George Benson Johnston (October 7, 1913 – August 2004) was a Canadian poet, translator, and academic "best known for lyric poetry that delineates with good-humoured wisdom the pleasures and pains of suburban family life."James Steele,
Johnston, George Benson
," ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (Edmonton: Hurtig, 1988), 1114. He also had an international reputation as a scholar and translator of the Icelandic Sagas.

Life

Johnston was born in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

, in 1913, the son of Margaret Black and Benson Johnston, an insurance agent. The family moved to the

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 anch ...

suburbs in 1923. Johnston knew in high school that he wanted to be a writer.George (Benson) Johnston Biography
" ''Dictionary of Literary Biography'', Bookrags.com, Web, May 4, 2011. He studied at 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 ...

under

Pelham Edgar Oscar Pelham Edgar (17 March 1871 – 7 October 1948) was a Canadian teacher. He was a full professor and head of the Department of English at the Victoria College, Toronto from 1910 to 1938. He wrote many articles and several monographs on Eng ...

and E. J. Pratt.William H. New,
Johnston, George Benson
" ''Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada'' (Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2002), 555-556. Google Books, Web, May 4, 2011. There he "read

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National B ...

, the early

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

, Ezra Pound, and added

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

as a personal favorite." In 1935 he published two poems, "Annabelle" and "The Life in August," in the college magazine, ''

Acta Victoriana ''Acta Victoriana'' is the literary journal of Victoria University, Toronto. It was founded in May 1878 and is the oldest continuous university publication in Canada; its 140th volume was published in 2016. It is published twice a year. Though ori ...

''. Johnston received his

B.A. 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 yea ...

in 1936, and went to Europe. He stayed in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, continuing to write. He published a story in the ''London Mercury'' in 1937. He soon returned to Canada, but continued to send his work to British magazines. Johnston served as a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

pilot in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, serving in Canada,

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, and

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

. In 1944 he married Jeanne McCrae; their family would include six children, five by birth and one by adoption. After the war Johnston returned to the University of Toronto, receiving his

M.A. 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. Tho ...

in 1946 under the direction of

Northrop Frye Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Frye gained international fame with his first book, '' Fearful Symm ...

. He taught at Mount Allison University from 1947 to 1949.HISTOIRE ADMINISTRATIVE/NOTICE BIOGRAPHIQUE
", George Johnston fonds, ArchivesCanada.ca, Web, May 4, 2011. In 1950 Johnston joined the English department at Carleton College in Ottawa (now

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

), where he taught until retirement in 1979. Johnston learned

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

from

Peter Foote Peter Godfrey Foote (26 May 1924 – 29 September 2009) was a scholar of Old Norse literature and Scandinavian studies. He inaugurated the Department of Scandinavian Studies at University College London, and headed it for 20 years. Early life a ...

of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, and in 1957 began translating Norse sagas. His first effort, ''The Saga of Gisli'', appeared in 1963; it is still in print. Seven of its poems were included in ''The Oxford Book of Verse in English Translation'', edited by

Charles Tomlinson Alfred Charles Tomlinson, CBE (8 January 1927 – 22 August 2015) was an English poet, translator, academic, and illustrator. He was born in Penkhull, and grew up in Basford, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Life After attending Longton High Sc ...

. Johnston has made a dozen translations from Old and Modern Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, and Faeroese. He has translated two books of poetry by Norwegian poet

Knut Ødegård Knut Ødegård (born 6 November 1945) is a Norwegian poet. Biography Born in 1945 in Molde, Norway, Ødegård made his poetic debut in 1967.''(Norwegian)'' http://www.cappelendamm.no/main/katalog.aspx?f=7543 Since then he has published mor ...

. In 1959 Johnston published his first book of his own poetry, ''The Cruising Auk'', which was favourably reviewed by

Eric Nicol Eric Patrick Nicol (December 28, 1919 – February 2, 2011) was a Canadian writer, best known as a longtime humour columnist for the Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper ''The Province''. He also published over 40 books, both original works a ...

and Northrop Frye, and by the American magazine ''Alphabet''. ''Alphabet'', Chicago's ''

Poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

'' magazine, and Canada's '' Tamarack Review'', all became regular outlets for Johnson's new work. He composed a biography of his friend, the painte
Carl Fellman Schaefer
. After retiring, Johnston moved to Athelstan, in South-western Quebec , to raise bees and continue to write.

Writing

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 ...

'' calls Johnston "best known for lyric poetry that delineates with good-humoured wisdom the pleasures and pains of suburban family life." The ''Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada'' says that his books "contain witty and domestic satires" which "hint at uncertainty and vulnerability as well." Northrop Frye called ''The Cruising Auk'' "a beautifully unified book, the apparently casual poems carrying the reader along from the first poem to the last in a voyage of self-discovery." He added :"Johnston is an irresistibly readable and quotable poet. His finest technical achievement, I think, apart from his faultless sense of timing, is his ability to incorporate the language of the suburbs into his own diction."Northrop Frye,
Letters in Canada - 1959
, ''The Bush Garden'' (Toronto: Anansi, 1971.), 108. Johnston's work features a recurring persona, Edward, forever on the verge of drowning.

Recognition

Johnston has received honorary degrees from Queen's University and Carleton University. An issue of ''Malahat Review'' (78, March 1987) was devoted to him. Writing in ''Canadian Poetry'' in 1992, W.J. Keith called "attention to the unfortunate — one is tempted to say scandalous — neglect" of Johnston's poetry by critics and anthologists "in the last twenty years or so."W.J. Keith,
The Later Poetry of George Johnston
," ''Canadian Poetry: Studies/Documents/Reviews'' No. 31 (Fall/Winter 1992), UWO, Web, May 5, 2011. A ''

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'', ''The Old Enchanter: A Portrait of George Johnston'', was published in 1999.

Publications

Poetry

*''The Cruising Auk''. Toronto, Oxford U P,

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

. *''Home Free''. Toronto: Oxford, 1966. *''Happy Enough: Poems 1935-72''. Toronto: Oxford,

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

. *''Taking a Grip: Poems 1971-78''. Ottawa: Golden Dog, 1978. *''Auk Redivivus: Selected Poems''. Ottawa: Golden Dog,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. *''Ask Again''. Moonbeam, ON: Penumbra,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. *''Endeared by Dark: The Collected Poems''. (

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

). *''What is to Come: Selected and New Poems''. Toronto, ON: The Saint Thomas Poetry Series, 1996.

Prose

*''On Translation - II''. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, U College, 1961.Search results: George Johnston
Open Library, Web, May 12, 2011. *''Carl: Portrait of a Painter'' (1986)

Translated

*''The Saga of Gisli the Outlaw'' (1963. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1999. *''The Faroe Islanders' Saga'' (1975) *''The Greenlanders' Saga'' (1976) *''Rocky Shores: An Anthology of Faroese Poetry''. (Pastoral Investigation of Social Trends: Working Paper). Wilfion Books, 1981. *''Wind over Romsdale: Poems by Knut Ødegård''. Moonbeam, ON: Penumbra P, 1982. *''Bee-Buzz, Salmon Leap'' (1989), more poetry of Knut Ødegård. Moonbeam, ON: Penumbra P, 1988.Search results: Knut Ødegård
Open Library, Web, May 12, 2011.

Edited

*''The Collected Poems of George Whalley''. Kingston, ON: Quarry P, 1986.Search results: George Whalley
Open Library, Web, May 12, 2011. , Except where noted, bibliographic information courtesy ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''.

References

External links

George Benson Johnston
in the ''

''.
The Later Poetry of George Johnston
discussed in

'. {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, George Benson 1913 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Canadian modernist poets Academic staff of Carleton University Writers from Hamilton, Ontario University of Toronto alumni 20th-century Canadian male writers Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II Canadian World War II pilots