Seed Catalogue is an autobiographical long poem by Canadian prairie poet Robert Kroetsch, This new limited edition is illustrated with wood engravings by Jim Westergard.First published in the 1970s, S
Seed Catalogue is an autobiographical long poem by Canadian prairie poet Robert Kroetsch, This new limited edition is illustrated with wood engravings by Jim Westergard.
First published in the 1970s, Seed Catalogue is the seminal work of poetry that first gave voice to the long root in Prairie writings of the metaphor of the seed catalogue. The poem explores the actual world of history transformed into the mythical world of poetry, where what we remember about the past may be more real than history tells us.
Robert Kroetsch was born and raised on a homestead near Heisler, Alberta, studied at the Universities of Alberta and Iowa, and taught literature and creative writing at the State University of New York and the University of Manitoba. During his long career he has authored more than twenty books of poetry, fiction and essays, including The Studhorse Man (Govenor General's Award 1969), The Stone Hammer Poems, Seed Catalogue, The Sad Phoenician, Field Notes, Badlands and The Words of My Roaring.
Jim Westergard is well known for his crisp, realistic drawings and his sharp and detailed wood engravings. His imagination thrives on humour, and his works often portray a tongue-in-cheek exploration of the weird and the odd. He is meticulous in his rendering of portraits not only of people, but of insects and animals as well. He is fascinated by various textural and surface qualities, and his love of drawing comes from being challenged by this manipulation of surface illusion. Westergard graduated with a BFA from Utah State University in 1967, and then an MFA in 1969 from the same institution. From 1975 until his retirement in 1999, Westergard taught printmaking and drawing at Red Deer College. He continues to live and draw in Red Deer, Alberta.
View Biographical note
