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David Donnell, poet, writer (born 13 October 1939 in St. Marys, ON; died 23 May 2020). Donnell’s work earned him several awards over the course of his career, such as the Canadian Comic Poet Award (1981), the Governor General’s Award for Poetry (1983), the Therafields Chapbook Award (1986) and the City of Toronto Book Award (1993).
Career Highlights
David Donnell published his first poetry collection, Poems, in 1961. His second volume, The Blue Sky, appeared in 1977. He received the Canadian Comic Poet Award in 1981, and the Governor General’s Award for Poetry in 1983 for Settlements. David Donnell's poetry is accessible, pulsing with the realities of home, street and working life.
David Donnell has also published the prose works Hemingway in Toronto: A Post Modern Tribute (1982) and a collection of short fiction, The Blue Ontario Hemingway Boat Race (1985). His book of poems Water Street Days was published in 1989. With his next book of poems, China Blues: Poems and Stories (1992), Donnell's engaging rhythms and subtle energy earned him further praise. China Blues won the City of Toronto Book Award in 1993. Dancing in the Dark, Poems and Stories appeared in 1996, followed by Sometimes a Great Notion in 2004. David Donnell lived in Toronto and wrote songs that have been performed in Toronto bars and at the Music Gallery.
Honours
David Donnell won the Canadian Comic Poet Award (1981), the Governor General’s Award for Poetry (1983), the Therafields Chapbook Award (1986) and the City of Toronto Book Award (1993).
