About
Canadian poet often classed as one of the countries "Confederation Poets," along with Bliss Carman, Archibald Lampman, and Duncan Campbell Scott. He came to be considered the unofficial poet laureate of Canada by the end of the 19th century. He is best known for his 1889 collection Lake Lyrics and Other Poems, inspired by the scenery of the Lake Hurion-Georgian Bay area near his home.
Before Fame
He was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1885 and was appointed to a New England parish before suffering a crisis of faith in 1891 and resigning from the ministry.
Trivia
Although he mostly wrote poetry, he also dabbled in drama, fiction, and other forms of writing. He wrote more than ten plays over the course of his literary career, only half of which were published in his lifetime. He also wrote two novels, Ian of the Orcades, and A Beautiful Rebel, neither of which received critical or commercial success.
Family Life
His father, Reverend Thomas Swainston Campbell, was an Anglican clergyman. He and his wife Mary DeBelle had four children, Margery, Faith, Basil, and Dorothy.
Associated With
He was influenced by Robert Burns, Edgar Allan Poe, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
