Winter Solstice by Seymour Mayne

Winter Solstice: New and Selected Word Sonnets by Seymour Mayne, presents us with a substantial collection of the author’s poems from the last two decades of his writing life. Mayne’s poetry has always celebrated life, friendship, family, tradition, and culture. This is especially evident in Winter Solstice, which comprises a selection of poems from seven previous collections, alongside a new final sequence. The title, itself, evokes the inevitable passage of time and hints at the ephemeral nature of our lives. The word sonnets in Winter Solstice urge the reader towards self-discovery and introspection, offering a unique perspective on the world around us, one that is both deeply personal and richly universal.

Seymour Mayne is the author, editor or translator of more than seventy books and monographs, including anthologies and critical texts. In 2020, he retired from the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, where he taught Canadian Literature, Canadian Studies, and Creative Writing. Professor Mayne is now Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Arts.