Raymond Knister

Colin Hill (University of Toronto)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Raymond Knister was a leading writer of experimental Canadian fiction and poetry in the 1920s. Despite his pioneering role as modernist and modern realist, Knisterā€™s work has never received the attention that it merits, and his literary reputation has yet to be firmly established. While most of the criticism of his work focuses upon his collected poetry and his first published novel,

White Narcissus

(1929), he was remarkably versatile and prolific. In his decade-long career, he produced about one hundred poems, nearly as many short stories and sketches, four novels, and dozens of critical works, including essays, book reviews, editorials, and a landmark anthology of Canadian short fiction.

Knister was born to farming parents in Ruthven, near Windsor, Ontario, Canada, in 1899. His

1119 words

Citation: Hill, Colin. "Raymond Knister". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 July 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2542, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2542 Raymond Knister 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.