James Reaney

James Crerar Reaney (September 1 1926 – June 11 2008) [cite news|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080612.wobitreaney0612/BNStory/Entertainment/home|title=James Reaney, 81|date=2008-06-12|work=The Globe and Mail|accessdate=2008-06-12] was a Canadian poet, playwright and literary critic. He was born in Easthope, Ontario.

Reaney won his first of three Governor General's Awards for the book of poetry "The Red Heart" in 1949. He received the other two awards for "A Suit of Nettles" (1958) and a joint award for "Twelve Letters to a Small Town" and "The Killdeer and Other Plays" (1962).

Reaney’s best-known dramatic work is his " Donnellys" trilogy (1974-1975).

He taught at the University of Manitoba and the University of Western Ontario for a total of 40 years. He received his doctorate under the supervision of Northrop Frye.

Reaney was married to poet Colleen Thibaudeau and had two children, both of whom are journalists. James Reaney Jr. writes for the "London Free Press" in London, Ontario.

Bibliography

* "The Red Heart" (1949)
* "A Suit of Nettles" (1958)
* "Twelve Letters to a Small Town" (1962)
* "The Killdeer and Other Plays" (1962)
* "Names and Nicknames" (1963)
* "The Dance of Death at London, Ontario" (1963)
* "The Boy with an R in His Hand" (1965)
* "Geography Match" (1967)
* "Ignoramus" (1967)
* "Colours in the Dark" (1969)
* "Masks of Childhood" (1972)
* "Listen to the Wind" (1972)
* "Poems" (1972)
* "Apple Butter and Other Plays for Children" (1973)
* "Sticks and Stones: The Donnellys, Part I" (1975)
* "The St. Nicholas Hotel, Wm. Donnelly, Prop: The Donnellys, Part II" (1976)
* "Baldoon", with C.H. Gervais (1976)
* "Handcuffs: The Donnellys, Part III" (1977)
* "14 Barrels from Sea to Sea" (1977)
* "The Dismissal" (1978)
* "Wacousta!" (1979)
* "King Whistle!" (1980)
* "Gyroscope" (1980)
* "Take the Big Picture" (1986)
* "The Box Social & Other Stories" (Porcupine's Quill, 1994)
* "Alice Through the Looking Glass" (Porcupine's Quill, 1994)
* "Scripts: Librettos for Operas and Other Musical Works" (Coach House Books, 2004)

Discography

*"Celebration: Famous Canadian Poets CD" Canadian Poetry Association — 2001 ISBN 1-55253-022-1 (CD#4) (with F. R. Scott )
*"Souwesto Words: 25 poets in Southwestern Ontario" Ergo Books 2002 "Poets on the CD: Penn Kemp, John Tyndall, Molly Peacock, Emily Chung, Paul Langille, Sheila Martindale, Roy McDonald, Sadiqa Khan, Jan Figurski, Jody Trevail, Beryl Baigent, John B. Lee, Cornelia Hoogland, James Reaney, Colleen Thibaudeau, Michael Wilson, Aimee O'Beirn, Jason Dickson, Marianne Micros, Skot Deeming, Victor Elias, David J. Paul, April Bulmer, Julie Berry, Don Gutteridge".
* "Souwesto Home" (Brick Books, 2005)

Works on James Reaney

* Margaret Atwood, "Reaney Collected", "Canadian Literature", 57 (1973).
* Stan Dragland, "James Reaney's 'Pulsating Dance in and Out of Forms'", "The Human Elements: Critical Essays", ed. David Helwig (1978).
* Stan Dragland, ed. "Approaches to the Work of James Reaney" (1983).
* Louis Dudek, "Problem of Meaning", "Canadian Literature", 59 (1974).
* Manina Jones. "The Collage in Motion: Staging the Document in Reaney's "Sticks and Stones"." "That Art of Difference: 'Documentary-Collage and English-Canadian Writing". (1993).
* W.J. Keith, "James Reaney's 'Scrutumnus' and the Critics: An Individual Response", "Canadian Poetry: Studies/Documents/Reviews" (1980).
* Alvin A. Lee, "James Reaney" (1968).
* James Stuart Reaney, "James Reaney" (1977).
* Craig Stewart Walker, "James Reaney: Metamorphic Masques","The Buried Astrolabe: Canadian Dramatic Imagination and Western Tradition" (2001).
* Ross G. Woodman, "James Reaney" (1971).
* "Two Plays" Ergo Books 2002 ISBN 0-920516-17-3

Awards

* elected to Royal Society of Canada
* invested as Member of the Order of Canada
* Governor General's Award for Poetry in 1949 for "The Red Heart"
* Governor General's Award for Poetry in 1958 for "A Suit of Nettles"
* Governor General's Award for Poetry in 1962 for "Twelve Letters to a Small Town"
* Honorary doctorate from Carleton University
* Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award in 1975 for "The St. Nicholas Hotel"
* University of Alberta National Award in Letters for "The Donnellys" trilogy

References