Louis Dudek
Louis Dudek was a prominent Canadian poet, educator, and literary figure, born on February 6, 1918, in Montréal, Québec, to Polish emigrant parents. He began his academic journey at McGill University, earning a B.A. in English and history before pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University, where he shifted his focus to literature. Influenced by notable figures such as Lionel Trilling and Ezra Pound, Dudek published his first poetry collection, *East of the City*, in 1946. After returning to Canada in 1951, he became a key figure in promoting Canadian poetry through small presses, co-founding Contact Press and later establishing DC Books.
Dudek also founded the literary magazine *Delta*, contributing significantly to the Canadian literary landscape. His influential work, particularly the book *Atlantis*, established him as a master of the long poem. Throughout his career, he edited important anthologies and published several collections of essays and poetry. Louis Dudek passed away on March 22, 2001, leaving behind a legacy recognized for its impact on modernism in Canadian literature and for his advocacy of emerging voices in poetry.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Louis Dudek
Poet
- Born: February 6, 1918
- Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Died: March 22, 2001
- Place of death:
Biography
Louis Dudek was born in Montréal, Québec, Canada, on February 6, 1918, the son of Vincent and Stansilawa Rozynska Dudek. His parents were emigrants from Poland who came to Canada in 1917. Dudek began studies at McGill University in 1936, graduating with a B.A. in English and history in 1939. After graduation, he worked as an advertising copywriter and journalist.
In 1943, Dudek, who had studied and written poetry while an undergraduate, established a connection with a little magazine, First Statement. That same year, he moved to New York City and began graduate work in history and journalism at Columbia University. It was not long, however, before he changed his major to literature. Lionel Trilling, the important literary critic, was an influential force on Dudek during his years at Columbia, as was poet Ezra Pound. Indeed, Dudek developed a close friendship with Pound, who was confined to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. Dudek visited him there many times.
In 1946, Dudek’s first book of poetry, East of the City, was published. He taught English at City College in New York from 1946 to 1951. In 1950, Dudek began a “poetry mailbag.” He organized some thirty writers, including himself and Pound; when the mailbag would reach one of the poets, the poet would enclose some of his own poems, as well as comments on the other poems and critiques already in the bag, before sending it to the next poet, who would add his contribution.
Dudek returned to Canada in 1951, taking a position at McGill University, where he became a lecturer in modern poetry until 1982. During these years, he became a major force in the development of small presses in Canada. He founded his own magazine, Delta, in 1947 and continued to hand-publish it through twenty-six issues. In 1952, he cofounded Contact Press, a house that became the major publisher of poetry in Canada. After the dissolution of Contact Press in 1967, he founded another press, DC Books.
During the 1950’s and 1960’s, Dudek published several books of his poetry; among them, Atlantis was one of the most impressive. This book influenced the long poem in Canada, and Dudek became the acknowledged master of the form. In addition, Dudek edited a number of important anthologies and collections of literary criticism, including The Making of Modern Poetry in Canada: Essential Articles on Contemporary Canadian Poetry in English. In his latter years, he published Reality Games, a collection of essays, and The Surface of Time, a collection of poetry. Dudek died on March 22, 2001.
Dudek’s contributions to Canadian literature included his tireless work on behalf of small presses and his mastery of the long poem. He pushed the borders of modernism in Canadian literature, and critics considered him to be one of the most important men of letters of his time.