DUDEK, LOUIS

born Feb. 6, 1918, Montreal, Que., Can. Canadian poet noted for his development of the nonnarrative long poem. Educated at McGill University (where he later taught) and Columbia University, Dudek was an editor and critic. His poetic output includes East of the City (1946); The Transparent Sea (1956), love poems; and Laughing Stalks (1958), a social satire that includes parodies of Canadian poets and critics. His Collected Poems appeared in 1974. Dudek's poems reflect his power of observation of people, places, and objects. The influence of Ezra Pound is evident in Europe (1955), a travelogue poem in 99 cantos inspired by observations of several countries on the European continent, and in other works. Another anthology, Cross Section (1980), contains poems written between 1940 and 1980. Dudek's prose works include The Theory of the Image in Modern Poetry (1981), Ideas for Poetry (1983), and In Defence of Art (1988; a collection of critical essays and reviews). Later collections of poetry include Zembla's Rocks (1986) and Small Perfect Things (1991). Dudek, a major figure in Canadian small-press publishing, cofounded Contact Press, Delta Canada, and D.C. Books (all small presses), Delta literary magazine, and the McGill Poetry Series.