Modern Canadian Poets

'Riots broke out in downtown Montreal earlier in the month after the launch of a new anthology of contemporary Canadian verse at the Bloated Behemoth Book Store. That book, it was later discovered by a man who had subjected it to forensic examination, contained shockingly little verse by poets born in Canada. Several hailed from south of the border, and a third is said to have been resident in London (England), earning a meager living as an antiquarian book dealer and 'practising orientalist', for the past several decades. Margaret Atwood was not even represented in the collection - ' -Michael Glover, The Bow-Wow Shop 'I can think of no equivalent for what Swift and Jones have attempted: to rebuild a national canon from scratch using the most obscure figures. Is it subversive? Well, factor in that Carcanet is one of the U.K.'s leading poetry presses, that the last foreign-published Canadian poetry anthology appeared half a century ago, and that many British readers will take their first cues about Canadian poetry from this book - then you get a sense of the exhilarating sneak attack that has been perpetrated on our image abroad.' -Carmine Starnino, Quill & Quire 'I could make a list of all my favourite Canadian poets who are excluded from this volume because of the editors' high modernist interests. But they have defined the story they want to tell, and they have every right to do so. There is no rule saying that editors have to be democratic or representative in their choices. And, given those choices, I like what they have done. I don't even have to be British to appreciate it!' -Robert Lecker, Canadian Literature 'This is a lovely book; full of poems that really stand up, and to which you will keep returning.' -Ian Pople, The Manchester Review 'Swift and Jones - have put together a wonderful anthology.' -Michael Lista, National Post "The reader...will experience sweet discoveries ranging from the territory of early twentieth century poets W.W.E. Ross and Alfred Bailey to later poets John Thompson and David Wevill, from French-Canadian Anne Hebert to the likes of Robyn Sarah, Don Coles, and Mary Dalton.' -Ingrid Ruthig, Northern Poetry Review '[T]he most daring reassessment of our country's canon in years - In a better world, which is to say an alternate reality, this compact and highly readable anthology would be the book your CanLit course makes you buy.' -Jason Guriel, Maisonneuve