Norman Levine
Encyclopedia
Norman Levine was a Canadian
short-story writer, novelist and poet
. He is perhaps best remembered for his terse prose. Though he was part of the St. Ives
artistic community in Cornwall, and friends with painters Patrick Heron
and Francis Bacon
, his written expression was not abstract, but concrete. "The leaner the language the more suggestive," he wrote in his 1993 essay, Sometimes It Works.
, Ontario
, but spent most of his adult life in England
.
His wealthy Jewish family had fled from Poland
to Canada
with the advent of anti-semitism
in the years prior to World War II
. His adolescence was spent on the streets of Ottawa, but his coming of age was his time as a Lancaster bomber pilot for the Canadian division of the Royal Air Force
. He was based at Leeming
.
Post-war he met an Englishwoman, Margaret, settled down and they had three children. His writing, a reflection of his life, was also a direct influence on that life, as he had little money to keep up rent payments; as a result his family often moved.
After England he lived, for a time, in Canada, with his second wife. He also lived in France
before, finally, returning to England, where he died some ten years later.
In 2002 he was presented with the Matt Cohen Prize
(established in 2001 by the Writers' Trust of Canada
to recognize a lifetime of work by a Canadian writer).
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...
short-story writer, novelist and 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...
. He is perhaps best remembered for his terse prose. Though he was part of the St. Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
artistic community in Cornwall, and friends with painters Patrick Heron
Patrick Heron
Patrick Heron , was an English painter, writer and designer, based in St. Ives, Cornwall.- Early life :...
and Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon (painter)
Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
, his written expression was not abstract, but concrete. "The leaner the language the more suggestive," he wrote in his 1993 essay, Sometimes It Works.
Life and career
Norman Levine was born on October 22, 1923 in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, 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....
, but spent most of his adult life in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
His wealthy Jewish family had fled from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to Canada
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...
with the advent of anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
in the years prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His adolescence was spent on the streets of Ottawa, but his coming of age was his time as a Lancaster bomber pilot for the Canadian division of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. He was based at Leeming
Leeming
Leeming is the name of several places in the world, including:*Leeming, Western Australia*Leeming, North Yorkshire, England*Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire**location of RAF Leeming*Leeming, West Yorkshire, England...
.
Post-war he met an Englishwoman, Margaret, settled down and they had three children. His writing, a reflection of his life, was also a direct influence on that life, as he had little money to keep up rent payments; as a result his family often moved.
After England he lived, for a time, in Canada, with his second wife. He also lived in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
before, finally, returning to England, where he died some ten years later.
In 2002 he was presented with the Matt Cohen Prize
Matt Cohen Prize
The Matt Cohen Prize is an award given annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a Canadian writer, in honour of a distinguished lifetime contribution to Canadian literature...
(established in 2001 by the Writers' Trust of Canada
Writers' Trust of Canada
The Writers' Trust of Canada is a non-profit organization which provides financial support to Canadian writers.Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, David Young and Margaret Laurence, the Writers' Trust of Canada was registered as a non-profit organization in 1976...
to recognize a lifetime of work by a Canadian writer).
Short stories
- One Way Ticket (1961)
- I Don’t Want to Know Anyone Too Well (1971)
- Thin Ice (1979)
- Why Do You Live So Far Away? (1984)
- Champagne Barn (1984)
- The Beat and the Still (1990)
- Something Happened Here (1991)
- The Ability to Forget (2003)
Poetry
- Myssium (1948)
- The Tight-rope Walker (1950)
- I Walk by the Harbour (1976)
Non-fiction
- Canada Made Me (1958)
- "Sometimes It Works" (in How Stories Mean, edited by John Metcalf and J.R. Struthers) (1993)