Poems for All the Annettes

Originally published by Contact Press in 1962, then later by House of Anansi in 1967, and again in a revised, expanded edition in 1972, Poems for All the Annettes stands as one of the essential documents of the great Al Purdy’s career. So many beloved poems are here--＂At Roblin Lake,＂ ＂At the Quinte Hotel＂--but also so many undiscovered gems and treasures. It is at once the perfect introduction to this remarkable poet’s work and a collection rich and deep enough to satisfy even the experienced Purdy fan. This edition reproduces the final, expanded text of the 1972 edition, and features a brilliant new introduction by poet and novelist Steven Heighton, who knew Purdy well.

Al Purdy: Al Purdy (1918-2000) was twice the winner of the Governor General’s Award, a member of the Order of Ontario, and a member of the order of Canada. He published thirty-three books of poetry, along with a novel, an autobiography, and nine collections of essays and correspondence. Among his classic collections are many of Canada’s best loved books, including The Cariboo Horses, Wild Grape Wine, North of Summer, and Piling Blood.
Steven Heighton: Steven Heighton is a critically acclaimed novelist and poet. His publications include the novels Afterlands, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and The Shadow Boxer, a Canadian bestseller and a Publishers Weekly Book of the Year; and the story collections Flight Paths of the Emperor and On earth as it is. He has published four collections of poetry, including Stalin’s Carnival, which won the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award for Poetry; The Ecstasy of Skeptics, which was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry; The Address Book; and Patient Frame. His fiction and poetry have been translated into nine languages, and have appeared in the London Review of Books, Poetry, Brick, The Independent, The Malahat Review, and The Walrus. He has been the writer-in-residence at Concordia University; Massey College, University of Toronto; and McArthur College, Queen’s University. He has also taught at the Summer Literary Seminars in St Petersburg, Russia. He is currently writer-in-residence at the University of Ottawa. He lives with his family in Kingston, Ontario.