Klein, Abraham Moses National Historic Person
Montréal, Quebec
Portrait of Abraham Moses Klein
(© Garcia Studios / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-125749)
Address :
Montréal, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2007-06-08
Life Date:
1909 to 1972
Other Name(s):
-
Abraham Moses Klein
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2005-011, 2005-057
Importance:
Leading figure in Judaic literature and a major author in Canadian literary history
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Jewish Public Library, Cummings House, 5151 Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road, Montréal, Quebec
A. M. Klein was one of the best Canadian poets of his time. Combining modernism and Jewish literary traditions, he was among the first to publish a body of Jewish poetry in the English language. His works portrayed the unique character of the downtown Montréal neighbourhood where he lived most of his life, and mirrored the struggles and aspirations of a generation that witnessed both the Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel. Klein’s work also reached beyond his community and depicted vivid scenes of Quebec and its people in The Rocking Chair and Other Poems, for which he received the Governor General’s Award in 1949.