World Literature

Renowned authors to speak about Canada’s First World War literary contributions

The University of British Columbia Okanagan, the University of Ottawa, and the Canadian War Museum are marking the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the “war to end all wars” with a conference on Canadian war literature and a distinguished speakers series in Ottawa, July 31 to August 2, 2014.

For nearly a century, Canada’s role in the First World War has elicited a range of critical and literary responses. Academics, writers, and journalists are meeting for the Canadian Literature of World War One International Conference at the University of Ottawa to examine, debate, and celebrate this literature.

Three scholars from UBC’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies will make presentations at the conference:

• Lisa Grekul, associate professor of English, will discuss the war-time internment of Ukrainians;
• Anderson Araujo, assistant professor of English, will deliver a paper on the influence of jingoist poet Jesse Pope on poets of the war era;
• Nancy Holmes, associate professor of creative writing and poetry, will talk about girls’ novelist Lucy Maud Montgomery and her war poetry.

“This conference and lecture series are a significant contribution to the upcoming anniversary assessments of the legacy of the Great War, ” says Holmes. “The conference aims to investigate Canada’s participation in the First World War from literary, aesthetic, critical, political, historical, cultural, and other perspectives.”

In conjunction with the conference, drawing attendees from across the country and Europe, three distinguished speakers will give free public lectures.