Al Pittman
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
Al Pittman | |
---|---|
Born | Al Pittman April 11, 1940 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award for Poetry Lydia Campbell Award for Creative Writing |
Al Pittman (April 11, 1940 – August 26, 2001) was a Canadian writer and teacher from Newfoundland.[1][2]
Life and work
Born in
Pittman's poetry and plays often address the sense of loss associated with the rural resettlement policies initiated by Joey Smallwood's provincial government in the 1960s. His best-known play West Moon is set in a resettled outport, where the ghosts of the dead lament the abandonment of their home.[3] A production of West Moon produced by West Moon Inc. toured Ireland in 2001 following Al Pittman's 2000 visit where he met Poet Irish Paul Durcan in Dublin, read at the Canadian Embassy, stayed and also read at the Tyrone Guthrie Center, Annaghmakerring, County Monaghan. A strong sense of community and a writing style intended for reading aloud have helped to cement Pittman's reputation as one of Newfoundland and Labrador's most cherished contemporary writers.[1]
Pittman died on August 26, 2001, at the age of sixty-one, after a lengthy illness.
Bibliography
Poetry
- The Elusive Resurrection (1966)
- Seaweed and Rosaries (1968)
- Through One More Window (1974)
- Once When I Was Drowning (1978)
- Dancing in Limbo (1993)
- Thirty-for-Sixty (1999)
- An Island in the Sky: Selected Poetry of Al Pittman (2003)[4]
- Al Pittman: Collected Poems (2015)
Plays
- A Rope Against the Sun (first performed in 1970, published 1974)
- West Moon (first performed in 1980, published 1995)
Short stories
- The Boughwolfen and Other Stories (1984)[5]
Children's literature
- Down by Jim Long's Stage: Rhymes for Children and Young Fish (1976)
- One Wonderful Fine Day for a Sculpin Named Sam (1983)
- On a Wing and a Wish: Salt Water Bird Rhymes (1992)[6]
Further reading
- Williamson, Margie. Four Maritime Poets: a survey of the works of Alden Nowlan, Fred Cogswell, Raymond Fraser and Al Pittman, as they reflect the spirit and culture of the Maritime people . Thesis (M.A.), Dalhousie University, 1973 [microform].
References
- ^ a b "Al Pittman (1940-2001)". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site.
- ^ a b "Al Pittman". Atlantic Canadian Poets' Archive. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ a b c d e f "Nfld. poet, playwright Al Pittman dead at 61". Theglobeandmail.com. August 28, 2001. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ISBN 978-1-55081-199-5.
- ISBN 978-0-919519-66-4.
- ISBN 978-0-920911-64-8.