Canadian Literatures in English, Volume 1 – Second Edition

The second edition of Volume 2 of Canadian Literatures in English, which begins with Emily Carr and modernism, will be published in Spring 2026. Canadian Literatures in English reflects the editors’ commitment to historical contextualization, cultural inclusion, and a nuanced understanding of critical debates over the long literary history of what is now Canada. The second edition has been updated throughout to include recent scholarship and fresh literary works. New to the second edition are works by Catharine Parr Traill, Edith Maude Eaton, L.M. Montgomery, Marjorie Pickthall, and others. Volumes 1 and 2 of Canadian Literatures in English are also available in a package. Comments “As Canada—its histories, cultures, literatures, values, identities, and viability—is once again explored and debated with renewed intensity and urgency, this revised and updated anthology, edited by two eminent scholars, is a timely, welcome event. In this unique collection, well-known and previously too-little-known writers appear alongside maps, posters, paintings, journalism, legislation, and more, allowing texts and contexts to achieve a rich dialogue. Outstanding headnotes and footnotes guide and inform the reader expertly at every stage.” — Adam Carter, University of Lethbridge “This highly anticipated second edition of Canadian Literatures in English, Volume I, is a thrilling compendium of early Canadian writing and storytelling in all its provocative, mind-bending variety. Accessible yet thorough introductions relay the complex history that the peoples of Canada have lived through and contemporary Canadians continue to confront. The topics the editors address, the range of voices they include, and the debates they highlight explain why this literature is as exciting today as at the times of its creation.” — Shelley Hulan, University of Waterloo “The texts gathered in this anthology usher us into the recognition of the incomplete work of early Canada. Sugars and Moss do a remarkable job of expanding the literary archives of the nation; the contextual essays that frame each entry are attentive to the shifting conversations in the field and do beautiful work of both situating the authors and showing the intertextual and interdisciplinary project of Canadian literature. This anthology is a gift to students and teachers of Canadian writing; it invites all of us to grapple with the complex ongoing formation of the nation. I look forward to learning with it for years to come.” — Phanuel Antwi, University of British Columbia