Peter Sanger
Biography
Peter Sanger - photo courtesy of gaspereau.com
Peter Sanger was born in 1943 in Bewdley, Worestershire, England and in 1953 immigrated to Canada. Sanger attended the University of Melbourne for his Bachelor of Arts Degree, the University of Victoria for his Masters Degree, and Acadia University for his Bachelor of Education Degree. After receiving his education, Sanger worked in Ontario, British Colombia, and Newfoundland as a teacher and professor. Sanger eventually settled down in 1970 in Nova Scotia, teaching at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College as the head of the Humanities Department from 1972 until 1998, receiving the professor of Emeritus award.
Sanger’s literary career includes poetry, prose, and biographies. His first published book, The America Reel (Pottersfield Press, 1983) was followed by numerous publications, such as his early poetry collections earth moth (Gooselane Editions, 1991), The Third Hand (Anchorage Press, 1994), and After Monteverdi (Harrier Editions, 1997). Sanger has been the poetry editor for the Nova Scotia Literary Journal The Antigonish Review since 1985, during which time he has helped record and preserve rural life and history in Atlantic Canada through the establishment and development of the Agricola Archival Collection, which holds local images, books, and artifacts. In 2012, Sanger received
a Doctor of Litters from Dalhousie University.
Sanger’s literary career includes poetry, prose, and biographies. His first published book, The America Reel (Pottersfield Press, 1983) was followed by numerous publications, such as his early poetry collections earth moth (Gooselane Editions, 1991), The Third Hand (Anchorage Press, 1994), and After Monteverdi (Harrier Editions, 1997). Sanger has been the poetry editor for the Nova Scotia Literary Journal The Antigonish Review since 1985, during which time he has helped record and preserve rural life and history in Atlantic Canada through the establishment and development of the Agricola Archival Collection, which holds local images, books, and artifacts. In 2012, Sanger received
a Doctor of Litters from Dalhousie University.
(Hector Saint-Denys-Garneau, 1912-1943)
Shrike in his cage of bone,
a thin bell singing, slit
with the usual concision
before there was time to take
out each word, partly fill
it with light, tell it: Look
you are almost human, I
nearly forgive you. I know
you must also die
like the sound of that flute
I set in the wind’s throat.
And the word’s black script
fell away, flying back
on the water, whose
river rose in him and broke.
Shrike in his cage of bone,
a thin bell singing, slit
with the usual concision
before there was time to take
out each word, partly fill
it with light, tell it: Look
you are almost human, I
nearly forgive you. I know
you must also die
like the sound of that flute
I set in the wind’s throat.
And the word’s black script
fell away, flying back
on the water, whose
river rose in him and broke.
Asked to say
how it’s done, she
told me to watch
with stillness and
silence, apparent
indifference, look
elsewhere at
something beyond
where I looked,
use the edge of
an eye, and kneeling
she lifted a dun-
coloured leaf from
its drift rigged
by diagonal veins
holding frayed
segments which slowly
adhered into
wings, and this moth
where we’re
somewhere apart.
All poems published in earth moth. (Gooselane Editions, 1991).
Used with permission of the author.
how it’s done, she
told me to watch
with stillness and
silence, apparent
indifference, look
elsewhere at
something beyond
where I looked,
use the edge of
an eye, and kneeling
she lifted a dun-
coloured leaf from
its drift rigged
by diagonal veins
holding frayed
segments which slowly
adhered into
wings, and this moth
where we’re
somewhere apart.
All poems published in earth moth. (Gooselane Editions, 1991).
Used with permission of the author.
Critical Analysis: The Individual Story within a World of Similarity
Monica Grasse (ACPA Managing Editor, 2016) & Kelsey Armour (Advanced Poetry Workshop)
Through the sequence of his two poems “Earth Moth” and “Collocution,” Peter Sanger depicts nature as a story that is always being written and waiting to be read. As readers of this story, we are asked to find a personal connection with the words on the page in order to realize that nature’s beauty, yet inevitable death, will ultimately help us find a deeper meaning for our own lives.
Sanger begins writing nature’s story with his eponymous poem “Earth Moth,” which relates a conversation between a girl and an unknown narrator. While talking, the girl challenges the narrator to look “beyond” what is in front of them by using the “edge of an eye.” The girl’s request presents the idea nature’s beauty cannot be found upon first glance (8, 10). Initially, the narrator does not see what the girl is trying to show them; instead, they perceive an “apparent/indifference,” or nothing out of the ordinary (5-6). To prove this “indifference,” (6) Sanger’s narrator describes in detail the leaf the girl picks up by writing of its “dun-coloured” appearance and how it is “rigged/by diagonal veins” (14-15). However, after closer observation, this common leaf slowly becomes the “wings” of a moth (19) – the earth moth had blended into the ground so well that the narrator did not know of its existence until the girl asked them to be “still[-]” and “silen[t]” (4, 5). After listening to her, the narrator comes to an understanding that nature’s beauty is found in the gift of being individual amongst a world of similarity. Although the earth moth is an insect and not a human, the narrator understands that it has a story just as humans do. It is individuality that allows us to share nature but still dwell “somewhere apart” from them within it (21).
Despite the unique story all inhabitants of nature are graced with, there are some experiences that are shared. One of these experiences is, inevitably and unfortunately, death. Sanger’s poem “Collocution” explores the unfair ending to every creature’s story through great imagery and with startling voice. “Collocution” strongly contrasts “Earth Moth”’s realization of beauty with the narrator’s encounter with death. With morbid imagery, the second poem depicts a creature that “Shrike[s] in his cage of bone” (1). Although the caged creature is clearly an animal, as defined by the narrator’s admission “you are almost human,” Sanger’s generic image could easily represent a human (7). This representation is furthered as the narrator admits that “I know/you must also die,” indicating empathy for the creature and their shared, inescapable death, and simultaneously serving as an admission of the predestined fate they will also encounter (8-9).
The narrator’s understanding of the natural cycle of life, which begins in “Earth Moth” and comes to end in “Collocution,” forms a story written by an outside, uncontrolled power. This is seen when considering the two poems as depictions of birth and death, but also through the narrator’s mention of the “word[s]” that seem to be writing over top of these events. When the caged animal in “Collocution” comes to the end of its life, the narrator notes the fast approach of death that sometimes robs the ability to “take/out each word” that was regretted and would otherwise be “partly fill/…with light,” or happier, more innocent thoughts (4-5, 5-6). Regret however, is as inevitable as death, which is not always foreseen, but will rather cease to exist: “word’s black script//fell away” (12-13).
As an individual poem, “Earth Moth” brings a story of hope and realization to the narrator about the beauty that is in nature for everyone and everything to experience. In contrast, “Collocution” reminds readers that the end of life will come for both humans and animals. For these reasons, when the two poems are read together, Sanger creates an understanding that neither the human nor the animal differs greatly from one another. With this in mind, Sanger’s readers will learn to appreciate the individual story of life that all creatures share.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Sanger, Peter. “Colloucation.” earth moth. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 1991.
---. “Earth Moth.” earth moth. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 1991.
Through the sequence of his two poems “Earth Moth” and “Collocution,” Peter Sanger depicts nature as a story that is always being written and waiting to be read. As readers of this story, we are asked to find a personal connection with the words on the page in order to realize that nature’s beauty, yet inevitable death, will ultimately help us find a deeper meaning for our own lives.
Sanger begins writing nature’s story with his eponymous poem “Earth Moth,” which relates a conversation between a girl and an unknown narrator. While talking, the girl challenges the narrator to look “beyond” what is in front of them by using the “edge of an eye.” The girl’s request presents the idea nature’s beauty cannot be found upon first glance (8, 10). Initially, the narrator does not see what the girl is trying to show them; instead, they perceive an “apparent/indifference,” or nothing out of the ordinary (5-6). To prove this “indifference,” (6) Sanger’s narrator describes in detail the leaf the girl picks up by writing of its “dun-coloured” appearance and how it is “rigged/by diagonal veins” (14-15). However, after closer observation, this common leaf slowly becomes the “wings” of a moth (19) – the earth moth had blended into the ground so well that the narrator did not know of its existence until the girl asked them to be “still[-]” and “silen[t]” (4, 5). After listening to her, the narrator comes to an understanding that nature’s beauty is found in the gift of being individual amongst a world of similarity. Although the earth moth is an insect and not a human, the narrator understands that it has a story just as humans do. It is individuality that allows us to share nature but still dwell “somewhere apart” from them within it (21).
Despite the unique story all inhabitants of nature are graced with, there are some experiences that are shared. One of these experiences is, inevitably and unfortunately, death. Sanger’s poem “Collocution” explores the unfair ending to every creature’s story through great imagery and with startling voice. “Collocution” strongly contrasts “Earth Moth”’s realization of beauty with the narrator’s encounter with death. With morbid imagery, the second poem depicts a creature that “Shrike[s] in his cage of bone” (1). Although the caged creature is clearly an animal, as defined by the narrator’s admission “you are almost human,” Sanger’s generic image could easily represent a human (7). This representation is furthered as the narrator admits that “I know/you must also die,” indicating empathy for the creature and their shared, inescapable death, and simultaneously serving as an admission of the predestined fate they will also encounter (8-9).
The narrator’s understanding of the natural cycle of life, which begins in “Earth Moth” and comes to end in “Collocution,” forms a story written by an outside, uncontrolled power. This is seen when considering the two poems as depictions of birth and death, but also through the narrator’s mention of the “word[s]” that seem to be writing over top of these events. When the caged animal in “Collocution” comes to the end of its life, the narrator notes the fast approach of death that sometimes robs the ability to “take/out each word” that was regretted and would otherwise be “partly fill/…with light,” or happier, more innocent thoughts (4-5, 5-6). Regret however, is as inevitable as death, which is not always foreseen, but will rather cease to exist: “word’s black script//fell away” (12-13).
As an individual poem, “Earth Moth” brings a story of hope and realization to the narrator about the beauty that is in nature for everyone and everything to experience. In contrast, “Collocution” reminds readers that the end of life will come for both humans and animals. For these reasons, when the two poems are read together, Sanger creates an understanding that neither the human nor the animal differs greatly from one another. With this in mind, Sanger’s readers will learn to appreciate the individual story of life that all creatures share.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Sanger, Peter. “Colloucation.” earth moth. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 1991.
---. “Earth Moth.” earth moth. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 1991.
Bibliography
Primary Sources: Poetry
Sanger, Peter. After Monteverdi. Sackville: Harrier Editions, 1997.
---. Aiken Drum. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2006.
---. Arborealis. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2005.
---. earth moth. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 1991.
---. Fireship: Early Poems - 1965-1991. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2013.
---. Ironworks. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia, Poems by Peter Sanger. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 1995.
---. John Stokes' Horse. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2012.
---. Kerf. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2002.
---. Odysseus Asleep. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2019.
---. Snow Fence. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2017.
---. The America Reel. Porter's Lake: Pottersfield Press, 1983.
---. The Third Hand. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 1994.
Primary Sources: Prose
Sanger, Peter. Afterword. Still Deep & Sweet by Henry David Thoreau. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2019.
---. As the Eyes of Lyncaeus: A Celebration for Douglas Lochhead. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 1990.
---. Her Kindled Shadow: An Introduction to the Work of Richard Outram. Antigonish: The Antigonish Review, 2001.
---. Laminae. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2007.
---. Night Sea Voyage: John Thompson.” Arc Poetry Magazine 62 (2009): 72-85.
---. Of Things Unknown: Critical Essays, 1978-2015, Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2015.
---. Oikos: an essay /. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2014.
---. “The Real Round of the Saying: An Introduction to the Poetry of Douglas Lochhead.” The Antigonish Review 76 (1989): 129-50.
---. Sea Run: Notes on John Thompson's ‘Stilt Jack’. Antigonish: Xavier Press, 1986.
---. Spar: Words in Place. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2002.
---. Through Darkling Air: The Poetry of Richard Outram. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2010.
---. Walden Pond Revisited. Ills.Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2004.
---. Water. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2012.
---. White Salt Mountain: Words in Time. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2005.
---, Elizabeth Paul and Alan Syliboy. The Stone Canoe: Two Lost Mi'kmaq Texts. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2007.
Primary Sources: Editor
Bishop, Elizabeth. Divisions of the Heart: Elizabeth Bishop and the Art of Memory and Place. Eds. Gwendolyn Davies, Sandra Berry, and Peter Sanger. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2001.
Holownia, Thaddeus. Lightfield: The Photography of Thaddeus Holownia. Ed. Peter Sanger. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2018.
Thompson, John. John Thompson: Collected Poems and Translations. Ed. Peter Sanger. Fredericton: Gooselane, 1995.
---. Working in the Dark: Homage to John Thompson. Ed. Peter Sanger. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2014.
Secondary Sources
Fillmore, Sarah, and Peter Sanger. The Nature of Nature: The Photographs of Thaddeus Holownia, 1976-2016. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2017.
Goldstein, David. "Poetry Review by David Goldstein: Leaping Beauty of Peter Sanger's New Poems. The Malahat Review. n.d.
"Interview with Peter Sanger." arcpoetry.ca. Arc Poetry Magazine 56 (2006).
Neilson, Shane. " On Peter Sanger's Of Things Unknown." samizdatpress.typepad.com. Hamilton Arts & Letters 9.2 (2016).
“Peter Sanger: May 2012 Honorary Degree Recipient.” dal.ca. Dalhousie University, May 2012.
“White Salt Mountain: Words in Time.” gaspereaupress.ca. the Catalogue, 21 Aug. 2013.
Sanger, Peter. After Monteverdi. Sackville: Harrier Editions, 1997.
---. Aiken Drum. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2006.
---. Arborealis. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2005.
---. earth moth. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 1991.
---. Fireship: Early Poems - 1965-1991. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2013.
---. Ironworks. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia, Poems by Peter Sanger. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 1995.
---. John Stokes' Horse. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2012.
---. Kerf. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2002.
---. Odysseus Asleep. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2019.
---. Snow Fence. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2017.
---. The America Reel. Porter's Lake: Pottersfield Press, 1983.
---. The Third Hand. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 1994.
Primary Sources: Prose
Sanger, Peter. Afterword. Still Deep & Sweet by Henry David Thoreau. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2019.
---. As the Eyes of Lyncaeus: A Celebration for Douglas Lochhead. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 1990.
---. Her Kindled Shadow: An Introduction to the Work of Richard Outram. Antigonish: The Antigonish Review, 2001.
---. Laminae. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2007.
---. Night Sea Voyage: John Thompson.” Arc Poetry Magazine 62 (2009): 72-85.
---. Of Things Unknown: Critical Essays, 1978-2015, Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2015.
---. Oikos: an essay /. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2014.
---. “The Real Round of the Saying: An Introduction to the Poetry of Douglas Lochhead.” The Antigonish Review 76 (1989): 129-50.
---. Sea Run: Notes on John Thompson's ‘Stilt Jack’. Antigonish: Xavier Press, 1986.
---. Spar: Words in Place. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2002.
---. Through Darkling Air: The Poetry of Richard Outram. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2010.
---. Walden Pond Revisited. Ills.Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2004.
---. Water. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2012.
---. White Salt Mountain: Words in Time. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2005.
---, Elizabeth Paul and Alan Syliboy. The Stone Canoe: Two Lost Mi'kmaq Texts. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2007.
Primary Sources: Editor
Bishop, Elizabeth. Divisions of the Heart: Elizabeth Bishop and the Art of Memory and Place. Eds. Gwendolyn Davies, Sandra Berry, and Peter Sanger. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2001.
Holownia, Thaddeus. Lightfield: The Photography of Thaddeus Holownia. Ed. Peter Sanger. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2018.
Thompson, John. John Thompson: Collected Poems and Translations. Ed. Peter Sanger. Fredericton: Gooselane, 1995.
---. Working in the Dark: Homage to John Thompson. Ed. Peter Sanger. Ills. Thaddeus Holownia. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2014.
Secondary Sources
Fillmore, Sarah, and Peter Sanger. The Nature of Nature: The Photographs of Thaddeus Holownia, 1976-2016. Sackville: Anchorage Press, 2017.
Goldstein, David. "Poetry Review by David Goldstein: Leaping Beauty of Peter Sanger's New Poems. The Malahat Review. n.d.
"Interview with Peter Sanger." arcpoetry.ca. Arc Poetry Magazine 56 (2006).
Neilson, Shane. " On Peter Sanger's Of Things Unknown." samizdatpress.typepad.com. Hamilton Arts & Letters 9.2 (2016).
“Peter Sanger: May 2012 Honorary Degree Recipient.” dal.ca. Dalhousie University, May 2012.
“White Salt Mountain: Words in Time.” gaspereaupress.ca. the Catalogue, 21 Aug. 2013.
