Elizabeth Winifred Brewster, (26 August 1922 – 26 December 2012) was a Canadian poet, author, and academic.

Biography

Born in the logging village of Chipman,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Brewster was the youngest of Frederick John and Ethel May (Day) Brewster's five children. The family was of limited means, and although she was a physically frail child with a sporadic early education, Brewster was a keen reader of any material that presented itself, including literary classics and the Eatons catalogue. Her first poem, submitted by her father and accepted by the Saint John ''

Telegraph-Journal The ''Telegraph-Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, owned by Postmedia Network. It serves as both a provincial daily and as a local newspaper for Saint John. The ''Telegraph-Journal'' is the only New ...

'', was published when she was twelve years old. After she graduated from high school in 1942, Brewster entered the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

on an entrance scholarship. She received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1946, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

in 1947, then began her PhD at Indiana University, before electing to travel to England on a Beaverbrook overseas scholarship to study at King's College, London from 1949 to 1950. She later earned a Bachelor of Library Science from 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 ...

, then returned in 1957 to

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

to complete her

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

on the work of English poet

George Crabbe George Crabbe ( ; 24 December 1754 – 3 February 1832) was an English poet, surgeon and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people. In the 177 ...

and graduated in 1962. She was a professor at the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

, where she taught literature and creative writing from 1972 until she retired in 1990. A founding member in 1945 of the Canadian literary journal ''

The Fiddlehead ''The Fiddlehead'' is a Canadian literary magazine, published four times annually at the University of New Brunswick. It is the oldest Canadian literary magazine which is still in circulation. History and profile ''The Fiddlehead'' was establ ...

'', Brewster went on to publish over twenty collections of her poetry, five books of fiction, and two memoirs. Over the course of her long career, she was a recipient of the E.J. Pratt Award for poems from her second book ''Lillooet'', the Saskatchewan Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, an honorary doctorate from the University of New Brunswick, the 2003 Saskatchewan Book Award for Poetry, a

Saskatchewan Order of Merit The Saskatchewan Order of Merit is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Grant Devine, the order is admi ...

in 2008, and the

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal may refer to: * Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal (1897) * Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal ...

, and several other honours. Her poetry collection ''Footnotes to the Book of Job'' was shortlisted for the 1996

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

, and in 2001, she was inducted as a Member into the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, Canada's highest civilian honour.

Selected bibliography

Poetry

*''East Coast''. Toronto:

Ryerson Press Ryerson Press was a Canadian book publishing company, active from 1919 to 1970. First established by the Methodist Book Room, a division of the Methodist Church of Canada, and operated by the United Church Publishing House after the Methodist Ch ...

, 1951. *''Lillooet'' (with art by JEH MacDonald and Thoreau MacDonald). Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1954. *''Roads, and Other Poems''. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1957. *''Passage of Summer: Selected Poems''. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1969. *''Sunrise North''. Toronto:

Clarke, Irwin & Company Clarke, Irwin & Company was a Canadian publishing house based in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1930, it was purchased by Thomas Nelson Publishing in 2002. The company published works by prominent Canadian authors, artists, and poets, including ...

, 1972. *''In Search of Eros''. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1974. *''Sometimes I Think of Moving''. Ottawa:

Oberon Press Oberon Press is an independent Canada, Canadian literary publisher founded in 1966. It focuses mainly on Canadian fiction—particularly short stories—and poetry, but also publishes criticism, history, biography and autobiography. Oberon has ...

, 1977. *''The Way Home''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1982. *''Digging In''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1982. *''Selected Poems, 1944-1977 & 1977-1984'' (2 volumes). Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1985. *''Entertaining Angels''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1988. *''Spring Again''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1990. Finalist for the 1991

Pat Lowther Award The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual Canadian literary award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman. The award was established in 1980 to honour poet Pat Lowther, who was murdered by ...

. *''Wheel of Change''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1993. *''Footnotes to the Book of Job''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1995. Finalist for the 1996 Governor General's Award. *''Garden of Sculpture''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1998. *''Burning Bush''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2000. *''Jacob's Dream''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2002. Winner of the 2003 Saskatchewan Book Award. *''Collected Poems of Elizabeth Brewster 1''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2003. *''Collected Poems of Elizabeth Brewster 2''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2004. *''Bright Centre''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2005. *''Time and Seasons''. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2009. *''The Essential Elizabeth Brewster - poems'', ed. Ingrid Ruthig. Erin:

The Porcupine's Quill The Porcupine's Quill is an independent publishing company in Erin, Ontario, Canada. The Porcupine's Quill publishes contemporary Canadian literature, including poetry, fiction, art and literary criticism. It is owned and operated by Tim and El ...

, 2021

Prose

*''The Sisters''. (novel) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1974. *''It's Easy to Fall on the Ice''. (stories) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1977. *''Junction''. (novel) Windsor: Black Moss Press, 1982. *''A House Full of Women''. (stories) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1983. *''Visitations''. (stories) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1987. *''The Invention of Truth''. (memoir) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1991. *''Away from Home''. (memoir) Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1995.

Anthologies

*''The Oxford Book of Canadian Verse'', ed. A.J.M. Smith. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1960. *''Five New Brunswick Poets: Elizabeth Brewster, Fred Cogswell, Robert Gibbs,

Alden Nowlan Alden Albert Nowlan (; January 25, 1933 – June 27, 1983) was a Canadian poet, novelist, and playwright. History Alden Nowlan was born into rural poverty in Stanley, Nova Scotia, adjacent to Mosherville, and close to the small town of Windso ...

, Kay Smith'', ed. Fred Cogswell. Fredericton: University of New Brunswick, 1962. *''The Penguin Book of Canadian Verse'', second revised edition, ed.

Ralph Gustafson Ralph Barker Gustafson, CM (16 August 1909 – 29 May 1995) was a Canadian poet and professor at Bishop's University. Biography He was born in Lime Ridge, near Dudswell, Quebec on August 16, 1909. His mother was British, his father, Carl ...

. Penguin Books, 1958, 1967, 1975. *''Selections from Major Canadian Writers'', ed. Desmond Pacey. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1974. *''Celebrating Canadian Women: Prose and Poetry By and About Women'', ed. Greta Hofmann Nemiroff. Markham: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1984. *''Choice Atlantic : Writers of Newfoundland and the Maritimes'', ed. Elaine Crocker, Eric Norman, and Michael Nowlan. St. John's: Breakwater, 1990. *''A Matter of Spirit: Recovery of the Sacred in Contemporary Canadian Poetry'', ed.

Susan McCaslin Susan Elizabeth McCaslin (born June 3, 1947) is a Canadian poet and writer. Biography McCaslin lives in Fort Langley, British Columbia. She received an M.A. in English (thesis: Edgar Allan Poe) at Simon Fraser University, 1973; and a Ph.D. in ...

. Victoria: Ekstasis Editions, 1998. *''Coastlines: The Poetry of Atlantic Canada'', ed. Anne Compton, Laurence Hutchman, Ross Leckie, and Robin McGrath. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2002. *''Canadian Poetry 1920 to 1960'', ed. Brian Trehearne. Toronto:

McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. ...

, 2010.

Musical settings of poems by Elizabeth Brewster

*''Winter flowers'': for alto soloist, chorus & orchestra. Music by Nancy Telfer, c.1980, words by Elizabeth Brewster. *''The Ballad of Princess Caraboo'': a narrative of singular imposition for mezzo-soprano and piano. Music by Nancy Telfer, words by Elizabeth Brewster. F. Harris Music, c.1983.

References

External links

*Archives of Elizabeth Brewste
(Elizabeth Brewster fonds, R931)
are held at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewster, Elizabeth 1922 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian women poets Radcliffe College alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni Members of the Order of Canada People from Queens County, New Brunswick University of New Brunswick alumni Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan University of Toronto alumni Canadian people of German descent Converts to Judaism Jewish Canadian poets Poets from Saskatchewan Poets from New Brunswick