Book Launch: Nicholas Bradley's New Book Celebrates the Friendship of Two Great Canadian Poets

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Thursday, June 26th, 2014
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM

Join editor Nicholas Bradley as he introduces We Go Far Back in Time: The Letters of Earle Birney and Al Purdy, 1947-1987. Refreshments will be served. Bradley will personalize copies of his book at the event.

In We Go Far Back In Time: The Letters of Earle Birney and Al Purdy, 1947-1987, editor Nicholas Bradley has skillfully sifted through hundreds of personal letters to find new insights on these literary icons. As master craftsmen of words, Birney and Purdy�s letters are literary treasures in their own right, not just because of its eloquence and humour but also for its historic value. We Go Far Back in Time is an important addition to the literary landscape for their portrait of the mid-twentieth century as well as its observations of the ever-evolving business of writing and publishing. The letters, in Bradley's opinion, are vital reading for anyone who is interested in the poetry and in the establishment of what today we recognize as Canadian literature.

Alfred Purdy (1918 - 2000) is often considered to be Canada�s �unofficial poet laureate� for his writing career that lasted almost sixty years and includes 39 books of poetry, two memoirs, a novel, and four books of correspondence in addition to his posthumous works.

Earle Birney (1904 - 1995) is a celebrated Canadian poet and novelist who wrote 22 books of poetry in addition to plays, works of fiction and non-fiction and audio recordings, and received the Governor General�s Award twice for his poetry.

Nicholas Bradley is an associate professor in the Department of English at the University of Victoria. He has published numerous critical essays and reviews, including Essays on Canadian Writing, Canadian Poetry, Canadian Literature, The Malahat Review and the afterword for The Collected Poems of Patrick Lane (Harbour, 2011).

For more information about the book launch event, please contact Sarah Rankin, Special Events & Marketing at the University of Victoria by telephone 250-721-8311 or email [email protected].