I gave a talk today on Jackson's Wars at the Toronto Arts and Letters Club. A great audience, and an incredible historic space. It's where A.Y. Jackson came for lunch, in the room in which I was speaking, with several fellow future members of the Group of Seven in May 1913.
Kind words from Lorne Huston on “Jackson’s Wars”
Montreal cultural historian Lorne Huston has some nice things to say about Jackson's Wars in the Spring 2023 issue of MCLL News, the newsletter of the McGill School of Continuing Studies. He writes in part: "Hunter has done his homework. He keeps an open but critical mind as he combs through a vast archive of... Continue Reading →
“Jackson’s Wars” a finalist for the Dafoe Prize
Lovely news this morning from my publisher, McGill-Queen's University Press: Jackson's Wars is one of five finalists for the 2023 Dafoe Book Prize. The finalists have been chosen from books in 44 different fields. "The John W. Dafoe Book Prize memorializes John Wesley Dafoe, one of the most significant Canadian editors of the 20th century.... Continue Reading →
A thumbs-up from Charles Hill
Charles Hill, curator emeritus of Canadian art at the National Gallery, has graciously sent along an endorsement of my latest book Jackson's Wars: "This is a superbly researched book on a period in the life of A.Y. Jackson that is too often lightly treated, yet was crucial to the development of his social and artistic... Continue Reading →
A.Y. Jackson lecture for McGill Continuing Studies
Better late than never: I want people to know I'm delivering an online lecture for McGill Continuing Studies, Friday, January 27, 10:00-noon, on A.Y. Jackson. The talk is based on my recent book Jackson's Wars and will drill down into his formative years in Montreal but cover the full range of the book, including his... Continue Reading →
“Blinded, deaf and half crazy”: A.Y. Jackson at Sanctuary Wood, June 1916
In time for Remembrance Day, I've posted this excerpt from my new book Jackson's Wars, detailing artist A.Y. Jackson's horrendous experiences at Sanctuary Wood in June 1916 on the Ypres salient. Image: A Copse, Evening, A.Y. Jackson, 1918. Canadian War Museum