David Helwig (April 5, 1938 – October 16, 2018) was a Canadian editor, essayist, memoirist, novelist, poet, short story writer and translator.

Life and career

Helwig was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, where he spent his early childhood years. When he was ten years old, his family moved to

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...

, Ontario, where his father ran a small business repairing and refinishing furniture and buying and selling antiques. He earned a B.A. from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1960, and an M.A. from the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

in 1962. He subsequently taught at Queen's University from 1962 to 1974. While he at Queen's University, he also taught writing classes in Collins Bay Penitentiary. In 1972, he co-wrote ''A Book about Billie'' with an inmate of the prison. In 1971, he founded and was long-time editor of the ''Best Canadian Stories'' anthology series for

Oberon Press Oberon Press is an independent Canadian literary publisher founded in 1966. It focuses mainly on Canadian fiction—particularly short stories—and poetry, but also publishes criticism, history, biography and autobiography. Oberon has published ...

. From 1974 to 1976, he was the literary manager for

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

's drama department. In 1980, he retired from teaching and became a full-time writer. His work includes a series of novels set in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

, known as "The Kingston Novels": ''The Glass Knight'', ''Jennifer'', ''A Sound Like Laughter'', and ''It is Always Summer''. His best known poem, "Considerations", was published in

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

in 1970. His poetry collections have received numerous awards, including the CBC poetry award for ''Catchpenny Poems'' (1983) and the Atlantic Poetry Award for ''The Year One'' (2004). As an adult, Helwig learned Russian and published two books of translations of short stories by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

which included About Love (short story). He lived his later years in

Belfast, Prince Edward Island Belfast is a rural municipality in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is located in southeastern Queens County in the townships of Lot 57 and Lot 58. Situated on the island's south shore along the Northumberland Strait, Belfast is predominant ...

with his wife, Judy Gaudet. His daughter,

Maggie Helwig Maggie Helwig (born 1961) is a Canadian poet, novelist, social justice activist, and Anglican priest. Academic career Her early education was at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Kingston, Ontario, graduating in 1979, then at Trent ...

, is a noted writer and social justice activist in Toronto. In 2007, he received the

Matt Cohen Award The Matt Cohen Award is an award given annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a Canadian writer, in honour of a distinguished lifetime contribution to Canadian literature. First presented in 2000, it was established in memory of Matt Cohen, a ...

from the

Writers' Trust of Canada The Writers' Trust of Canada (french: La Société d'encouragement aux écrivains du Canada) is a registered charity which provides financial support to Canadian writers. Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laure ...

in honor of his lifetime contribution to Canadian literature. On January 23, 2008, he was appointed Prince Edward Island's third Poet Laureate and on July 1, 2009 he was named a Member of the Order of Canada. Helwig died on October 16, 2018, at the age of 80 at a hospital in Montague, Prince Edward Island.

Works by David Helwig

Poetry

* ''Figures in a Landscape'', 1968 * ''The Sign of the Gunman'', 1969 * ''The Best Name of Silence'', 1972 * ''Atlantic Crossings'', 1974 * ''Book of the Hours'', 1979 * ''The Rain Falls Like Rain'', 1982 * ''Catchpenny Poems'', 1983 * ''The Hundred Old Names'', 1989 * ''The Beloved'', 1992 * ''A Random Gospel'', 1996 * ''This Human Day'', 2000 * ''Telling Stories'', 2000 * ''The Year One'', 2004 * ''The Sway of Otherwise'', 2008 * ''Seawrack'', 2013 * ''Keeping Late Hours'', 2015 * ''Sudden and Absolute Stranger'', 2017 * ''A House in Memory: Last Poems'', 2020

Fiction

* ''The Streets of Summer'', 1969 (

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

) * ''The Day Before Tomorrow'', 1971 (titled ''Message from a Spy'' in 1975 printing) * ''The Glass Knight'', 1976 * ''Jennifer'', 1979 * ''The King's Evil'', 1981 * ''It Is Always Summer'', 1982 * ''A Sound Like Laughter'', 1983 * ''The Only Son'', 1984 * ''The Bishop'', 1986 * ''A Postcard from Rome'', 1988 * ''Old Wars'', 1989 * ''Of Desire'', 1990 * ''Blueberry Cliffs'', 1993 (

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

) * ''Just Say the Words'', 1994 * ''Close to the Fire'', 1999 (

) * ''The Time of Her Life'', 2000 * ''The Stand-In'', 2002 (

) * ''Duet'', 2004 (

) * ''Saltsea'', 2006 * ''Smuggling Donkeys'', 2007 (

) * ''Coming Through'', 2007 (three novellas) * ''Mystery Stories'', 2010 (

) * ''Killing McGee'', 2011 (

) * ''Simon Says'', 2012 * ''Clyde'', 2014

Other

* ''A Book About Billie'', 1972 (documentary) (as ''Inside and Out'', 1975) * ''Last Stories of Anton Chekhov'', 1991 (as

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

) * ''The Child of Someone'', 1997 (

essays An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...

) * ''Living Here'', 2001 (

) * ''The Names of Things'', 2006 (

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

) * ''About Love'', 2012 (as

) * ''The Essential Tom Marshall'', 2012 (co-edited with

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, essayist, novelist, editor, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of multiple literary awards such as the Governor General's Award, the Giller P ...

)

References

External links

David HelwigDavid Helwig's
entry in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Helwig, David 1938 births 2018 deaths Canadian male novelists Canadian male poets Members of the Order of Canada 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian poets University of Toronto alumni Writers from Prince Edward Island Writers from Toronto Poets Laureate of places in Canada