Beyond Remembering: The Collected Poems of Al Purdy

by Al Purdy, Sam Solecki (Editor), Margaret Atwood (Foreword by)

By the time Al Purdy succumbed to lung cancer at his waterfront home in Sidney BC on April 21, 2000, he was universally acknowledged to be one of the greatest writers Canada has produced. In five decades as a published author he had produced over forty books and received innumerable distinctions, including two Governor General's Awards and the Order of Canada. A hands-on writer who delighted in co-producing specialty publications and small press titles in addition to his major collections with leading publishers, Purdy left a massive and diverse body of work, much of it long unavailable to the public.

The Collected Poems , edited by Purdy critic Sam Solecki with the full participation of the author, for the first time brings all of Purdy's poetic writings together in one volume, including all his later books, work previously uncollected from earlier periods as well as several excellent new poems he completed in the months before his death. It is, as he said, everything he wished to be remembered for.

Genres: Poetry

608 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Alfred Wellington Purdy was one of the most popular and important Canadian poets of the 20th century. Purdy's writing career spanned more than fifty years. His works include over thirty books of poetry; a novel; two volumes of memoirs and four books of correspondence. He has been called the nation's "unofficial poet laureate".

Born in Wooler, Ontario Purdy went to Albert College in Belleville, Ontario, and Trenton Collegiate Institute in Trenton, Ontario. He dropped out of school at 17 and rode the rails west to Vancouver. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Following the war, he worked in various jobs until the 1960s, when he was finally able to support himself as a writer, editor and poet.

Honours and awards Purdy received include the Order of Canada (O.C.) in 1982, the Order of Ontario in 1987, and the Governor General's Award, in 1965 for his collection The Cariboo Horses, and again in 1986 for The Collected Poems of Al Purdy. The League of Canadian Poets gave Purdy the Voice of the Land Award, a special award created by the League to honour his unique contribution to Canada.

Al Purdy died in North Saanich, B.C., on April 21, 2000. His final collection of poetry, Beyond Remembering: The Collected Poems of Al Purdy, was released posthumously in the fall of 2000.

On May 20, 2008, a large bronze statue of Purdy was unveiled in Queen's Park in downtown Toronto.

Reviews

[W.D. Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Just a quick place-holding not-even-a review]
Such a Canadian hero that there was a successful campaign to preserve and restore his outhouse! If you ask me about CanLit, I won't get all Atwoody or Ondaatjesque, but I am purdy Purdyish. A Purdysan, moi. Checkez-ça.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the older edition and had a hardcover signed by him from one of his readings, the dust jacket I've kept. He kept calling me Hannah and scribbling out his mistakes - a bit odd and funny except I didn't laugh. I don't read poetry very much these days; he's one of the Canadian-esq giants out there if it's your thing.

[Ian Carpenter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think I'm alone on this one but I didn't find much to like here. I might have spent too much time with his earlier poems but I guess he's just not for me.

[Stu Camenzind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a couple of his single volumes, this collection is a treat. Al Purdy speaks.

[Fredo G.]

The Dead Poet

[Megan Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

the collected works of Al Purdy - a legendary canadian poet who died in 2002 - i haven’t actually read this whole book yet. Purdy is my favourite canadian poet, and his works are redolent of the land, culture and politics of bc and the north particularly (although he was born in ontario, he spent much of his life in the west). two of his works that have moved me particularly are “say the names? and “trees at the arctic circle? - which a