Grove, Frederick Philip
A Dirge for My Daughter

Poems. Selected and edited by Klaus Martens.

Frederick Philip Grove aka Felix Paul Greve (1879-1948) was a well-known Canadian novelist and essayist of international reputation with a previous career as a prolific German translator and novelist. In 1927 - during the creative years which spawned such classics as "Over Prairie Trails", "Settlers of the Marsh", "A Search for America", and "Our Daily Bread" - Grove's beloved daughter Phyllis May died of a ruptured appendix at the age of not yet twelve years. This tragedy prompted the composition of the poems selected from the manuscripts and edited for this volume. The poems and the occasional accompanying commentaries by Grove afford rare and touching insights into the author's fascinating personality often thought remote and inaccessible. Many of the poems, photos and facsimiles contained in the present volume have never been published before in the present or any other form. An introductory essay and notes by Klaus Martens, the editor, discuss the texts and their contexts. 92 Seiten mit 27 Abb., broschiert (Königshausen & Neumann 2006)