Dorothy Livesay Archive
One of Canada’s leading twentieth-century poets, Dorothy Livesay (1909–1996) began writing at a very young age, and her first book of poetry—Green Pitcher (1928)—was published when she was only nineteen years old. The winner of two Governor General’s Literary Awards and the Lorne Pierce Medal from the Royal Society of Canada, she was also an Officer of the Order of Canada. Between 1951 and 1984, Livesay was an instructor and writer-in-residence at many Canadian universities, including the University of Alberta. The Dorothy Livesay Archive (or "fonds") in Bruce Peel Special Collections consists of approximately 1,470 manuscript poems, dated 1919–1974, in various formats—handwritten, typed, or mimeographed—many of which were never published, as well as book proofs and correspondence with Ryerson Press.
Getting started: Most student researchers will want to employ a series of keyword searches in the University of Alberta Library catalogue in order to find published materials by and about Dorothy Livesay, in both print and digital formats, in all U of A library locations and collections. To examine archival materials in this collection, researchers can identify which files might be of interest using the collection’s finding aid. For more information about research in the Peel library, see Finding and Requesting Peel Library Materials.
Further resources: Also housed in the Peel library, the McKnight Collection showcases the publishing activities of Dorothy Livesay and her contemporaries. Related collections include the Dorothy Livesay fonds at University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections—an extensive collection of manuscripts, family and business correspondence, photographs, and sound recordings—as well as a smaller collection of Livesay’s personal and business correspondence at Queen’s University Archives and the Livesay case study in “Historical Perspectives on Canadian Publishing” in the McMaster Library's Digital Collections.
Collection Formats: 20th Century -- click to see other collections with this format
Author's proof of the title page for The Unquiet Bed, 1966 (PS 8523 I95 Z46 4.4).
Cover of Livesay's second poetry notebook, 1927-1931 (PS 8523 I95 Z46 2.2).
Inside cover and first page of Livesay's first poetry notebook, 1926-1927 (PS 8523 I95 Z46 2.1).
Correspondence from Georgeanna Hamilton of the Ryerson Press Advertising Department to Livesay, 25 Oct 1968 (PS 8523 I95 Z46 3.20).
Manuscript and typescript copies of a poem entitled "Song of a Philander," dated 15 April 1924 (PS 8523 I95 Z46 1.2).