John Glassco
John Glassco was a prominent Canadian poet, translator, and novelist born in Montreal in 1909. He attended McGill University briefly before moving to Paris in 1928, where he immersed himself in a community of expatriate writers. His time in France greatly influenced his literary career, and upon his return to Canada in 1932, he began writing poetry and translating French literature into English. Glassco gained recognition for his translation work, particularly in poetry, and articulated his views on the challenges and intricacies of translation in his book, *The Poetry of French Canada in Translation*.
In the 1950s, he began publishing his own poetry, earning acclaim for its formal elegance and aesthetic appeal. His collection, *Selected Poems*, won the Governor General's Award in 1971, solidifying his reputation as one of the notable Canadian writers of the twentieth century. Glassco also authored novels under various pseudonyms and published a controversial autobiography, *Memoirs of Montparnasse*, which was later revealed to be a literary hoax. His contributions to literature were recognized posthumously with the establishment of an award in his name by the Literary Translators Association of Canada in 1996.
On this Page
Subject Terms
John Glassco
Author
- Born: December 19, 1909
- Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Died: 1981
Biography
John Glassco was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1909. He attended McGill University for a time but never received a degree. Instead, Glassco moved to Paris in 1928 and joined the group of American and Canadian expatriates who had taken up residence in France. He remained in Paris for three years, returning to Canada in 1932. After his return to Canada, Glassco began to write poetry, and he worked on translating French texts into English.
Glassco achieved a level of fame as a translator because of his skill and careful attention to detail. He seemed particularly well suited to the difficult task of translating poetry, perhaps because he was a poet himself. In his book The Poetry of French Canada in Translation (1970), Glassco argues that the translation of poetry is extremely difficult, but that the translation, if successful, is almost as great an achievement as the poem itself. In honor of Glassco’s achievements as a translator, the Literary Translators Association of Canada established a literary award in his name in 1996.
Glassco did not begin publishing his own work until the 1950’s. His poetry was praised as structurally balanced and aesthetically pleasing. In 1971, Glassco won the Governor General’s Award for his volume Selected Poems (1971). He was referred to as the Canadian Wordsworth and was considered one of the finest Canadian writers of the twentieth century. In addition to his poetry, Glassco wrote novels, sometimes using pseudonyms. Glassco also wrote a purportedly autobiographical account of his years in Pairs, Memoirs of Montparnasse (1970). Glassco is perhaps better known for this book than for his poetry. Unfortunately, Glassco’s book was later exposed as a literary hoax.