Frank Oliver Call (April 11, 1878 - September 7, 1956)[1] was a Canadian poet and academic.
F.O. Call (1878-1956) in Canadian Singers and their Songs, 1919. Courtesy Internet Archive.
| F.O. Call | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 11, 1878 West Brome, Quebec |
| Died |
September 7, 1956 Knowlton, Quebec |
| Occupation | poet, travel writer |
| Nationality |
 Canadian |
| Period | 1910s-1940s |
| Notable work(s) | Acanthus and Wild Grape, Sonnets for Youth, Blue Homespun |
Life[]
Youth and education[]
Call was born in West Brome, Quebec.[2]
He was educated at Bishop's University, in Paris and Marburg, and at McGill University.[2]
Career[]
Call became a lecturer at Bishop's University in 1907, and was made professor of modern languages in 1912.[3] He was subsequently a professor of languages at McGill University.[2]
His publications as a poet included In a Belgian Garden (1916), Acanthus and Wild Grape (1920), Blue Homespun (1924) and Sonnets for Youth (1944). Call also published 2 volumes of travel writing, The Spell of French Canada (1926) and The Spell of Acadia (1930).[2]
He was a friend and mentor to Louise Morey Bowman, Ralph Gustafson, and other Quebec poets.[3]
In addition, he was involved in Canadian Poetry Magazine, the Canadian Authors Association, and PEN Canada.[2]
He died at Knowlton, Quebec in 1956.[2]
Writing[]
Acanthus and Wild Grape, Call's most famous work, was divided into 2 sections: Acanthus followed traditional verse forms, while Wild Grape was written as free verse.[2] As a result of that work, Call is seen as a bridge between early Canadian poets such as Bliss Carman, Archibald Lampman and Duncan Campbell Scott, and the modernist work of later poets such as E.J. Pratt and Dorothy Livesay.[2]
More recent analysis has also concentrated on homoerotic themes in some of his writing, particularly in Sonnets for Youth, although there is not currently sufficient biographical evidence to say whether or not Call identified as gay.[4]
Recognition[]
Call won the Quebec Literary Competition Award in 1924 for Blue Homespun.[2]
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- In a Belgian Garden, and other poems. London: Erskine Macdonald, 1917.
- Acanthus and Wild Grape. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1920.
- Blue Homespun (illustrated by Orson S. Wheeler). Toronton Ryerson Press, 1924.
- Sonnets for Youth. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1944.
Non-fiction[]
- The Spell of French Canada. Boston: L.C. Page, 1926.
- The Spell of Acadia. Boston: L.C. Page, 1930.
- Marguerite Bourgeoys. Toronto: Ryerson Press (Ryerson Canadian History Readers), 1930.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[5]
See also[]
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ W.H. New, Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. University of Toronto Press, 2002. ISBN 0802007619. p. 438.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Rodger J. Moran, Frank Oliver Call, Canadian Encyclopedia, June 6, 2011. Web, Mar. 30, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Frank Oliver Call, Canadian Poety, 1920-1960 (edited by Brian Trahearne). Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2010. Google Books, Web, Mar. 30, 2017.
- ↑ John Barton and Billeh Nickerson, editors, Seminal: The Anthology of Canada's Gay Male Poets. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2007. ISBN 1551522179.
- ↑ Search results = au:Frank Oliver Call, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Oct. 14, 2013.
External links[]
- Poems
- Frank Oliver Call in Canadian Poetry, 1920 to 1960 ("The Loon's Cry," "To a Greek Statue")
- 4 poems by Call: "You went away in summertime," "After Tea," "November Garden," "The Snowdrift"
- Books
- Works by Frank Oliver Call at Project Gutenberg
- Frank Oliver Call at Amazon.com
- About
- Frank Oliver Call in the Canadian Encyclopedia
- "One Man's Access to Prophecy: The sonnet series of Frank Oliver Call" in Canadian Poetry.
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