ABSTRACT
DUDEK and GNAROWSKI’s critical anthology, subtitled “Essential Articles on Contemporary Canadian Poetry in English”, has considerable historical importance, given its publication date. The volume includes prefaces and introductions to significant anthologies, manifestos, reviews, and documentary newspaper and magazine articles. Given the dearth of analytic and critical work before this volume was published, their collection is extremely useful for uncovering the origins of a conceptual tradition for Canadian poetry. Besides the contributions of Dudek-an influential figure for Canadian modernism-there are items going back to Arthur Stringer early in the twentieth century, and extending to writers like George Bowering, Eli Mandel, and Al Purdy, all relatively unknown when the volume appeared. Lack of an index and the presence of an apparatus that makes locating the items’ sources and dates difficult somewhat detract from this anthology’s usefulness.
