Fred Cogswell

Who was Fred Cogswell?

Fred Cogswell CM was a Canadian poet.

Born in East Centreville, New Brunswick he served overseas in the Canadian Army during the Second World War. A teacher at the age of sixteen, Cogswell gained a BA and MA at the University of New Brunswick and received a PhD from Edinburgh University. He later became a professor of English at the University of New Brunswick, a position he held from 1952 to 1983.

In 1958, Cogswell, along with close friend and travelling poet Warren Kinthompson and a group of students and faculty from the University of New Brunswick founded Fiddlehead Poetry Books, now one of Canada's important small press publishers operating as Goose Lane Editions.

Fred Cogswell was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1981.

Fred Cogswell was a prolific poet, translator, editor and scholar and was dubbed ”A Friend of Poets - Amis des Poètes” for his lifelong commitment to poetry and those who write it. He was the author of 33 books of his own poetry, 9 books of poetry translation and publisher of 307 books of poetry. In addition, Fred Cogswell wrote and published many learned articles and reviews.