Frequently remembered for its polemical essays and editorials, First Statement also attracted many notable Canadian modernist poets and critics—including Louis Dudek, Irving Layton, Raymond Souster, P.K. Page, and A.M. Klein. Founded in Montreal during the Second World War by John Sutherland and his sister Betty, the magazine and its masthead featured an evolving cast of editors, assistants, and promoters such as Dudek, Layton, Audrey Aikman, Robert Simpson, Keith MacLellan, and Mary Margaret Miller, among others. A total of 33 issues were released between August 1942 and July 1945. In 1943, John Sutherland also established First Statement Press, which published such titles as Miriam Waddington’s Green World (1945).
Today, the magazine is well-known as a forum for literary experimentation along modernist lines. Its editors frequently espoused anti-academic views while also looking to erudite American modernist counterparts, such as Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, for inspiration. In this way, First Statement attempted to distinguish itself from Preview, although the two magazines also shared much in common—including a number of key contributors.
In 1945, First Statement merged with Preview to form Northern Review (1945-1956).
First Statement: At a glance
Dates: 1942-1945
Place: Montreal, QC
Issues digitized: 33/33
Editors: John Sutherland, with Betty Sutherland, Robert Simpson, Keith MacLellan,
Audrey Aikman, Irving Layton, Louis Dudek
Digitized by:
McGill University
Learn more:
Further reading: BibliographyRelevant teaching materials
