Alberta writer Sid Marty wins inaugural $10K Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize
Oldman's River brings together new and old work
Sid Marty has won the first ever Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize for his collection Oldman's River: New and Collected Poems.
The Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize is a $10,000 award that recognizes the best new book of Canadian poetry.
Oldman's River brings together Marty's lyrical, intimate poetry both new and old, published and unpublished. Firmly rooted in the prairies, Alberta and the mountains of British Columbia, the poems celebrate rural life and call for the protection of the natural world.
Marty is an Alberta-based writer of five books of poetry and five books of nonfiction. He was twice shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for nonfiction for Leaning on the Wind: Under the Spell of the Great Chinook and The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek. His poetry books include Headwaters and Sky Humour.
The inaugural Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize winner was selected by Eurithe Purdy in consultation with trusted advisors and literary experts.
"Sid Marty is a plain-spoken poet with a distinctive Canadian voice very much in the Purdy tradition," said Eurithe Purdy in a release. "In fact, he was a good friend of Al's and got his first big break when Al included him in the landmark anthology Storm Warning: The New Canadian Poets in 1971."
"Since that time, Sid has continued to make consistently high-quality contributions to Canadian writing, both in prose and poetry. Oldman's River is a major work bringing together the best of Sid's poetry over more than fifty years, as well as impressive new writing."
The prize was founded in honour of poet Al Purdy and the winner was announced on the 24th anniversary of his death.
Al Purdy published over 30 poetry collections, a novel, two memoirs and four books of letters over his 50-year career. Known as Canada's unofficial poet laureate, he received two Governor General's Literary Awards for poetry for The Cariboo Horses and The Collected Poems of Al Purdy.
He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1982 and won the League of Canadian Poets' Voice of the Land Award, recognizing his contributions to Canadian poetry.
Future winners of the prize will be selected by a panel of judges including poets, critics and academics. The submission details are not yet finalized but will be announced when they are available.
