|
Wilson Pugsley MacDonald (May 5, 1880 – April 8, 1967) was a popular Canadian poet who "was known mainly in his own time for his considerable platform abilities" as a reader of his poetry. By reading fees, and by selling his books at readings, he was able to make a living from his poetry alone.〔"(Wilson (Pugsley) MacDonald Biography )," ''Dictionary of Literary Biography'', BookRags.com, Web, May 10, 2011.〕 In the 1920s he was so popular "that his fame eclipsed that of Robert Service and Pauline Johnson."〔John Robert Colombo, "(Wilson MacDonald )," ''Canadian Literary Landmarks'' (Hamilton: Dundurn, 1984), 205, Google Books, Web, May 10, 2011.〕 ==Life== Wilson MacDonald was born in Cheapside, now part of the municipality of Haldimand, Ontario. He attended McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and graduated in 1902.〔Douglas Fetherling, "(MacDonald, Wilson Pugsley )," ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (Edmonton: Hurtig, 1988), 1262.〕 He began publishing poetry in the Toronto ''Globe'' in 1899, while still a student.〔 Canadian poet Albert E. S. Smythe described MacDonald as a "slight, lithe, graceful Italian figure, the same dark eyes and olive complexion, the same inscrutable smile of the shy but friendly soul."〔 After graduating, MacDonald worked at a number of jobs. As he later wrote: "I have been, in my varied career, a view agent, seaman, cabin-boy, bartender (one night), school-teacher, actor, inventor, producer, playwright, composer, advertisement writer, newspaper reporter, editorial writer, columnist, banker, and poet. When my poetry would not sell, circumstances forced these other tasks upon me."〔Donald Stephens, " Wilson MacDonald Biography," Encyclopedia of Literature, 8259, JRank.org, Web, May 10, 2011.〕 His first collection of poetry, ''Song of the Prairie Land'', was published in 1918.〔 In 1921 MacDonald self-published a book of Christian poetry called ''The Miracle Songs of Jesus''.〔 Because he refused to be anything but a fully committed poet, now that he had been published, in the early 1920s "MacDonald managed to" find a way to "supplement his income by engaging in lengthy and rather successful tours of readings and lectures.".〔 He became what Doug Fetherling in the ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' called "a barnstorming versifier with an unbending faith in his own greatness."〔 MacDonald travelled both Canada and the northern United States reciting his poetry in large city and small town alike. "His personal shyness disappeared on stage, where he became dynamic; humming, chanting, and singing, he synchronized his whole performance to make poems come alive for his audience."〔 MacDonald was not the first Canadian poet to make a living from performance; Pauline Johnson had done so 30 years before. But he is the first noted for merchandising his tours. Fetherling noted, with an apparent shudder, MacDonald's books that "he himself hawked at his 'recitals,'".〔 And not just books. MacDonald "was something of an artist, a designer. Frequently he illustrated his own poems and dabbled with illumination and typography."〔 There are many examples online of individual poems illustrated and/or calligraphed by MacDonald, which look like merchandising aimed at those unwilling or unable to buy a whole book.〔 Of course, everything bought at a performance could also be autographed; MacDonald, like George Moore before him, or A. Edward Newton, was an author whose books are seldom found unsigned. MacDonald's most popular work, ''Out of the Wilderness'' (1926), went into ten editions.〔 Critics seldom paid attention to his work,〔 and his work was not taught in schools. MacDonald went around that barrier by reciting his poetry for free in high school auditoriums across Canada, paying for it with his merchandising. "He was the one poet a generation or two of Canadian students had ever seen or heard."〔 A fan club, the Wilson MacDonald Poetry Society, was active in several cities,〔 including in the United States,〔 "and at least one such group still survives."〔 From 1953 on, when MacDonald was in his 70s and no longer performing, the Poetry Society supported him financially.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wilson MacDonald」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|