Robert Kroetsch: 1927 - 2011

I was very saddened to hear the news this afternoon that Robert Kroetsch, famed Canadian novelist, poet and critic, was killed in a car accident last night following a literary event in Alberta. As I mentioned in my review of his novel Badlands last year, I met Kroetsch a couple of times during my time as a graduate student in Winnipeg in 2000-2002. I know there are many writers -especially poets - around Canada who considered him a wonderful mentor and a big influence on their work. His seminal 1977 poetry collection Seed Catalogue continues to inform and inspire a lot of verse in this country, especially verse coming out of the prairie provinces. My sympathies go out to his family and friends during this time of loss.