- Lorne Pierce
Lorne Albert Pierce (
3 August 1890 -27 November 1961 ) [http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006287] was a Canadianpublisher ,editor , andliterary critic who published and promotedCanadian literature for more than forty years during his tenure as editor ofToronto 'sRyerson Press . A committednationalist who saw literature as an important aspect ofCanada 's cultural development in the mid-twentieth century, Pierce lent his name to theLorne Pierce Medal , established in 1926 to honor writers, critics, and educators for their outstanding contributions to the development of Canadian literature and culture.Among the many writers whom Pierce fostered at Ryerson Press were
Frederick Philip Grove ,E.J. Pratt ,A.J.M. Smith ,A. M. Klein ,P.K. Page ,Dorothy Livesay ,Earle Birney , andMarjorie Pickthall . Along with novels and poetry, Ryerson also published importantanthologies and books of literary criticism. Beginning in 1927 he edited the series of Ryerson books of prose and verse, which brought Canadian literature into Canadian school classrooms, and he was the author of critical studies ofPickthall and the early Canadian novelist William Kirby.Legacy
The
Lorne Pierce Medal remains an important award for the recognition of excellence in Canadian literature and criticism. After Pierce's death, his large collection of Canadian literaryfirst edition s was bequeathed toQueen's University inKingston, Ontario , where it has been expanded and remains a significant repository of rare Canadian books.References
*"Lorne Pierce," entry in the "Canadian Encyclopedia", 2000 Edition. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 2000.
*"Lorne Pierce," entry in the "Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature". Ed. William Toye. Oxford University Press, 1983.
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