E. B. Merrit
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Miriam Waddington (née Dworkin; 23 December 1917 – 3 March 2004) was a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
,
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
writer and
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
. She was part of a Montreal literary circle that included
F. R. Scott Francis Reginald Scott (1899–1985), commonly known as Frank Scott or F. R. Scott, was a lawyer, Canadian poet, intellectual, and constitutional scholar. He helped found the first Canadian social democratic party, the Co-operative Commonw ...
,
Irving Layton Irving Peter Layton, OC (March 12, 1912 – January 4, 2006) was a Romanian-born Canadian poet. He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made him enemies. As T. Jacobs notes in his biography (2001 ...
and
Louis Dudek Louis Dudek, (February 6, 1918 – March 23, 2001) was a Canadian poet, academic, and publisher known for his role in defining Modernism in poetry, and for his literary criticism. He was the author of over two dozen books. In ''A Digital Hist ...
.


Biography

Miriam Waddington was born in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
,
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
, she studied English at the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
(B.A. 1939) and social work at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
(M.A.). She worked for many years as a
social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Quebec. She later relocated to the then
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
suburb of
North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...
, where she worked for North York Family Services. In 1964, she joined the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
department at
York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
. She retired in 1983. She died in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada on 3 March 2004 after suffering a stroke in late February. After her death, much of her own works and personal library were donated by her sons to the archives of
Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...
in
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...
, British Columbia. The donation was a significant and appreciated endowment. Her archival fonds is held at
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...
in
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
.


Honours

Miriam Waddington was awarded Borestone Mountain Awards for best poetry in 1963, 1966, and 1974. She received the J.J. Segal Award in 1972. She was the Canada Council Exchange Poet to Wales in 1980, and served as writer-in-residence at the
Windsor Public Library Windsor Public Library is a public library system in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It has ten branches and serves the city of Windsor through Children's, Young Adult, and Adult programs, services and collections. The central branch is located at the ...
and at the
University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...
. Waddington received honorary doctorates from
Lakehead University Lakehead University is a public research university with campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate programs, gradua ...
in 1975 and
York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
in 1985.Miriam Waddington
", League of Canadian Poets, Poets.ca, Web, 13 April 2011
Her poem "Jacques Cartier in Toronto" is featured on the back of the Canadian $100 bill released in 2004.


Bibliography


Poetry

*''Green World''. Montreal: First Statement, 1945. *''The Second Silence''. Toronto: Ryerson, 1955. *''The Season's Lovers''. Toronto: Ryerson, 1958. *''Four Poems''. n.p.: n.p., 196-? *''The Glass Trumpet''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1966. *''Flying with Milton.'' Santa Barbara, Calif.: Unicorn Press, 1969. *''Say Yes''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1969. *''Dream Telescope.'' London: Anvil Press Poetry, 1972. *''Driving Home: Poems New and Selected.'' Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1972. *''The Price of Gold''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1976. *''Mister Never''. Winnipeg: Turnstone Press, 1978. *''The Visitants''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1981. *''Collected Poems''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1986. *''The Last Landscape''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1992. *''Canada: Romancing the Land'' - 1996 *''Advice to the Young''


Fiction

*''Summer at Lonely Beach and Other Stories''. Oakville, ON: Mosaic Press, 1982.


Non-fiction

*''A.M. Klein''. Toronto: Copp Clark Publishing, 1970. *''Folklore in the Poetry of A.M. Klein''. St. John's, NF: Memorial University, 1981. *''Apartment Seven: Essays New and Selected.'' Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1989.


Edited

*Waddington, Miriam, ed. ''The Collected Poems of A.M. Klein.'' Toronto: Mc-Graw-Hill Ryerson, 1974. *Waddington, Miriam, ed. ''John Sutherland: Essays, Controversies and Poems.'' Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy Brock University.''Miriam Waddington
" Canadian Women Poets, BrockU.ca, Web, 13 April 2011.


References


Further reading

* Emily Robins Sharpe
"“The heart above the ruins”: Miriam Waddington’s Poetry, the Spanish Civil War, and Jewish Canadian Literature"
''Canadian Jewish Studies / Études Juives Canadiennes'' vol. 26, 2018. * Adam Sol, David S. Koffman, Gary Barwin, Michael Greenstein, Ruth Panofsky, Lisa Richter, Emily Robins Sharpe, and Rhea Tregebov
“Canadian Jewish Poetry: A Roundtable”
''Canadian Jewish Studies / Études Juives Canadiennes'' vol. 34, 2022.


External links







* ttps://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1104104A Worksat Open Library
Waddington
at
The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...
* Archives of Miriam Waddingto
(Miriam Waddington fonds, R4777)
ate held at
Library and Archives Canada  A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a p ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waddington, Miriam 1917 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Canadian poets Jewish Canadian writers Canadian women short story writers Canadian women poets Writers from Winnipeg University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice alumni University of Toronto alumni York University alumni 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers Poets from Manitoba