Elmer E. 'Al' Reimer (1927–2015) was a

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

writer from

Steinbach, Manitoba Steinbach () is the List of cities in Manitoba, third-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada, and with a population of 17,806, the largest community in the Eastman Region, Manitoba, Eastman region. The city, located about southeast of ...

. Reimer was an important literary critic and writer in the emergence of southern Manitoba Mennonite literature during the 1970s and 80s. Born in Landmark, Manitoba, Reimer grew up in Steinbach and received his PhD at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. He taught English literature at

University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW, or U of W) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate progra ...

for many years. Influenced by fellow Steinbach resident Arnold Dyck, when the new wave of Mennonite literature, such as

Rudy Wiebe Rudy Henry Wiebe (born 4 October 1934) is a Canadian author and professor emeritus in the department of English at the University of Alberta since 1992.

and Patrick Friesen, emerged in the 1970s, Reimer wrote and edited for publications such as the ''Mennonite Mirror'' and the ''Journal of Mennonite Studies'', offering important literary analysis of Mennonite writing. He also wrote his own fiction, including the 1985 novel ''My Harp is Turned to Mourning'', the short story collection ''When War Came To Kleindarp and other Kleindarp Stories'' in 2008, and Low German collaborations with Jack Thiessen. Reimer was also a noted translator of German and

Plautdietsch Plautdietsch () or Mennonite Low German is a Low Prussian dialect of East Low German with Dutch influence that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia. The word ''Plautdietsch'' translates to "fl ...

language texts, including Dietrich Neufeld's ''A Russian Dance of Death'' and Hans Harder's ''No Strangers in Exile'', both published by Hyperion Press. Reimer died in 2015.

References

1927 births 2015 deaths Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists Mennonite writers Canadian Mennonites Writers from Steinbach, Manitoba Academic staff of University of Winnipeg {{canada-writer-stub