by George J. Dance
Peter Gilchrist McArthur (March 10, 1866 - October 10, 1924) was a Canadian poet, prose writer, and farmer.[1]
Peter McArthur (1866-1924) in Canadian Singers and their Songs, 1919. Courtesy Internet Archive.
| Peter McArthur | |
|---|---|
 McArthur in Canadian Poets (1916) | |
| Born |
March 10, 1866 Ekfrid, Ontario |
| Died |
October 28, 1924 London, Ontario |
| Occupation | essayist, farmer |
| Nationality |
 Canadian |
| Ethnicity | Scottish |
| Citizenship | British subject |
| Notable work(s) | In Pastures Green (1915), The Affable Stranger (1920) |
| Spouse(s) | Mabel C. Waters |
| Children | 4 sons, 1 daughter |
Life[]
Youth and education[]
McArthur was born in Ekfrid, in Middlesex county, Upper Canada (now Ontario), to Catherine (McLennan) and Peter McArthur, immigrants from Scotland.[2]
He was educated at Strathroy Collegiate Institute and later at University College, University of Toronto.[2] While in university he contributed to Grip magazine, and in 1889 he left to become a reporter with the Toronto Daily Mail.[1]
Career[]
McArthur became assistant editor of New York City magazine Truth in March 1895, and editor-in-chief that August.[2] As editor of Truth from 1895 to 1897, he published work by Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, Stephen Leacock, and Duncan Campbell Scott.[1] (One of the poems McArthur published was "The Piper of Arll" by Scott, which was read by a teenaged John Masefield and awakened Masefield's interest in poetry.)[3]
In September 1895 McArthur married Mabel C. Waters, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, who would bear him 4 sons and a daughter.:
- Daniel Carman McArthur (1897-1967)
- Peter McKellar McArthur (1900-1955)
- Kathryn Elizabeth McArthur Sidey (1903-1969)
- James Frederick McArthur (1905-1965)
- Ian Stuart McArthur (b. 1907)[4]
From 1902 to 1904 the McArthurs lived in London, England, where McArthur contributed to Punch and to the Review of Reviews. In 1904 they returned to New York, where McArthur became a partner in the publishing firm of McArthur & Ryder.[2]
Writing[]
R.H. Hathaway: "Perhaps the first thing that strikes the reader of his poetry – and his prose as well, for the matter of that – is that it possesses that rare enough quality,– zest. Mr. McArthur is no mere æsthete, no lackadaisical dilettante, but is alive to his finger tips; and all his writings fairly tingle with life. The next thing one perceives is that a strong human feeling runs through his work. Mr. McArthur is above all things else a human being, and a lover of all things human. But he loves nature, too, and manages to get very close to her: we can fairly smell the good brown earth in every out-of-doors poem of his. Naturalness is another of his qualities. He is ever himself: affectation of all kinds is anathema to him. His work is marked also by a lambent, playful humour, which, however, can become sardonic enough when occasion requires."[2]
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- Five Sonnets (pamphlet). [New York: American Lithograph Co.?], 1889.
- Lines. New York: privately printed, 1901.
- The Prodigal, and other poems. New York: M. Kennerley, 1907.
Non-fiction[]
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier. London & Toronto: J.M. Dent, 1919.
Essays[]
- To Be Taken with Salt: Being an essay on teaching one's grandmother to suck eggs. London: Limpus Baker, 1903.
- In Pastures Green. London & Toronto: J.M. Dent, 1915.
- The Red Cow and Her Friends. London & Toronto: J.M. Dent, 1919; New York: John Lane, 1919.
- The Affable Stranger. Toronto: T. Allen, 1920; Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1920. Toronto, 1920.
- The Last Law: Brotherhood. Toronto: T. Allen, 1921.
- Around Home. Toronto: Musson, 1925.
- Familiar Fields. London & Toronto: J.M. Dent, 1925.
- Friendly Acres. Toronto: Musson, 1927.
Collected editions[]
- The Best of Peter McArthur (edited by Alec Lucas). Toronto & Vancouver, BC: Clarke, Irwin, 1967.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[5]
Poems by McArthur[]
See also[]
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Carl P. Ballstadt, "McArthur, Peter Gilchrist," Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, University of Toronto, Web, Feb. 16, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 John Garvin, "Peter McArthur," Canadian Poets (Toronto: McClelland, Goodchild & Stewart, 1916), pp.295-296, Digital Library, University of Pennsylvania, UPenn.edu, Web, Feb. 16, 2012.
- ↑ John Coldwell Adams, "Duncan Campbell Scott," Confederation Voices, Canadian Poetry, 30 March 2011.
- ↑ Biographical Sketch, Peter McArthur Family Fonds - Fond Description, Western Archives, University of Western Ontario. Web, Oct. 14, 2013.
- ↑ Search results = au:Peter McArthur, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Oct. 14, 2013.
External links[]
- Poems
- 2 poems by McArthur: "Birds of Passage," "To the Birds"
- Peter McArthur in Canadian Poets
- Peter McArthur at PoemHunter (39 poems)
- Books
- Peter McArthur at Amazon.ca
- About
- Peter McArthur in the Canadian Encyclopedia
- McArthur, Peter Gilchrist in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
- McArthur, Peter Canadian, 1866-1924 at Custom-Essay.net.
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