Wilson MacDonald
Wilson Pugsley MacDonald, born in 1880 in Cheapside, Ontario, was a Canadian poet celebrated for his romantic and lyrical poetry. He began his literary career with his first published work in 1899 and gained prominence with the release of his book, *Song of the Prairie Land, and Other Poems*, in 1918. MacDonald held various jobs throughout his life, including roles as a seaman, schoolteacher, and advertising copywriter, but he eventually dedicated himself fully to poetry. His writing is characterized by a blend of rhyme, free verse, and satirical humor, with notable works such as the poem "M'sieu." Despite his early success, MacDonald's later poetry struggled to resonate with critics as literary tastes shifted towards realism, leading to his recognition as a relatively minor figure in the Canadian literary landscape. He was also artistically versatile, engaging in music, graphic arts, and typography. MacDonald passed away in 1967, and his contributions to poetry are preserved in the National Archives of Canada.
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Wilson MacDonald
Poet
- Born: May 5, 1880
- Birthplace: Cheapside, Ontario, Canada
- Died: April 8, 1967
- Place of death: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Biography
Poet Wilson Pugsley MacDonald was born in 1880 in Cheapside, Ontario, Canada. His poetry was first published in 1899 in the Toronto Globe. He attended Woodstock College and McMaster University. After graduating from college in 1902, he traveled around Britain for several months. Returning to Canada, he worked in a bank and later was employed by an advertising firm in the United States, where he wrote copy. In his early years, MacDonald also worked as seaman, schoolteacher, actor, newspaper reporter, producer, composer, and bartender, among other jobs.
His first book, Song of the Prairie Land, and Other Poems, was published in 1918. With this publication, MacDonald quickly became known as one of Canada’s leading poets of the first half of the twentieth century. Reviewers described his work as romantic with a sense of the lyrical, metrical, and formal in tone. Many of MacDonald’s poems were rhymed, but he also demonstrated some facility for free verse. He also displayed a penchant for broad humor, and many of his best- known works are satirical.
After MacDonald had been published, he refused to earn a living as anything other than a fully committed poet. MacDonald managed to supplement his income by engaging in lengthy and rather successful reading and lecture tours. He was popular in the United States, where some of his readers organized the Wilson Pugsley MacDonald Poetry Society.
Despite publishing several additional volumes of poetry in the years between 1921 and 1958, MacDonald’s later work failed to attain a favorable critical reception. As poetry was moving away from romanticism and toward realism, MacDonald was unable to abandon classical notions of beauty and poetry and embrace the new movements in poetry. For this reason, he remains a relatively minor poet, known for being romantic, ornate, and rhetorical. His best known poem, “M’sieu,” appeared in the preface to Mattawa: The Meeting of the Waters by Leo Morel. The poem, about a little girl, exemplifies his talent as a writer.
MacDonald was something of a renaissance man. He was fascinated by music, as demonstrated in his poetry and in his personal appearances, in which he sang and hummed. He also was a graphic artist and calligrapher, and he frequently illustrated his poems and dabbled in typography. MacDonald died in 1967. His papers are in the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa.