Henry Beissel

Henry Beissel

Henry Eric Beissel (born 12 April 1929 Cologne) is a writer and editor who has published 16 volumes of poetry, six books of plays, a non-fiction book on Canada, two anthologies of plays intended for use in high schools, and numerous essays and pieces of short fiction.

He first came to national attention with the controversial literary/political journal Edge (Edmonton 1963 – Montreal 1969). Beissel's internationally successful Inuk and the Sun ("a mythic masterpiece", Sherrill Grace) premiered at the Stratford Festival of Canada in 1973. This was followed by a U.S. premiere in 1977 at The Other Theatre in Chicago's Bernard Horwich Jewish Community Center with a musical score by Douglas L Lieberman. The Other Theatre also commissioned Under Coyote's Eye and performed it at the Field Museum of Natural History. Beissel's work has been translated into many languages.

Beissel had a long teaching career in English Literature, and later in Creative Writing, which started as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Toronto. He taught at the University of Munich (1960–62)), the University of Alberta (1962–64), and Concordia University (1966–96), from which he retired as Distinguished Emeritus Professor of English.

He lives with his wife, Arlette Francière, in Ottawa.