These
poems really speak to Canadians, this man who was
mainly self taught. He came from a different time, as he rode the
rails accross Canada searching for work. His
poems tell us of his life experiences in a way that unites the common working man as opposed to speaking of him as a lesser being. The power of survivalism that is part of being Canadian is here.
Poems like The Cariboo Horses and The Drunk Tank show us that Purdy is a survivor and his expansive vocabulary teaches us what kind of devotion is needed to be a poet in our country.
Purdy lived
mainly in Sidney, BC and Ameliasberg, Ontario.
I highly recomend reading his novel ''A Splinter in the Heart'' based on his intiment knowledge of Ameliasberg.