The Canadian Forum was a literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine (1920–2000). ^[1]

History and profile

The Canadian Forum, A Monthly Journal of Literature and Public Affairs, was founded on 14 May 1920 ^[2] at the University of Toronto as a forum for political and cultural ideas. Its first directors were G. E. Jackson, chairman, Barker Fairley, literary editor, C. B. Sissons, ^[3] political editor, Peter Sandiford, ^[4] business manager and Huntly Gordon, press editor. ^[5] Throughout its publishing run it was Canadian nationalist and progressive in outlook. ^[1]

Politically, it was a forum for thinkers such as Frank Underhill, F. R. Scott, Ramsay Cook, Mel Watkins, John Alan Lee, Eugene Forsey ^[1] and Robert Fulford. ^[6] Poetry and short stories by Irving Layton, Earle Birney, A. J. M. Smith, Harold Standish, Helen Weinzweig, Margaret Atwood, ^[1] Al Purdy and E. J. Pratt, ^[7] appeared ^[6] as well as editorials, ^[8] reviews and articles discussing art and artists, sometimes written by the artists themselves, such as A. Y. Jackson, ^[9] or Lawren Harris. ^[10] J. E. H. MacDonald ^[11] and Bertram Brooker ^[12] even contributed their poetry.

The Forum prided itself on reproducing a picture by a Canadian artist in each issue, "selected by competent critics", ^[13] though leaning towards the progressive side in art, at least in the early years. ^[14] Art editors included Pegi Nicol MacLeod. ^[15] Among the artists who lent their work to the publication the most often used was Thoreau MacDonald but a pen sketch by Tom Thomson (now lost) also appeared. ^[16] It published the art work of the Group of Seven and many other artists in black-and-white, one work per issue. The full range of the artists published in the Forum was discussed in the Fiftieth Anniversary issue in a lengthy article by the then art editor (1970-1975) Joan Murray. ^[17]

In 1934, publisher Steven Cartwright purchased the periodical from J.M. Dent & Sons. ^[18] After owning it for about a year, Cartwright unloaded the money-losing venture for one dollar to Graham Spry a member of the socially progressive think tank the League for Social Reconstruction (LSR). ^[18] It was printed using Spy's printing press company, Stafford Printers, which also printed the Ontario CCF's newspaper The New Commonwealth. ^[18] Spry purchased the press with financial help from both the LSR and English socialist Sir Stafford Cripps, hence the name Stafford Press. ^[18] in 1936, the LSR bought the Forum for one-dollar from Spry, and assumed all its debts. ^[19] University of Toronto Classics professor George Grube, a member of the LSR, became the editor in 1937. ^[20] During his tenure, the periodical was the LSR's official organ. ^[21] Grube stepped down as editor in 1941, about a year before the LSR officially disbanded. ^[20] It has also been operated at times as a co-operative and was owned for a number of years by James Lorimer and Co. ^[1]

Editors have included Mark Farrell, ^[22] G. M. A. Grube, ^[20] J. Francis White, Northrop Frye, Milton Wilson, Abraham Rotstein, Denis Smith and the final editor Duncan Cameron. ^[1]

The magazine suspended publication following its summer 2000 issue. ^[6] The Canadian Forum Archives (1953-1978) is at Trent University Library and Archives in Peterborough, Ontario. ^[23]

Notes

References

• Horn, Michiel (1980). The League for Social Reconstruction: Intellectual origins of the democratic left in Canada, 1930–1942. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN  0-8020-5487-0.
• Podlecki, Anthony J. (1994). Ward W. Briggs Jr. (ed.). Biographical Dictionary of North American Classicists. Wesport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN  0-313-24560-6.

External links

• Archival papers of Gilbert Edward Jackson, Editor (1920–1925), are held at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services