Norman Levine

Norman Levine was UNB’s first writer-in-residence for the 1965-66 academic year. Having spent a great deal of time in England where he published his first book, Levine returned to Canada for the year with a poor reputation. His 1958 travel book Canada Made Me allegedly undermined the burgeoning movement of Canadian nationalism at the time. UNB English professor Desmond Pacey, however, found the book to be a “‘pleasant change’ from the usual boosterism of travel literature”, and was thus interested in making Levine a candidate for the university’s first writer-in-residence. Other writers in this deliberation between Pacey and the Canada Council included Leonard Cohen, Alden Nowlan, and Ernest Buckler. Levine’s appointment was ultimately finalized and approved in March of 1964. During his residency, Levine gave a number of public talks on writing to the university community, met with students, and wrote a monthly article for the Atlantic Advocate that focused a particular creative writer’s oeuvre, as well as acting as its literary advisor. Nowlan would later criticize Levine for not making himself available often enough to students.

Sources:

UA Case 191; Section 2; Files 1-2; Norman Levine