Elizabeth Winifred Brewster, (26 August 1922 – 26 December 2012) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

poet, author, and academic.

Biography

Born in the logging village of Chipman,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Brewster was the youngest of Frederick John and Ethel May (Day) Brewster's five children. The family was of limited means, and although she was a physically frail child with a sporadic early education, Brewster was a keen reader of any material that presented itself, including literary classics and the Eatons catalogue. Her first poem, submitted by her father and accepted by the Saint John ''

Telegraph-Journal The ''Telegraph-Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It serves as both a provincial daily and as a local newspaper for Saint John. The newspaper is published by Brunswick News. The ''Telegraph-Journal'' ...

'', was published when she was twelve years old. After she graduated from high school in 1942, Brewster entered the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Ameri ...

on an entrance scholarship. She received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1946, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

from Harvard's Radcliffe College in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

in 1947, then began her PhD at Indiana University, before electing to travel to England on a Beaverbrook overseas scholarship to study at King's College, London from 1949-50. She later earned a Bachelor of Library Science from the

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

, then returned in 1957 to

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...

to complete her PhD on the work of English poet

George Crabbe George Crabbe ( ; 24 December 1754 – 3 February 1832) was an English poet, surgeon and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people. In the 177 ...

and graduated in 1962. She was a professor at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, where she taught literature and creative writing from 1972 until she retired in 1990. A founding member in 1945 of the Canadian literary journal '' The Fiddlehead'', Brewster went on to publish over twenty collections of her poetry, five books of fiction, and two memoirs. Over the course of her long career, she was a recipient of the E.J. Pratt Award for poems from her second book ''Lillooet'', the Saskatchewan Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, an honorary doctorate from the University of New Brunswick, the 2003 Saskatchewan Book Award for Poetry, a

Saskatchewan Order of Merit The Saskatchewan Order of Merit (french: Ordre du Mérite de la Saskatchewan) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet u ...

in 2008, and the

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

, and several other honours. Her poetry collection ''Footnotes to the Book of Job'' was shortlisted for the 1996

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual List of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. Th ...

, and in 2001, she was inducted as a Member into the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

, Canada's highest civilian honour.

Selected bibliography

Poetry

* ''East Coast''. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1951. * ''Lillooet'' (with art by JEH MacDonald and

Thoreau MacDonald Thoreau MacDonald (April 21, 1901 at Toronto, Ontario – May 30, 1989 at Toronto) was a Canadian illustrator, graphic and book designer, and artist. Career MacDonald was the son of Group of Seven member J. E. H. MacDonald. He was self-taught, ...

). Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1954. * ''Roads, and Other Poems''. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1957. * ''Passage of Summer: Selected Poems''. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1969. * ''Sunrise North''. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin & Company, 1972. * ''In Search of Eros''. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1974. * ''Sometimes I Think of Moving''. Ottawa:

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 ...

, 1977. * ''The Way Home''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1982. * ''Digging In''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1982. * ''Selected Poems, 1944-1977 & 1977-1984'' (2 volumes). Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1985. * ''Entertaining Angels''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1988. * ''Spring Again''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1990. Finalist for the 1991 Pat Lowther Award. * ''Wheel of Change''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1993. * ''Footnotes to the Book of Job''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1995. Finalist for the 1996 Governor General's Award. * ''Garden of Sculpture''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1998. * ''Burning Bush''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2000. * ''Jacob's Dream''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2002. Winner of the 2003 Saskatchewan Book Award. * ''Collected Poems of Elizabeth Brewster 1''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2003. * ''Collected Poems of Elizabeth Brewster 2''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2004. * ''Bright Centre''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2005. * ''Time and Seasons''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2009. * ''The Essential Elizabeth Brewster - poems'', ed. Ingrid Ruthig. Erin:

The Porcupine's Quill The Porcupine's Quill is an independent publishing company in Erin, Ontario, Canada. The Porcupine's Quill publishes contemporary Canadian literature, including poetry, fiction, art and literary criticism. It is owned and operated by Tim and Elke ...

, 2021

Prose

* ''The Sisters''. (novel) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1974. * ''It's Easy to Fall on the Ice''. (stories) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1977. * ''Junction''. (novel) Windsor: Black Moss Press, 1982. * ''A House Full of Women''. (stories) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1983. * ''Visitations''. (stories) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1987. * ''The Invention of Truth''. (memoir) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1991. * ''Away from Home''. (memoir) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1995.

Anthologies

* ''The Oxford Book of Canadian Verse'', ed. A.J.M. Smith. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1960. * ''Five New Brunswick Poets: Elizabeth Brewster,

Fred Cogswell Fred Cogswell CM (November 8, 1917 – June 20, 2004) was a Canadian poet. Life and career Born in East Centreville, New Brunswick he served overseas in the Canadian Army during the Second World War. A teacher at the age of sixteen, Cogswell gai ...

, Robert Gibbs, Alden Nowlan, Kay Smith'', ed. Fred Cogswell. Fredericton: University of New Brunswick, 1962. * ''The Penguin Book of Canadian Verse'', second revised edition, ed. Ralph Gustafson. Penguin Books, 1958, 1967, 1975. * ''Selections from Major Canadian Writers'', ed. Desmond Pacey. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1974. * ''Celebrating Canadian Women: Prose and Poetry By and About Women'', ed. Greta Hofmann Nemiroff. Markham: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1984. * ''Choice Atlantic : Writers of Newfoundland and the Maritimes'', ed. Elaine Crocker, Eric Norman, and Michael Nowlan. St. John's: Breakwater, 1990. * ''A Matter of Spirit: Recovery of the Sacred in Contemporary Canadian Poetry'', ed. Susan McCaslin. Victoria: Ekstasis Editions, 1998. * ''Coastlines: The Poetry of Atlantic Canada'', ed. Anne Compton, Laurence Hutchman, Ross Leckie, and Robin McGrath. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2002. * ''Canadian Poetry 1920 to 1960'', ed. Brian Trehearne. Toronto:

McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. ...

, 2010.

Musical settings of poems by Elizabeth Brewster

* ''Winter flowers'': for alto soloist, chorus & orchestra. Music by

Nancy Telfer Nancy Telfer (born Lindsey) (born 8 May 1950) is a Canadian choral conductor, music educator and composer. Biography Nancy Ellen Telfer was born in Brampton, Ontario. She began piano lessons at age six and later played French horn in bands, orchest ...

, c.1980, words by Elizabeth Brewster. * ''The Ballad of Princess Caraboo'': a narrative of singular imposition for mezzo-soprano and piano. Music by Nancy Telfer, words by Elizabeth Brewster. F. Harris Music, c.1983.

References

External links

* Archives of Elizabeth Brewste
(Elizabeth Brewster fonds, R931)
are held at Library and Archives Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Brewster, Elizabeth 1922 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian women poets Radcliffe College alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni Members of the Order of Canada People from Queens County, New Brunswick University of New Brunswick alumni University of Saskatchewan faculty University of Toronto alumni Canadian people of German descent Converts to Judaism Jewish Canadian writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers