Beyond Forgetting, a new collection of poems edited by Howard White and Emma Skagen, celebrates the life of Canadian poet Al Purdy, who died in 2000. The book features poems by writers who have met, known, or been inspired by Purdy.
Beyond Forgetting is being released to honour 100 years since Purdy’s birth, and it shares reflections of his life and influence. There are copious Canadian references and tales of Purdy coming in as a guest in poetry classes and captivating everyone when he spoke.
The poems themselves can jump from subject to subject quickly. One poem will speak of a time when Purdy was having a conversation about the BC medical plan, and the next poem will talk about Elvis Presley being an alien. This creates a strange fluidity from poem to poem that wouldn’t be there if the poems were all written by one poet. Although some of the poems may be ambiguous, others are about memories that the writer has shared with Purdy.
With Purdy being a Canadian poet, it’s refreshing to see so many poems speak of what we as Canadians love, from poems about Canadian beer that students had the pleasure to share with Purdy to ones about otters drifting in the water that Purdy loved to visit.
The poems’ emotional tones also vary, but they all share a fondness of this man, and the love of poetry that Purdy shared with the writers.
It’s heartwarming to see the impact Purdy had on students, friends, and colleagues, and the passion that he’s passed on. The title of this anthology is a reference to the everlasting effect that a person can have.
If you’ve been affected by Purdy’s poetry, or are interested in Canadian poetry at all, I recommend reading this tribute in honour of his life and work. It’s really quite beautiful to see how these poets decided to remember and pay homage to Purdy.