E. J. Pratt

Edwin John Dove Pratt was the dominant Canadian poet of the first half of the 20th century. Born in Newfoundland and educated in theology and psychology at Victoria College, University of Toronto, Pratt developed a muscular, rhythmic narrative style that celebrated humanity's epic struggles against elemental nature and technological hubris.

Pratt won the Governor General's Award three times—for Brébeuf and his Brethren (1940), Collected Poems (1944), and his national railway epic Towards the Last Spike (1952). He served as a beloved mentor to generations of Canadian writers and scholars.