Robert Dickson (writer)
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Robert Dickson (July 23, 1944 – March 19, 2007)"Franco-Ontarian poet Robert Dickson dies
CBC News CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...
, March 20, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
. Born and raised in Erin,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, he spent much of his life and career living in Sudbury."Robert Dickson, Writer and Teacher 1944-2007". ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
'', April 12, 2007.
He studied French language and literature 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 ...
and
Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...
, receiving his doctorate in 1972, and spent his academic career as a professor for the Department of French Studies and Translation at
Laurentian University Laurentian University (), officially Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Laurentian offers a variety of undergr ...
in Sudbury. He won the
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 ...
for French language poetry in 2002, for his book ''Humains paysages en temps de paix relative'' (). His first poetry collection, ''Une bonne trentaine'' () was published by The Porcupine's Quill in 1975, the only French language work ever published by that company. A poem from that collection, "Au nord de notre vie", was set to music by the folk rock group
CANO CANO, a Canadian progressive rock band of the 1970s and 1980s, was the most successful popular musical group in Franco-Ontarian history. Origins CANO evolved out of the ''Coopérative des artistes du Nouvel-Ontario'' (''Artists' Cooperative of N ...
, and came to be adopted as an anthem of
Franco-Ontarian Franco-Ontarians ( or if female, sometimes known as ''Ontarois'' and ''Ontaroises'') are Francophone Canadians that reside in the province of Ontario. Most are French Canadians from Ontario. In 2021, according to the Government of Ontario, ther ...
culture. His later poetry collections, all published by
Prise de parole Prise de parole ("Speaking Out") is a Canadian book publishing company. Located in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, the company publishes French language literature, primarily but not exclusively by Franco-Ontarian authors. History The company wa ...
, included ''Or(é)alité'' (1978, ), ''Abris nocturnes'' (1986, ), ''Grand ciel bleu par ici'' (1997, ) and ''Libertés provisoires'' (2005, ). A compilation of his poetry, translated into English by Jo-Anne Elder, was published by
Guernica Editions Guernica Editions is a Canadian independent publisher established in Montreal, Quebec, in 1978, by Antonio D'Alfonso. Guernica specializes in Canadian literature Canadian literature is written in several languages including Canadian English, ...
under the title ''Human Presences and Possible Futures'' (2013, ). He also translated both French and English literary works, including English translations of works by Jean-Marc Dalpé and French translations of works by
Tomson Highway Tomson Highway (born 6 December 1951) is an Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous Canadian playwright, novelist, children's author and musician. He is best known for his plays ''The Rez Sisters'' and ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', ...
and Lola Lemire Tostevin. Over the course of his career, he was also awarded the Prix du CCRCF from 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 ...
's Centre for Research on French Canadian Culture and the Prix Nouvel-Ontario, and was named to the Ordre de la Pléiade in 2005. Dickson died at his home in Sudbury on March 19, 2007, from
brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...
.


Quotation

"Si je peux poser quelques pierre blanches
pour baliser le sentier à inventer,
je ne serais que très content,
croyant que j'ai ainsi fait quelque chose
de valable avec ma vie." — Robert Dickson "Robert Dickson n'est plus"
Radio-Canada Radio-Canada may refer to: * CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation *Ici Radio-Canada Télé, the CBC's main French-language television network *Ici Radio-Canada Première Ici Radio-Canada Première (formerly Première Chaîne) i ...
, March 19, 2007.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Robert 1944 births 2007 deaths Canadian male songwriters Canadian poets in French Franco-Ontarian people Governor General's Award–winning poets Academic staff of Laurentian University Writers from Greater Sudbury Poets from Ontario Deaths from brain cancer in Canada People from Wellington County, Ontario 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male poets 21st-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian translators 21st-century Canadian translators 21st-century Canadian male writers Literary translators Canadian male non-fiction writers Université Laval alumni