E. J. Pratt
A Newfoundland-born poet who forged a muscular, narrative verse that gave epic scale to the Canadian landscape and its human struggles.
1892–1964 (age 72)·Canadian poet·Birthday: February 4·The Lost Generation
Biography
E.J. Pratt brought the raw power of the North Atlantic into Canadian literature. Born in Western Bay, Newfoundland, the son of a Methodist minister, he initially trained for the clergy before turning to psychology and then, decisively, to poetry. His academic life at the University of Toronto became the stable base from which he launched imaginative voyages. Pratt's verse was grand and formal, often focusing on titanic conflicts: man against nature in 'The Titanic' and 'The Roosevelt and the Antinoe', or the collective drama of building a nation in 'Towards the Last Spike'. He avoided confessional intimacy, instead crafting public poems that aimed to articulate a national consciousness. Winning the Governor General's Award three times, he became a father figure to a generation of poets, mentoring them through his long editorial tenure at 'Canadian Poetry Magazine'. His work established that Canadian poetry could be both technically masterful and sweepingly ambitious.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
E. was born in 1892, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When E. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1892
E.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1892Born
President: Benjamin Harrison
1897Started school
President: William McKinley
1905Became a teenager
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could drive
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Could vote
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Turned 21
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Turned 30
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1932Turned 40
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 50
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1952Turned 60
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1962Turned 70
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Died at 72
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
Key Achievements
- Won the Governor General's Award for poetry three times, for 'The Fable of the Goats', 'Brébeuf and His Brethren', and 'Towards the Last Spike'.
- Wrote 'Towards the Last Spike', a monumental verse narrative about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
- Was a founding member and long-time editor of 'Canadian Poetry Magazine', shaping the national literary scene.
- His poem 'Brébeuf and His Brethren' is a landmark epic on the Jesuit martyrs in 17th-century Canada.
Did You Know?
Before becoming a poet, he worked as a preacher and a psychology demonstrator, dissecting animal brains.
He was a famously generous mentor and host, holding weekly poker games for writers at his Toronto home.
Despite his epic themes, he was a small, gentle man known for his kindness and sense of humor.
The title of his poem 'The Titanic' was inspired by a sermon he heard about the disaster as a young man.
“I felt that poetry should have some relation to the times, that it should be aware of the social and political currents.”
