.C. Prize for Poetry...
) - New World Suite Number Three: A poem in four movements for three voices – 2006
- Selected Poems – 2009
Prose
- Visions: Contemporary Art in Canada (with Geoffrey JamesGeoffrey JamesGeoffrey James is an author, journalist, and freelance writer. His works have been published in Wired, The New York Times, and ComputerWorld. He has written several books. He lives in New Hampshire. From February 2007 to September of 2011, he wrote a blog about sales for CBS Interactive...
, Russel Keziere & Doris ShadboltDoris ShadboltDoris Shadbolt, OC, née Meisel, was a Canadian art curator, writer and co-ordinator of exhibitions.-References:For details, see http://www.shadboltfoundation.org/founders.html...
) – 1983 - Ocean/Paper/Stone – 1984
- The Raven Steals the Light (with Bill ReidBill ReidWilliam Ronald Reid, OBC was a Canadian artist whose works included jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and painting. His work is featured on the Canadian $20 banknote.-Biography:...
) – 1984 - Shovels, Shoes and the Slow Rotation of Letters – 1986
- The Black Canoe (with photographs by Ulli Steltzer) – 1991
- Boats Is Saintlier than Captains: Thirteen Ways of Looking at Morality, Language, and Design – 1997
- Native American Oral Literatures and the Unity of the Humanities – 1998
- A Short History of the Printed Word (with Warren ChappellWarren ChappellWarren Chappell was an American illustrator, book and type designer, and author.-Education:...
) – 1999 - The Elements of Typographic StyleThe Elements of Typographic StyleThe Elements of Typographic Style is a book by Canadian typographer, poet and translator Robert Bringhurst. Originally published in 1992 by Hartley & Marks Publishers, it was revised in 1996, 2001 , 2002 , 2004 , 2005 , and 2008...
– 1992, revised 1996, 2004, 2005 and 2008 - The Solid Form Of Language: An Essay On Writing And Meaning – 2004
- The Tree of Meaning: Thirteen Lectures 2006
- Everywhere Being is Dancing 2007
- The Surface of Meaning: Books and Book Design in Canada – 2008
Translation
- A trilogy entitled Masterworks of the Classical Haida Mythtellers:
- A Story As Sharp As a Knife: The Classical Haida Mythtellers and Their World – 1999 (nominated for a Governor General's Award2000 Governor General's AwardsThe 2000 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented by Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, and Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman of the Canada Council for the Arts, on November 14 at Rideau Hall.-Fiction:...
) - Nine Visits to the Mythworld – (a reinterpretation of the stories of mythteller Ghandl of the Qayahl Llaanas, as collected in 1900 by John Reed Swanton) – 2000 (shortlisted for the 2001 Canadian Griffin Poetry PrizeGriffin Poetry PrizeThe Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
) - Being in Being: The Collected Works of a Master Haida Mythteller - SkaaySkaaySkaay was a blind, crippled storyteller of the Haida village of Ttanuu born c. 1827 at Qquuna. Skaay could neither read nor write, but his stories of Haida mythology have survived in the form of written transcriptions taken down by John Swanton with the aide of Henry Moody over the winter of 1900...
of the Qquuna Qiighawaay – 2002
- A Story As Sharp As a Knife: The Classical Haida Mythtellers and Their World – 1999 (nominated for a Governor General's Award
- ParmenidesParmenidesParmenides of Elea was an ancient Greek philosopher born in Elea, a Greek city on the southern coast of Italy. He was the founder of the Eleatic school of philosophy. The single known work of Parmenides is a poem, On Nature, which has survived only in fragmentary form. In this poem, Parmenides...
, The Fragments – 2003