Tim Lilburn
Encyclopedia
Tim Lilburn is a Canadian poet
and essayist. He is the author of several critically acclaimed collections of poetry, including Kill-site, To the River, Moosewood Sandhills and his latest work Going Home. Successful even in the early stages of his career, Lilburn's second work, Tourist To Ecstasy, was shortlisted for the Governor's General's Award but failed to win.
Lilburn's first actual glimpse of national approval came in 1995, upon receiving the Canadian Authors Association Award for his work on Moosewood Sandhills. In 2002, Lilburn's Living in the World as if it Were Home became the winner of the Saskatchewan Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award and was a finalist for the Saskatoon Book Award. Eventually, Lilburn went on to win the Governor General's Award
in 2003 for his book Kill-site. Lilburn's work, although primarily directed towards a Canadian audience, has received global recognition and numerous volumes of his work can be found translated in Chinese, Serbian, German and Polish. He currently teaches writing at the University of Victoria
in British Columbia, Canada. In addition to writing his own work, Lilburn is the editor of, and a contributor to, two influential essay collections on poetics, Poetry and Knowing and Thinking and Singing: Poetry and the Practice of Philosophy.
Lilburn is a judge for the 2011 Griffin Poetry Prize
.
, Saskatchewan
. He obtained a B.A. from the University of Regina, a Master's Degree
in Philosophy
from Gonzaga University
, and his PhD
from McMaster University
.
One of Lilburn's earlier works, Moosewood Sandhills is a collection of poetry that intuits a strong sense of locality that is both metaphysical and physical. With due reference to his prairie birthplace, Saskatchewan, Lilburn struggles to find a connection with the desolate world that surrounds him. In an interview with Peter Gzowski on Morningside, Lilburn reveals that he found the sandhills "initially repellent, and too sparse, and yielding," but that the place "completely claimed my imagination, claimed my vision, claimed my love". Lilburn's poetry in Moosewood Sandhills seemingly becomes intertwined with Robert Frost's iconic image of the deer amongst nature, but Lilburn separates himself from Frost's work by taking observance from a different perspective. In Lilburn's poems, lying down seems to encourage kinds of patience and contact unlike those found through that favourite, more familiar activity of nature poets, walking.
To The River -
Written at the mid-point of Lilburn's career, To The River follows Lilburn as he returns to the banks of the South Saskatchewan River. Following thematically from Moosewood Sandhills, Lilburn describes his various stages of contemplation in the presence of a particular landscape. Lilburn's writing discusses the strangeness of the inhabitants of the riverscape and contrasts it with his acute familiarity with his local surroundings: willow, geese, river ice, coyote and snowberry.
Going Home -
Lilburn continues to explore his previous preoccupations from Living in the World as if Were Home, a book dealing primarily with both ecology and desire. Here Lilburn returns once again to Saskatchewan: "I realized that at forty, although I had been probed by many psychologists, spent eight years in Jesuit formation, read many books, I had done nothing to educate myself to be someone who could live with facility, familiarity, where he was born." He goes on to philosophize about this experience: "We need to find our way to take the place in our mouth; we must re-say our past in such a way that it will gather us here." Lilburn's explorations of his surroundings has clearly helped him to learn to be at home with his world.
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 essayist. He is the author of several critically acclaimed collections of poetry, including Kill-site, To the River, Moosewood Sandhills and his latest work Going Home. Successful even in the early stages of his career, Lilburn's second work, Tourist To Ecstasy, was shortlisted for the Governor's General's Award but failed to win.
Lilburn's first actual glimpse of national approval came in 1995, upon receiving the Canadian Authors Association Award for his work on Moosewood Sandhills. In 2002, Lilburn's Living in the World as if it Were Home became the winner of the Saskatchewan Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award and was a finalist for the Saskatoon Book Award. Eventually, Lilburn went on to win the Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award for English language poetry
This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Awards award for English-language poetry. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English language poetry or drama was divided.-1980s:...
in 2003 for his book Kill-site. Lilburn's work, although primarily directed towards a Canadian audience, has received global recognition and numerous volumes of his work can be found translated in Chinese, Serbian, German and Polish. He currently teaches writing at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
in British Columbia, Canada. In addition to writing his own work, Lilburn is the editor of, and a contributor to, two influential essay collections on poetics, Poetry and Knowing and Thinking and Singing: Poetry and the Practice of Philosophy.
Lilburn is a judge for the 2011 Griffin Poetry Prize
Griffin Poetry Prize
The 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....
.
Early years
Lilburn was born in ReginaRegina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. He obtained a B.A. from the University of Regina, a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 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...
from Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
, and his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
.
Later years
During the writing of Orphic Politics in 2006, Lilburn's health began to deteriorate. After contracting an auto-immune condition that made walking difficult, he became ill and was hospitalized. Lilburn subsequently underwent a number of surgeries over a two-year period. When interviewed about the experience, Lilburn described his experience as "living in the land of the ill."Tim Lilburn & The Environment
Moosewood Sandhills -One of Lilburn's earlier works, Moosewood Sandhills is a collection of poetry that intuits a strong sense of locality that is both metaphysical and physical. With due reference to his prairie birthplace, Saskatchewan, Lilburn struggles to find a connection with the desolate world that surrounds him. In an interview with Peter Gzowski on Morningside, Lilburn reveals that he found the sandhills "initially repellent, and too sparse, and yielding," but that the place "completely claimed my imagination, claimed my vision, claimed my love". Lilburn's poetry in Moosewood Sandhills seemingly becomes intertwined with Robert Frost's iconic image of the deer amongst nature, but Lilburn separates himself from Frost's work by taking observance from a different perspective. In Lilburn's poems, lying down seems to encourage kinds of patience and contact unlike those found through that favourite, more familiar activity of nature poets, walking.
To The River -
Written at the mid-point of Lilburn's career, To The River follows Lilburn as he returns to the banks of the South Saskatchewan River. Following thematically from Moosewood Sandhills, Lilburn describes his various stages of contemplation in the presence of a particular landscape. Lilburn's writing discusses the strangeness of the inhabitants of the riverscape and contrasts it with his acute familiarity with his local surroundings: willow, geese, river ice, coyote and snowberry.
Going Home -
Lilburn continues to explore his previous preoccupations from Living in the World as if Were Home, a book dealing primarily with both ecology and desire. Here Lilburn returns once again to Saskatchewan: "I realized that at forty, although I had been probed by many psychologists, spent eight years in Jesuit formation, read many books, I had done nothing to educate myself to be someone who could live with facility, familiarity, where he was born." He goes on to philosophize about this experience: "We need to find our way to take the place in our mouth; we must re-say our past in such a way that it will gather us here." Lilburn's explorations of his surroundings has clearly helped him to learn to be at home with his world.