Fred Cogswell

by George Dance

Fred Cogswell, CM (November 8, 1917- June 20, 2004) was a Canadian poet from New Brunswick, and a significant contributor to the literature of Atlantic Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia called him "an important figure in maintaining the region's distinctive poetic tradition, both as a teacher and as editor of The Fiddlehead" poetry magazine, adding that he "also has national importance as founder and long-time proprietor of Fiddlehead Books."

Life
Cogswell was born and raised in East Centreville, New Brunswick. He served with the Canadian Army during the World War II from 1940 to 1945. After the war, he gained a B.A. (Honors) and M.A. at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), and received a Ph.D. from Edinburgh University. In 1952 Cogswell became a professor of English at UNB, a postion he would hold until 1983. Also in 1952 he founded The Fiddlehead as a literary magazine, and served as its editor until 1966. The Fiddlehead had begun in 1945 as the mimeographed record of the UNB's Bliss Carman Society, under the editorship of Alfred Bailey. Under Cogswell's editorship the magazine "was converted to an international magazine of poetry and issued in a printed format.... it became a quarterly, added a book review section, undertook to publish prose fiction, and established a reputation for eclecticism."

In 1954 Cogswell began publishing a series of chapbooks called Fiddlehead Poetry Books, which were "meant as a series of poetry chapbooks especially hospitable to, but by no means limited to, young writers." Through Fiddlehead Books, Cogswell was responsible for the publication of more than 300 books of poetry. Alden Nowlan and Al Purdy were two of the young poets who got their start with the series. (Fiddlehead Poetry Books was still operating in the 2010s, under the name Goose Lane Editions.)

Cogswell was also the founding president of the Writers Federation of New Brunswick.

Writing
Cogswell published twenty-four books or chapbooks of original poetry, a poetry that the Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature called "characterized by compression, wit, the use of a wide variety of both traditional and modern forms, and a gentle, ironic view of the world." It has also been described as "characterized by adherence to old conventions, a love of craftsmanship and an unhurried, lightly ironic tone."

In addition, Cogswell was a prolific translator of French Canadian poetry, publishing One Hundred Poems of Modern Quebec in 1970,, and following that with One Hundred More Poems of Modern Quebec in 1971 and The Poetry of Modern Quebec in 1976. He was the first to translate poetry of Émile Nelligan into English.

The Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) says that Cogswell's "own work as a poet has earned him a place in contemporary poetry circles, while his translations of French-Canadian verse have helped to bridge the gap between the two main language groups in the country." The DLB also notes Cogswell's scholarly writing: "He has written extensively on Canadian literature ... and he has been effective in developing an overview of Atlantic Canada's literary-cultural life in the nineteenth century."

Recognition
Fred Cogswell was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1981. Other awards and honors that he has won include:
 * Bliss Carman Award for Poetry, 1945, 1947.
 * Professor Emeritus, UNB, 1983.
 * L.L.D., St. Francis Xavier University, 1983.
 * D.C.L., University of King's College, 1985.
 * L.L.D., Mount Allison University, 1988.
 * Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in Literary Arts, New Brunswick Government, 1995.
 * Medal for 125th Anniversary of Canada, 1997.

Cogswell was honored in 1980 by the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia with Scroll, a book of poems written in his honor by forty-nine Canadian poets.

Poetry

 * The Stunted Strong, 1954 (republished 2004)
 * The haloed tree 1956
 * Descent from Eden 1959
 * Lost dimension 1960
 * Five New Brunswick Poets (Elizabeth Brewster, Fred Cogswell, Robert Gibbs, Alden Nowlan, Kay Smith). Fredericton, NB: Fiddlehead Poetry Books, 1962.
 * Star-People 1968
 * Immortal plowman 1969
 * In praise of chastity 1970
 * The chains of Liliput 1971
 * The house without a door 1973
 * Light bird of life: selected poems 1974
 * Against perspective 1977
 * A long apprenticeship: the collected poems of Fred Cogswell. 1980
 * Fred Cogswell: selected poems. 1983, edited with a preface by Antonio D'Alfonso.
 * Pearls 1983
 * Meditations: fifty sestinas 1986
 * An edge of life 1987
 * The Best Notes Merge, 1988, Borealis Press, ISBN 0-88887-899-0
 * Black and White Tapestry, 1989, Borealis Press, ISBN 0-88887-915-6
 * Watching An Eagle, 1991, Borealis Press
 * In Praise of Old Music, 1992, Borealis Press, ISBN 0-88887-134-1
 * When the Right Light Shines, 1992, Borealis Press, ISBN 0-88887-124-4
 * In My Own Growing, 1993, Borealis Press, ISBN 0-88887-113-9
 * As I See It, 1994, ISBN 0-88887-150-3
 * The Trouble With Light, 1996, Borealis Press, ISBN 0-88887-140-6
 * Folds, 1997, ISBN 0-88887-171-6
 * A Double Question, 1999
 * With Vision Added, 2000

Translations

 * The testament of Cresseid (1957)
 * One hundred poems of modern Quebec. Translated by Fred Cogswell.  Fredericton, N.B., Fiddlehead Poetry Books, 1970.
 * A second hundred poems of modern Quebec (1971)
 * Confrontations by Gatien Lapointe (1973)
 * The poetry of modern Quebec (1976)
 * The complete poems of Émile Nelligan (1983), and
 * Unfinished dreams: contemporary poetry of Acadie (1990), with Jo Anne Elder.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the ''Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. ''