Day of Atonement: Standing

Born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, poet, critic, and anthologist Eli Mandel was the child of immigrants from Russia. During the Great Depression, Mandel worked as a pharmacist’s assistant and then in the Medical Corps during World War II. The experience marked him deeply and is reflected in his poetry, which speaks of his alienation and pessimism. He taught at the universities of Victoria, Alberta, Toronto, and at York University, and he published nine books of poetry. He encouraged young poets and was a friend of Irving Layton, on whose work he wrote a critique. Writing with a grand, transcendental poetic voice, Mandel is widely regarded for his contributions to Canadian literature.