''Northern Review'' was a

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

-based

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

published in

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between 1945 and 1956. It resulted from the merger between two earlier magazines, ''

Preview Preview may refer to: Theatre, film, television * Preview (subscription service), an early subscription television service in the United States * Preview (theatre), a public performance of a theatrical show before the official opening * Previe ...

'' and ''

First Statement ''First Statement'' was a Canadian literary magazine published in Montreal, Quebec from 1942 to 1945. During its short life the magazine, along with its rival publication ''Preview'' with which it often shared contributors, provided one of the few ...

'', both of which were also Montreal-based. Poet and literary critic John Sutherland, who founded ''First Statement'', became the

managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edit ...

of ''Northern Review''. A number of well-known Canadian writers, including Patrick Anderson, A. M. Klein, Irving Layton,

P. K. Page Patricia Kathleen Page, (23 November 1916 – 14 January 2010) was a British-born Canadian poet,Peter ScowenP.K. Page dies at age 93 ''The Globe and Mail'', 14 January 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010. though the citation as she was inducted as a ...

F. R. Scott Francis Reginald Scott (1899–1985), commonly known as Frank Scott or F. R. Scott, was a lawyer, Canadian poet, intellectual, and constitutional scholar. He helped found the first Canadian social democratic party, the Co-operative Commonwe ...

, and A. J. M. Smith also served as

editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

for various periods. In 1947, Sutherland's scathing review of Robert Finch's

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-winning book, ''Poems'', caused all of the latter-named editors, with the exception of Layton, to resign from the magazine's editorial board. Finch was a generally respected writer at the time who had co-published with Klein, Scott, and Smith in the 1936

poetry anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

'' New Provinces'', so Sutherland's denouncement of Finch hit a sore spot with his elder colleagues. In spite of the controversy, ''Northern Review'' was the most significant Canadian literary magazine of its day, providing a forum for new Canadian poets with an ear for

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, a mode toward which many longer-established and conservative magazines, such as '' Canadian Poetry Magazine'', were reluctant. ''Northern Review'' was also an important source for Canadian literary criticism, at a time when few critics, including Canadian ones, regarded

Canadian literature Canadian literature is the literature of a multicultural country, written in languages including Canadian English, Canadian French, Indigenous languages, and many others such as Canadian Gaelic. Influences on Canadian writers are broad both g ...

as a distinctive and worthwhile body of achievement. For all his irreverence and bluster, Sutherland distinguished himself as a perceptive voice for literary development in Canada, as did many others who contributed articles to the magazine. By the late 1940s, Sutherland had established a small press called First Statement Press as a sideline to regular issues of ''Northern Review''. Layton's first book, '' Now is the Place'' (1948), was among a handful of significant books published by the press, although Layton himself left the editorial board of ''Northern Review'' that same year. The Sutherland-edited ''Other Canadians: An Anthology of New Poetry in Canada, 1940-46'', the first major collection devoted exclusively to modern Canadian poetry, was also issued by First Statement Press. Sutherland converted to

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in the early 1950s, and as a result ''Northern Review'' became more

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

in its editorial vision. Although ''Northern Review'' appeared destined for the more mainstream status and wider readership enjoyed by other Canadian magazines such as ''

Canadian Forum The ''Canadian Forum'' was a literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine (1920–2000). History and profile ''Canadian Forum'' was founded on 14 May 1920 at the University of T ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'', Sutherland's early death from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1956 put an end to ''Northern Review''. In total, forty issues of the magazine were published, enough to make it a relative success story in an era of short-lived Canadian periodicals.

References

*Dudek, Louis, and Michael Gnarowski, eds. ''The Making of Modern Poetry in Canada''. Toronto: Ryerson, 1967. *"Northern Review". Entry in ''The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature''. Ed. William Toye. Oxford University Press, 1983. *Sutherland, John. ''Essays, Controversies and Poems''. Ed. Miriam Waddington. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart (NCL), 1972. {{italic title 1945 establishments in Quebec 1956 disestablishments in Quebec Poetry magazines published in Canada Conservative magazines published in Canada Defunct literary magazines published in Canada Magazines established in 1945 Magazines disestablished in 1956 Magazines published in Montreal