Dorothy Mary Gostwick Roberts (July 6, 1906 - April 23, 1993) was a Canadian poet and story writer, who spent most of her adult life in the United States.[1]
Life[]
Roberts was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick , the 3rd child of Frances (Allan) and poet and novelist Theodore Goodridge Roberts. Confederation Poet Sir Charles G.D. Roberts was her uncle..[2]
As a child she lived in England, France, Ottawa, and Toronto; the family returned to Fredericton and settled down when she was in her teens.[2]
She attended both the University of New Brunswick and Connecticut State University.[3] She then worked as a reporter for the Fredericton Daily Mail, and began publishing stories in a number of magazines.[2]
She also wrote poetry during that time; it has been said that "the high quality of her early poetry was at least partly responsible for [Charles G.D. Roberts's] own poetic rebirth in 1925 and 1926."[4] Her debut collection of poetry, a chapbook issued under the name "Gostwick Roberts", was published in 1927.[2]
In 1929 Roberts married August R. Leisner; the couple had 2 children, Anne (born 1931) and John (born 1937).[2] The family moved to Toronto in 1934, and to Ithaca, New York, in 1940. In 1945 they settled in State College (now University Park), Pennsylvania, where Leisner held a professorship of English at Pennsylvania State College (later Pennsylvania State University).[5] Roberts became a familiar figure on the Penn State campus, where she organized poetry readings and discussions.[6]
From 1938 to 1954 Roberts worked on a novel, which was never published.[2] She also wrote stories, mainly on family life, which she sold to various publications. In the late 1950s she began to seriously pursue a career in poetry.[5]. She joined the League of Canadian Poets, and published six more volumes of verse – the last in 1991, just two years before her death.[2]
She died at State College, Pennsylvania, in 1993.[6]
Recognition[]
Robers won the Northern Review award in 1951 for her short story, "Hunger".[7].
Publications[]
- Songs for Swift Feet (as "Gostwick Roberts"). Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1927.
- Dazzle. Toronto: Ryerson, 1957.
- Star and Stalk. Toronto: Emblem Books, 1959.
- Twice To Flame. Toronto: Ryerson, 1961.
- Extended. Fredericton, NB: Fiddlehead Poetry Books, 1967.
- The Self of Loss: New and selected poems. Fredericton, NB: Fiddlehead Poetry Books, 1976.
- Staying. Toronto: League of Canadian Poets, [198-?]
- In the Flight of Stars. Fredericton, NB: Goose Lane Editions, 1991.
- The Essential Dorothy Roberts. Erin, ON: Porcupine’s Quill, 2018.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[8]
See also[]
References[]
Fonds[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Biographical sketch, Dorothy Roberts and August R. Leisner fonds, University of New Brunswick, UNB,ca, Web, July 3, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Erin Watling, Dorothy Gostwick Roberts, New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia, St. Thomas University, STU.ca, Web, July 3, 2012.
- ↑ Dorothy Roberts, Canadian Women Poets, Brock University, BrockU.ca, Web, July 3, 2012.
- ↑ Introduction to August Leisner, "Charles G.D. Roberts: Mystical Poet", Studies in Canadian Literature 9:2 (1984), Web, July 3, 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dorothy Roberts, Dictionary of Literary Biography (Thomson Gale, 2005-2006), BookRags.com, Web, July 3, 2012.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Dorothy Roberts, Poet, 86," Obituaries, New York Times, Apr. 30, 1993. Web, July 23, 2012.
- ↑ Roberts, Dorothy Gostwick, Canada's Early Women Writers, Simon Fraser University. Web, Feb. 4, 2013.
- ↑ Search results = au: Dorothy Roberts 1906-1993, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Mar. 17, 2019.
External links[]
- Books
- The Essential Dorothy Roberts at Amazon.ca
- About
- Dorothy Roberts at Canadian Women Poets
- Roberts, Dorothy Gostwick at Canada's Early Women Writers
- Dorothy Gostwick Roberts in the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia
| Original Penny's Poetry Pages article, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0. |
- This is a signed article by User:George Dance. It may be edited for spelling errors or typos, but not for substantive content except by its author. If you have created a user name and verified your identity, provided you have set forth your credentials on your user page, you can add comments to the bottom of this article as peer review.
|