| The Canadian Forum | |
| Category: | Literary and political |
| Format: | Magazine |
| Publisher: | Canadian Forum Limited |
| Founded: | 1920 |
| Finaldate: | 2000 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Issn: | 0008-3631 |
| Oclc: | 1553097 |
The Canadian Forum was a literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine (1920–2000).[1]
The Canadian Forum, A Monthly Journal of Literature and Public Affairs, was founded on 14 May 1920[2] at the University of Toronto as a forum for political and cultural ideas. Its first directors were G. E. Jackson, chairman, Barker Fairley, literary editor, C. B. Sissons,[3] political editor, Peter Sandiford,[4] business manager and Huntly Gordon, press editor.[5] Throughout its publishing run it was Canadian nationalist and progressive in outlook.[1]
Politically, it was a forum for thinkers such as Frank Underhill, F. R. Scott, Ramsay Cook, Mel Watkins, John Alan Lee, Eugene Forsey[1] and Robert Fulford. Poetry and short stories by Irving Layton, Earle Birney, A. J. M. Smith, Harold Standish, Helen Weinzweig, Margaret Atwood,[1] Al Purdy and E. J. Pratt,[6] appeared[7] as well as editorials,[8] reviews and articles discussing art and artists, sometimes written by the artists themselves, such as A. Y. Jackson,[9] or Lawren Harris.[10] J. E. H. MacDonald[11] and Bertram Brooker[12] even contributed their poetry.
The Forum prided itself on reproducing a picture by a Canadian artist in each issue, "selected by competent critics",[13] though leaning towards the progressive side in art, at least in the early years.[14] Art editors included Pegi Nicol MacLeod.[15] Among the artists who lent their work to the publication the most often used was Thoreau MacDonald but a pen sketch by Tom Thomson (now lost) also appeared.[16] It published the art work of the Group of Seven and many other artists in black-and-white, one work per issue. The full range of the artists published in the Forum was discussed in the Fiftieth Anniversary issue in a lengthy article by the then art editor (1970-1975) Joan Murray.[17]
In 1934, publisher Steven Cartwright purchased the periodical from J.M. Dent & Sons.[18] After owning it for about a year, Cartwright unloaded the money-losing venture for one dollar to Graham Spry a member of the socially progressive think tank the League for Social Reconstruction (LSR).[18] It was printed using Spy's printing press company, Stafford Printers, which also printed the Ontario CCF's newspaper The New Commonwealth.[18] Spry purchased the press with financial help from both the LSR and English socialist Sir Stafford Cripps, hence the name Stafford Press.[18] in 1936, the LSR bought the Forum for one-dollar from Spry, and assumed all its debts.[19] University of Toronto Classics professor George Grube, a member of the LSR, became the editor in 1937.[20] During his tenure, the periodical was the LSR's official organ.[21] Grube stepped down as editor in 1941, about a year before the LSR officially disbanded.[20] It has also been operated at times as a co-operative and was owned for a number of years by James Lorimer and Co.[1]
Editors have included Mark Farrell,[22] G. M. A. Grube,[20] J. Francis White, Northrop Frye, Milton Wilson, Abraham Rotstein, Denis Smith and the final editor Duncan Cameron.[1]
The magazine suspended publication following its summer 2000 issue.[7] The Canadian Forum Archives (1953-1978) is at Trent University Library and Archives in Peterborough, Ontario.[23]