Henry Beissel

Henry Eric Beissel (born 12 April 1929 Cologne) is a writer and editor who has published 24 volumes of poetry, six books of plays, a non-fiction book on Canada, two anthologies of plays intended for use in high schools, and numerous essays and pieces of short fiction.[1]

Henry Beissel
Born
Henry Eric Beissel

(1929-04-12) April 12, 1929
Cologne, Germany
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
Occupation(s)Writer and editor

Biography

Henry Beissel was born in Cologne, Germany, and survived the second World war as a youth. He came to Canada in 1951.[2]

He first came to national attention with the controversial literary/political journal Edge (Edmonton 1963 – Montreal 1969).[3]

Beissel's internationally successful Inuk and the Sun ("a mythic masterpiece", Sherrill Grace) premiered at the Stratford Festival of Canada in 1973. This was followed by a U.S. premiere in 1977 at The Other Theatre in Chicago's Bernard Horwich Jewish Community Center with a musical score by Douglas L. Lieberman. The Other Theatre also commissioned Under Coyote's Eye and performed it at the Field Museum of Natural History. Beissel's work has been translated into many languages.

Beissel had a long teaching career in English literature, and later in creative writing, which started as a teaching fellow at the University of Toronto. He taught at the University of Munich (1960–62), the University of Alberta (1962–64) and Concordia University (Montreal) (1966–96), from which he retired as distinguished emeritus professor of English.[4]

He lives with his wife, Arlette Francière, in Ottawa.[4]

Awards

Beissel has received several awards. The first was the Norma Epstein Award for Creative Writing in 1958 at University of Toronto, and the last was the Walter-Bauer Literaturpreis, Merseburg (Germany), 1994.

Selected bibliography
  • New Wings for Icarus. Toronto: Coach House, 1966.
  • A Different Sun (poems by Walter Bauer translated from the German). Ottawa: Oberon, 1976.
  • Inuk and the Sun. Toronto: Gage, 1980.
  • Under Coyote's Eye. Dunvegan, Ontario: Quadrant, 1980.
  • Improvisations for Mr. X & the Noose. Dunvegan, Ontario: Cormorant, 1989.
  • Kanada. Romantik und Wirklichkeit (with photographs by Janis Kraulis). Innsbruck: Pinguin Verlag, 1981.
  • Cantos North. Moonbeam, Ontario: Penumbra, 1982.
  • Season of Blood. Toronto: Mosaic, 1984.
  • A Thistle In His Mouth (poems by Peter Huchel translated from the German). Dunvegan, Ontario: Cormorant Books, 1987.
  • The Noose & Improvisations for Mister X. Dunvegan, Ontario: Cormorant, 1989.
  • Dying I was Born. Waterloo, Ontario: Penumbra, 1992.
  • Stones to Harvest. Gooderich, Ontario: Moonstone, 1993.
  • Across the Sun's Warp. Ottawa: BuschekBooks, 2003.

Plays
  • The Curve, University of Alberta, 1963
  • A Trumpet For Nap, Little Angel Theatre, London, England. 1970
  • Are You Afraid of Thieves?, Universite du Quebec, 1973, La Troupe Brin'si
  • Inook And The Sun, The Stratford Festival, Canada, 1973
  • For Crying Out Loud, Char-Lan Theatre Workshop, Williamstown, Ontario. 1975
  • Goya, Montreal Theatre Lab, 1976
  • Under Coyote's Eye, Other Theatre, Chicago, 1978
  • The Emigrants, Saidye Bronfman Centre, Montreal. 1981
  • Hedda Gabler, Saidye Bronfman Centre, Montreal. 1982 (translation)
  • The Noose, University of Winnipeg, 1985
  • The Glass Mountain, University of Winnipeg, Manitoba. 1990 [5]

References
  1. "Henry Beissel". The Writers' Union of Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  2. Melnyk, George (1998). The Literary History of Alberta Volume Two: From the End of the War to the End of the Century. University of Alberta. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-88864-324-7. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  3. "Think or Sink, with Dr.Henry Beissel". Centre for Inquiry. Archived from the original on 2011-03-25. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  4. "Henry Beissel". Playwrights Canada Press. Archived from the original on 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  5. "doollee.com - the playwrights database of modern plays". www.doollee.com.
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