David McFadden
Encyclopedia
David William McFadden is a Canadian
poet
, fiction
writer
, and travel writer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario
and first started working there as a proofreader for the Hamilton Spectator newspaper
. As he grew more renowned as a poet he quit the newspaper and became a full-time writer in 1976. He lives in Toronto
, Ontario
.
McFadden's poetry critiques the commercialism and shallowness of modern society. His work, with its overt humour, poignant reflections on contemporary urban life, and interest in the mistakes of the imagination, reveals an affinity with Frank O'Hara
, John Ashbery
and the New York School
of the 1950s, as well as the Beat
writers of the 1960s--Allen Ginsberg
and Lawrence Ferlinghetti
most obviously. His work, however, remains distinctly Canadian in subject matter, setting and personality. His book of 100 Baudelaire-inspired prose poems, Gypsy Guitar, was called "Everyone's favourite book of poems" by George Bowering
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and travel writer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and first started working there as a proofreader for the Hamilton Spectator newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. As he grew more renowned as a poet he quit the newspaper and became a full-time writer in 1976. He lives in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
McFadden's poetry critiques the commercialism and shallowness of modern society. His work, with its overt humour, poignant reflections on contemporary urban life, and interest in the mistakes of the imagination, reveals an affinity with Frank O'Hara
Frank O'Hara
Francis Russell "Frank" O'Hara was an American writer, poet and art critic. He was a member of the New York School of poetry.-Life:...
, John Ashbery
John Ashbery
John Lawrence Ashbery is an American poet. He has published more than twenty volumes of poetry and won nearly every major American award for poetry, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. But Ashbery's work still proves controversial...
and the New York School
New York School
The New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
of the 1950s, as well as the Beat
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
writers of the 1960s--Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
and Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Lawrence Ferlinghetti is an American poet, painter, liberal activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers...
most obviously. His work, however, remains distinctly Canadian in subject matter, setting and personality. His book of 100 Baudelaire-inspired prose poems, Gypsy Guitar, was called "Everyone's favourite book of poems" by George Bowering
George Bowering
George Harry Bowering, OC, OBC is a prolific Canadian novelist, poet, historian, and biographer. He has served as Canada's Parliamentary Poet Laureate....
.
Poetry
- The Poem Poem
- Letters from the Earth to the Earth - 1968
- Poems Worth Knowing - 1971
- Intense Pleasure - 1972
- The Ova Yogas - 1972
- The Poet's Progress - 1977
- The Saladmaker - 1977
- I Don't Know - 1978
- A Knight in Dried Plums - 1978
- On the Road Again - 1978
- A New Romance - 1979
- My Body Was Eaten By Dogs - 1981
- Country of the Open Heart - 1982
- Three Stories and Ten Poems - 1982
- A Pair of Baby Lamds - 1983
- The Art of Darkness - 1984 (nominated for a Governor General's Award1984 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1984 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*Josef Skvorecky, The Engineer of Human SoulsOther Finalists:...
) - Gypsy Guitar - 1987 (nominated for a Governor General's Award1988 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1988 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
) - Anonymity Suite - 1992
- There'll Be Another - 1995
- Five Star Planet - 2002
- Why Are You So Sad? Selected Poems of David W. McFadden - 2007 (shortlisted for the 2008 Canadian Griffin Poetry PrizeGriffin Poetry PrizeThe Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
) - Be Calm, Honey - 2008 (shortlisted for the 2009 Governor General's Award in Poetry)
- Why Are You So Long & Sweet? Collected Long Poems of David W. McFadden - 2009
Fiction
- The Great Canadian Sonnet - 1974
- Animal Spirits - 1983
- Canadian Sunset - 1986
Travel
- A Trip Around Lake Huron - 1980
- A Trip Around Lake Erie - 1980
- A Trip Around Lake Ontario - 1988
- An Innocent in Ireland - 1995
- Great Lakes Suite - 1997
- An Innocent in Scotland - 1999
- An Innocent in Newfoundland - 2003
- An Innocent in Cuba - 2003
External links
- Griffin Poetry Prize biography
- Griffin Poetry Prize reading, including video clip
- Seeing our city through the eyes of a poet in the Hamilton Spectator
- Man of verse finds spotlight a curse in the Toronto Star
- David McFadden entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Canadian Poetry Online: David McFadden - Biography and six poems (Eight Medical Students, Xavier Simpático and His Old Church, Havana All Night Long, One-Legged Man in Shorts, Dreamland Cuba, The Death of Greg Curnoe, Nuclear Physicist Seeks New Home)