Canadian Forum

The Canadian Forum, A Monthly Journal of Literature and Public Affairs, was founded on 14 May 1920{{cite book|author=Roy Macskimming|title=The Perilous Trade: "Book Publishing in Canada, 1946–2006"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7GRGg5WxNjYC&pg=PA76|accessdate=1 November 2015|date=11 January 2012|publisher=McClelland & Stewart|isbn=978-1-55199-261-7|page=76}} at the University of Toronto as a forum for political and cultural ideas. Its first directors were G. E. Jackson, chairman, Barker Fairley, literary editor, C. B. Sissons,Charles Bruce Sissons (1879–1965) political editor, Peter Sandiford,(1882–1941) business manager and Huntly Gordon, press editor.Canadian Forum, vol. 1, No. 1, Oct. 1920, p. 14 and No. 2, Nov. 1920, p. 45

Throughout its publishing run it was Canadian nationalist and progressive in outlook.

Politically, it was a forum for thinkers such as Frank Underhill, F. R. Scott, Ramsay Cook, Mel Watkins, John Alan Lee, Eugene Forsey and Robert Fulford. Poetry and short stories by Irving Layton, Earle Birney, A. J. M. Smith, Helen Weinzweig, Margaret Atwood, Al Purdy and E. J. Pratt,E. J,. Pratt, "The Ice-Floes". The Canadian Forum vol. 2 (April 1922), pp. 591-593 appeared{{cite news|last=Fulford |first=Robert |authorlink=Robert Fulford (journalist) |title=The Canadian Forum: alive or dead? |url=http://www.roberfulford.com/CanadianForum.html |accessdate=16 August 2011 |newspaper=National Post |date=2001-04-17 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728082329/http://www.robertfulford.com/CanadianForum.html |archivedate=28 July 2011 |location=Toronto |url-status=dead }} as well as editorials,"Editorial".The Canadian Forum 1 (November 1920 ), p. 27. reviews and articles discussing art and artists, sometimes written by the artists themselves, such as A. Y. Jackson,A. Y. Jackson, "Sketching in Algoma". The Canadian Forum vol. 1 (March 1921), pp. 174-175. or Lawren Harris.Lawren Harris, "Modern Art and Aesthetic Reactions". The Canadian Forum vol. 7 (May 1927), pp. 239-292. J. E. H. MacDonaldJ. E. H. MacDonald, "Poems". The Canadian Forum, vol. 2 (May 1922), p. 624. and Bertram BrookerBertram Brooker, The Canadian Forum, vol. 10 (April 1930) p. 252p. 399; vol. 11 (Nv. 1930), p. 61. even contributed their poetry. From 1928 on, critic Robert Ayre began to contribute reviews.{{cite web |last1=Valliant |first1=Lois |title=Robert Hugh Ayre (1900-1980), art -- a place in the community : reviews at The Gazette, Montreal (1935-1937) and at The Standard, Montreal (1938-1942), Masters Thesis, 1991 |url=https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/4139 |website=spectrum.library.concordia.ca |publisher=Concordia U |access-date=20 September 2024}}

The Forum prided itself on reproducing a picture by a Canadian artist in each issue, "selected by competent critics",The Canadian Forum vol. 3 (November 1922), p. 64. though leaning towards the progressive side in art, at least in the early years.Helen Frye, "Portrait of the Artist in a Young Magazine". The Canadian Forum vol. 22 (May 1942), p. 54. Art editors included Pegi Nicol MacLeod.G. Campbell McInnes, 'No. 8 - Pegi Nicol". The Canadian Forum vol. 17 (Sept. 1937), p. 202-203. Among the artists who lent their work to the publication the most often used was Thoreau MacDonald but a pen sketch by Tom Thomson (now lost) also appeared.{{cite web |title=Tom Thomson Catalogue Raisonné|url=https://www.tomthomsoncatalogue.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=439 |website=www.tomthomsoncatalogue.org |publisher=Tom Thomson Catalogue Raisonné|access-date=3 March 2024}} It published the art work of the Group of Seven and many other artists in black-and-white, one work per issue. The full range of the artists published in the Forum was discussed in the Fiftieth Anniversary issue in a lengthy article by the then art editor (1970-1975) Joan Murray.Joan Murray, "Graphics in the Forum 1920-1951". The Canadian Forum, vol. 50 (April-May 1970), pp. 42-45.

In 1934, publisher Steven Cartwright purchased the periodical from J.M. Dent & Sons.Horn (1980), p.129 After owning it for about a year, Cartwright unloaded the money-losing venture for one

dollar to Graham Spry a member of the socially progressive think tank the League for Social Reconstruction (LSR). It was printed using Spy's printing press company, Stafford Printers, which also printed the Ontario CCF's newspaper The New Commonwealth. Spry purchased the press with financial help from both the LSR and English socialist Sir Stafford Cripps, hence the name Stafford Press. in 1936, the LSR bought the Forum for one-dollar from Spry, and assumed all its debts.Horn (1980), p. 130 University of Toronto Classics professor George Grube, a member of the LSR, became the editor in 1937.Podlecki (1994), p. 237 During his tenure, the periodical was the LSR's official organ.Horn (1980), pp. 14, 202 Grube stepped down as editor in 1941, about a year before the LSR officially disbanded. It has also been operated at times as a co-operative and was owned for a number of years by James Lorimer and Co.

Editors have included Mark Farrell,Horn (1980), p. 131 G. M. A. Grube, J. Francis White, Northrop Frye, Milton Wilson, Abraham Rotstein, Denis Smith and the final editor Duncan Cameron.

The magazine suspended publication following its summer 2000 issue. The Canadian Forum Archives (1953-1978) is at Trent University Library and Archives in Peterborough, Ontario.{{cite web |title=Fonds |url=https://archives.trentu.ca/index.php/82-015 |website=archives.trentu.ca |publisher=Trent U |access-date=3 April 2024}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Horn|first=Michiel|title=The League for Social Reconstruction: Intellectual origins of the democratic left in Canada, 1930–1942|url=https://archive.org/details/leagueforsocialr0000horn|url-access=registration|year=1980|publisher=University of Toronto Press|location=Toronto|isbn=0-8020-5487-0}}
• {{cite book|last=Podlecki|first=Anthony J.|title=Biographical Dictionary of North American Classicists|year=1994|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Wesport, Connecticut|isbn=0-313-24560-6|editor=Ward W. Briggs Jr.}}

• [https://discoverarchives.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/gilbert-edward-jackson-fonds Archival papers of Gilbert Edward Jackson], Editor (1920–1925), are held at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200426160845/https://utarms.library.utoronto.ca/ University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services]

{{Canadian art}}

Category:1920 establishments in Ontario

Category:2000 disestablishments in Ontario

Category:Visual arts magazines published in Canada

Category:Monthly magazines published in Canada

Category:Defunct political magazines published in Canada

Category:Defunct literary magazines published in Canada

Category:Magazines established in 1920

Category:Magazines disestablished in 2000

Category:Defunct magazines published in Toronto

Category:University of Toronto