Language Acts: Anglo-Québec Poetry, 1976 to the 21st Century

Introduction

Language Acts brings together twenty provocative essays on the state of English-language poetry in Québec since 1976. Born and raised during this historically resonant period of Trudeauism, organized Québecois nationalism, language legislation, and profound demographic and cultural change, Anglo-Québec poetry has come of age in the 21st century as a literature with its own distinct arguments about itself, and its own poetical acts in language. Language Acts features essays on many important, even canonical, figures such as Robert Allen, Anne Carson, Leonard Cohen, Louis Dudek, D.G. Jones, Irving Layton, Michael Harris, Erin Mouré, David McGimpsey, Robyn Sarah, and Peter Van Toorn, and on a wide range of poetry activities including those of the Véhicule Poets and the Montreal Spoken Word scene.  It includes Norman Ravvin's essay "Imaginary Traditions: Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen and the Rest of the Montreal Poets."  This is the first critical collection of its kind to appear in over forty years and will set the terms used to discuss English language poetry in Québec for years to come.

About the editors

Jason Camlot is the author of two collections of poetry, The Animal Library and Attention All Typewriters.  His poems and critical essays have appeared widely in journals and anthologies including New American Writing, Postmodern Culture and English Literary History.  He received his Ph.D. from Stanford and is Associate Professor of English at Concordia University.

Todd Swift is the author of three critically acclaimed poetry collections, Budavox, Café Alibi, and Rue du Regard. He is the editor of Poetry Nation, 100 Poets Against the War, and Babylon Burning. Since 2004, he has been the Oxfam GB Poet in Residence. Born in Montreal, Swift lives in London, England.

How to order

Published by Véhicule Press
www.vehiculepress.com

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