Erín Moure
Erín Moure is a Canadian poet and translator with eighteen books of poetry, a co-authored book of poetry, a volume of essays, a book of articles on translation, a poetics, and two memoirs.
She has translated or co-translated twenty one books of poetry and two of biopoetics from French, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, and Ukrainian, by poets such as Nicole Brossard, Andrés Ajens, Chantal Neveu, Rosalía de Castro, Chus Pato, Uxío Novoneyra, Lupe Gómez, Fernando Pessoa, and Yuri Izdryk.
Three of her own books have been translated; one of each in German, Galician, and French. Her work has received the Governor General’s Award twice, Pat Lowther Memorial Award, A. M. Klein Prize twice, has been a three-time finalist for the Griffin Prize and three-time finalist in the USA for a Best Translated Book Award.
Her latest literary work is The Elements and Theophylline: an a-poretic migration will appear in 2023. Her work is rooted in a philosophical mix that accepts mystery, not always immediately accessible.
She has won several prizes, including the Governor General's Award twice.
Early and personal life
Her mother was born in 1924 in present-day western Ukraine, and emigrated to Canada in 1929. Her father, born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1925 was a great-grandson of the painter George Théodore Berthon. Erín Moure is the oldest of three, having two younger brothers.In 1975, Moure moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she took her second year classes at the University of British Columbia in philosophy. After only one academic year, she left the University of British Columbia and got a job at Via Rail Canada where she continued to write poetry. This is where she learned French.
She learned Galician in the early 21st century in order to translate the poetry of Chus Pato. She also translates from Portuguese, Spanish and English.
She lives in Montreal, Quebec.
Writing and style
During an interview in the early 1990s, she has cited four major influences which led her to become a writer, other than the work of other writers or poets: "Landscape of cars, her mother going to work, her mother teaching her to read, and in a small way losing her sense of touch."Many years ago, Melissa Jacques wrote, "Erin Moure's poetry is fragmented, meta-critical, and explicitly deconstructive. Folding everyday events and ordinary people into complex and often irresolvable philosophical dilemmas, Moure challenges the standards of accessibility and common sense. Not surprisingly, her work has met with a mixed response. Critics are often troubled by the difficult and therefore alienating nature of the writing; even amongst Moure's advocates, the issues of accessibility and political efficacy are recurrent themes."
Moure has been nominated for and won several literary awards for her writing and her translation. These include the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, the Governor General's Award for poetry, the A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry, the Best Translated Book Award for poetry, and the Nelson Ball Prize.
Her most recent poetry book, The Elements, appeared in 2019.
Awards and honours
- 1988 Governor General's Award for English-language poetry for the volume Furious.
- 2014 Best Translated Book Award, poetry, shortlist for White Piano by Nicole Brossard, from the French
- Griffin Poetry Prize biography
- 2017 Harvard University 2017 WPR Creative fellowship, RESONANCE: A MODERNISM with Erin Moure
- 2021 Governor General's Award for French to English translation - ''This Radiant Life''
Works of poetry
Empire, York Street, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 1979 The Whisky Vigil, Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 1981Wanted Alive, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 1983Domestic Fuel, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 1985 Furious, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 1988 WSW, Montreal: Véhicule Press, 1989 A Frame of the Book, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 1999Pillage Laud, Montreal: Moveable Type Books, 1999O Cidadán, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2002 Little Theatres, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2005 O Cadoiro, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2007Expeditions of a Chimæra, Toronto: Book*hug Press, 2009 O Resplandor, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2010 The Unmemntioable, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2012Insecession a dual book with Chus Pato's Secession, Toronto: Book*hug Press, 2014Kapusta, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2015- The Elements, Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2019
Translations from other languages
Installations – 2000, translation with Robert Majzels from French of Nicole Brossard's InstallationsSheep's Vigil by a Fervent Person translation from Portuguese of Fernando Pessoa / Alberto Caeiro's O Guardador de Rebanhos- 2001 Museum of Bone and Water – 2003, translation with Robert Majzels from French of Nicole Brossard's Musée de l'os et de l'eauNotebook of Roses and Civilization – 2007, translation with Robert Majzels from French of Nicole Brossard's Cahier de roses & de civilisation Charenton – 2007, translation from Galician of Chus Pato's CharentonQuase Flanders, Quase Extremadura – 2008, translation from Spanish of excerpts from the poetry of Andrés Ajensm-Talá – 2009, translation from Galician of Chus Pato's m-TaláHordes of Writing – 2011, translation from Galician of Chus Pato's Hordas de escrituraJust Like Her – 2011, translation from French of Louise Dupré's Tout come elleWhite Piano – 2013, translation with Robert Majzels from French of Nicole Brossard's Piano blancGalician Songs – 2013, translation from Galician of Rosalia de Castro's Cantares GallegosSecession – 2014, translation from Galician of Chus Pato's SecesiónFlesh of Leviathan – 2016, translation from Galician of Chus Pato's Carne de LeviatánNew Leaves – 2016, translation from Galician of Rosalia de Castro's Follas NovasMy Dinosaur – 2016, translation from French of François Turcot's Mon dinosaure- Paraguayan Sea – 2017, translated from Portunhol and Guarani to Frenglish and Guarani of Wilson Bueno's Mar paraguayo
- Camouflage – 2019, translated from Galician of Lupe Gómez's Camuflaxe
- The Uplands: Book of the Courel and other poems – 2020, translated from Galician of Uxío Novoneyra's Os Eidos and other poems
- This Radiant Life – 2020, translated from French of Chantal Neveu's La vie radieuse
- The Face of the Quartzes – 2021, translated from Galician of Chus Pato's ''Un libre favor''