Poetry and Socialist Politics
Poet and painter Joe Rosenblatt (1933-2019) was a tremendously important icon of the Canadian cultural left in the 60s and 70s. Watch video »
Toronto, September 2008 – A 10 Minute Production
Poet and painter Joe Rosenblatt was a tremendously important icon of the Canadian cultural left in the 60s and 70s. Rosenblatt’s poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and periodicals in North America. In his latest book, The Lunatic Muse (Exile Editions), Rosenblatt links poetry to the personalities of Milton Acorn and Gwendolyn MacEwen, among others. He pays a passionate tribute to his mentor Milton Acorn in a signature poem “The Natural History of Elephants.”
In “Poetry and Socialist Politics,” 10 Minute Production’s latest video, Rosenblatt discusses his past experiences as an industrial worker, relationship to socialist ideas, Al Purdy and Milton Acorn, the Allan Gardens free speech movement, Canadian cultural nationalism, and the politics of poets and poetry in times of social crisis (recorded June 12, 2008).
