Item 0004 - Correspondence with George Woodcock

In the autumn of 1958, Roy Daniells, Head of UBC’s Department of English, English professor Stanley E. Read, and university librarians Inglis Bell and Neal Harlow invited lecturer George Woodcock to edit a University of British Columbia quarterly devoted solely to the critical discussion of Canadian writing. Woodcock accepted and in Autumn 1959 the first issue of Canadian Literature was published. Its title asserted their belief that Canada had its own distinct literature—a concept doubted by some individuals in the literary community, who questioned the existence of a national literature and predicted that the journal would run out of material after only a few issues. However, Woodcock’s highly personal style, his previous experience with English magazine publication, and his international range of contacts helped ensure the journal’s initial success. The arrival of numerous new and talented writers in the 1960s and 1970s, including Margaret Atwood, Margaret Laurence, Mordecai Richler, among others, solidified Canadian Literature’s position as the venue for the critical discussion of Canadian writing. Moreover, as a specialist in Canadian studies, Donald Stephens was Woodcock’s assistant editor from the beginning of 1959 until 1977. Rather than facing a shortage of submissions, Woodcock had to become increasingly selective about which articles and reviews he published. His commitment to publishing for a general readership and the lively seriousness that he encouraged in critical writing helped foster a wider academic interest in the Canadian literary field. Woodcock retired in 1977 after editing 73 issues.

After Woodcock retired, UBC invited W. H. New to edit the journal. New had been an assistant editor at Canadian Literature since 1965 and, as a respected voice in Canadian literary criticism, he had the reputation, expertise, and vision to ensure the journal’s continuing success. While preserving the essence of the journal as a general critical magazine, New addressed and adjusted to new developments in Canadian literature by introducing a more thorough examination of connections between cultural and intellectual history. With the help of Associate Editors Eva-Marie Kröller and Laurie Ricou, he planned special issues on areas they felt were underrepresented in Canadian criticism. Issues on Asian Canadian writing, Caribbean Canadian writing, and other minority literatures in Canada were the result. Canadian Literature has also published three special issues on Aboriginal writing (#124/5, #161/2, and #167). W. H. New was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1986. He stepped down in 1995 after 72 issues and 18 years as Editor. In 2007, the Governor General named New an Officer of the Order of Canada.