News! Quebec has been and continues to be one of the most important centres for English language poetry in Canada. It continues to be a vital centre for the writing and performance of poetry. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for publishing, but there seems to be a renaissance of small, small presses and this bodes well for the future. The scene is large and diverse enough to have its cliques of formalists, experimentalists, spoken word-meisters, and performance poets. It has online and off-line mags and zines. It has poets visiting elementary schools, high schools, and Cegeps through various government-subsidized programs. It has a university creative writing program and Cegep-level creative writing courses. There are a number of ongoing writing workshops, organized and ad-hoc. Reading series are held in cafes, behind yellow doors, in art galleries, bars and parks. Occasionally McGill and Concordia deign to invite local writers.
Of course there are those who believe that only a select few should write poems and that it should be for the “elect”. But we live in a democracy and in a democracy all should be allowed. And as Louis Dudek has said: “There are only two authentic tests of poetry, your own enjoyment of it (for the present) and the test of time.” [1]
By having a lively scene, we are more likely to get some great ones (poems and poets) rising to the top. After all, much compost is needed to grow a single flower. Also, in a multicultural society (which Quebec is, whether the pure laines of language and culture want to admit it or not) variety can only add to the health and vitality of the organism. Inbreeding only results in anemic and incestuous pale imitations of the real thing. It is with this in mind that we are proud to launch P.Q. (Poetry Quebec), Canada’s only online magazine dedicated to English language poetry in Quebec.
Yes, it is ironic that Quebec - 80% French - would be a lively and important centre for English language poetry. Ironic but not surprising, given its history and location. We tend to forget, but P.Q. remembers, that “Montreal was the natural center for literary activity about 1840. The rebellion of 1837 was over, the two Canadas were united politically in 1841, and in December 1838 the Montreal Literary Garland had begun publication.”[2] The quality and tone of the magazine was similar and imitative of New England magazines of the time. But it is not the quality of the Garland that is important to us, it is the fact that it existed and began a long tradition of English language literature in Quebec. This was followed by an anthology, probably the first in Canada, Selections from Canadian Poets (ed. Rev. Edward Hartley Dewart, 1864). And though, by today’s standards, it could be easily dismissed, it had an excellent critical introduction that is still worth looking at.
As its mandate, P.Q. has taken for itself the task of remembering the history of English language poetry in Quebec. This is one reason for its motto: “I remember.” Upcoming issues will feature articles, essays, interviews and poems by and about English language poetry and poets who have lived and produced their work here and whose contributions are worth remembering. If we don’t remember them, who will? And if we don’t remember them, how can we claim to be true Québécois?
The second aspect of our mandate is to present the current crop of English language poets; articles, essays, interviews, reviews and poems by and about them.
The third part of our mandate is to be engaged. We believe that poetry matters when it engages the world locally and globally.
We launch Poetry Quebec with one of the most important writers in Canada— Louis Dudek, (1918-2001) a pioneer of Modernism in Canadian poetry and a dedicated and tireless worker for the dissemination of poetry through his publishing, teaching, essays, reviews and public engagements in current ideas. Dudek was a poet engagé, one who was serious about the role of art/poetry in a self-respecting society. He challenged fellow poets (as well as his society as a whole) to question themselves and their environment. He firmly believed in the importance of the arts and the necessity for artists to have a say and a controlling interest in the means of production. He set an example that many poets in Quebec would do well to follow.
This first issue of Poetry Quebec includes articles and essays about Dudek by Dorothy Livesay, Frank Davey, John Harris and Tony Tremblay as well as an autobiography, essays, reviews, lectures and excerpts from a collection especially selected and ordered by Dudek for a publishing project that evolved into Poetry Quebec before he died.
The Editors would like to thank the following people who helped to make this first issue of Poetry Quebec possible.
Aileen Collins
Sonja A. Skarstedt
Geof Isherwood
Odette Dube
[1] Louis Louis Dudek, Ideas for Poetry, Vehicule Press, 1975, p. 12.
[2] Carl F Klinck, Literary History of Quebec, U. of T. Press, 1965, p.160
