1924: The McGill Modernists
The Daily’s annual literary supplement was arguably the birthplace of Canadian Modernism. Edited by Canlit giant A.J.M. Smith, it provided a springboard for authors such as A.M. Klein and F.R. Scott. Eventually, the Student Union cut funding to the Literary Supplement, and Klein and Scott moved on to found The McGill Fortnightly Review, credited with being the first journal dedicated to modernist poetry and criticism in Canada, and subsequently launching the Modernism movement of Canadian literature.
Tuesday December 7, 1954
The winners of the annual literary competition included a 20 year-old Leonard Cohen, who completed his BA in 1955. The editors were “very disappointed at the small number of entries submitted” – 49 poems, 20 short stories, and eight essays. The Daily regrets that we can no longer pay those students selected for our annual literary supplement.
Wednesday September 26, 1962
Canadian poet Irving Layton studied Agriculture in the thirties. While at McGill, he edited campus journal The McGilliad – in which his first poem was published.