Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Dorothy Livesay fonds
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- Textual record
- Graphic material
- Sound recording
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Fonds
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Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
23.4 m of textual records and other material.
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Dorothy Livesay was born in Winnipeg in 1909 and moved to Toronto with her parents at the age of ten. Her father, J.F.B. Livesay, was the first general manager of the Canadian Press, a war correspondent during World War I, and author of Canada's Hundred Days (1919). Her mother, Florence Randal Livesay, was a poet of distinction and a pioneer in the field of translating verse from Ukrainian into English. Dorothy Livesay studied at the University of Toronto and the Sorbonne, afterwards becoming a welfare worker, then a newspaper reporter, and finally a teacher. She taught Canadian Literature at the University of Victoria for two years. At the University of Alberta, she taught Canadian Literature and Creative Writing. She also taught in the United States and Zambia, the latter as a UNESCO field specialist. Known chiefly as a poet, Dorothy Livesay won the Lorne Pierce Medal in 1947 for distinguished service to Canadian literature. During the 1940s, she was twice honoured with the Governor-General's Award for Poetry. Some of her best-known poetry publications include Green Pitcher (1928), Call My People Home (1950), Ice Age (1975), Right Hand Left Hand (1977), The Woman I Am (1977), The Phases of Love (1983), and Journey With My Selves: a Memoir, 1909-1963 (1991). She died on December 29, 1996.
Custodial history
The fonds was donated to University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections in multiple installments between 1978 and 1988, and in 1992, 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2004 by Dorothy Livesay and her heirs.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of biographical material, correspondence, drafts, and versions of Dorothy Livesay's writings of all genres. Over half of the Livesay fonds consists of papers that are strictly non-literary yet directly related to her life and work. This material is divided into five categories: autobiographical, biographical, bibliographical, business papers regarding her writing and her personal business papers. The remainder of the manuscript collection consists of plays, reviews, poems, short stories, essays, talks and addresses, and memoirs. The photograph collection contains pictures of family and friends, places and buildings, and Dorothy Livesay herself. The tape collection consists of conversations between Livesay and others, interviews, poetry readings, radio broadcasts, music, and memoirs.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Access to certain material has been restricted and copyright restrictions apply. Copyright to Dorothy Livesay's literary works held by executors of her estate. Please check restrictions within finding aids and contact Archives staff for further information regarding copyright.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Printed finding aids are available in the Archives reading room and on-line finding aids are available at the links below:
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Alternative identifier(s)
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Status
Final
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Entered from RedDot on July 10, 2013.
Language of description
- English