E J Pratt

The volume offers a full sampling of Pratt's poems chosen both for their representativeness and for their intrinsic value.

Towards the Last Spike was written in 1952 by Canadian poet E. J. Pratt. It is a long narrative poem in blank verse about the construction of the first transcontinental railroad line in Canada, that of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), from 1871 through 1885. Excerpt: "It was the same world then as now—the same, Except for little differences of speed And power, and means to treat myopia To show an axe-blade infinitely sharp Splitting things infinitely small, or else Provide the telescopic sight to roam Through curved dominions never found in fables. The same, but for new particles of speech..."

Old; old is the sea to-day. A sudden stealth of age Has torn away The texture of its youth and grace; And filched the rose of daybreak from its waters. Now lines of grey And dragging vapors on its brow Heavily are drawn; And it lies broken as with centuries; Though yesterday;

This edition of E.J. Pratt’s letters is the final volume in the Collected Works series. Because of Pratt’s role in the making of Canadian culture between and after the World Wars, his correspondence highlights key moments in our cultural history and provides a view of the enterprise from its very centre. The letters take us into his "workshop," illuminating the research behind his distinctive documentary long poems and the social nature of his creative production. They also reveal the complex network of writers, critics, artists and political figures of which Pratt was a part, the evolution of the Canadian book trade from the 1920s through to the early 1960s, and the emergence of radio (and specifically, of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) as a tool for forging national identity. Pratt's correspondence both confirms the public persona of one of Canada’s first literary celebrities and provides glimpses of the private character behind the mask.

Follow the epic journey of Jean de Brébeuf and his courageous brethren in "Brébeuf and His Brethren" by E. J. Pratt. This meticulously researched and beautifully written blank-verse epic takes you back to 17th-century North America, where these Jesuit priests embarked on a mission to the Hurons. Immerse yourself in their founding of Sainte-Marie-among-the-Hurons and witness their tragic martyrdom at the hands of the Iroquois. Explore themes of sacrifice, cultural clashes, and the resilience of the Canadian spirit in this captivating literary masterpiece praised by renowned critic Northrop Frye.