Dorothy Livesay (1909-1996) was a major figure in the rise of modernist poetry in Canada. She published twenty-one volumes of poetry during her lifetime, leaving behind hundreds of poems, many of which were published posthumously in

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(1998). She was also a dramatist, literary critic, short story writer, magazine editor, and journalist. Livesay's work is politically oriented. From the radical politics of the Communist Party of Canada in the 1930s, she migrated to the socialist politics of the New Democratic Party of Canada after the Second World War, and she maintained a feminist perspective throughout her life. Livesay mentored generations of Canadian poets through teaching, editing two anthologies of Canadian women's poetry, and founding

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Citation: Kelly, Peggy Lynn. "Dorothy Livesay". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 February 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2759, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2759 Dorothy Livesay 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.

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