The Sask-born poet and essayist was presented with $10,000 and a limited edition print of a painting by the late artist Dorothy Knowles.
Lilburn was presented with $10,000 and a limited edition print of a painting by the late artist Dorothy Knowles at a luncheon ceremony held Thursday in Saskatoon.
Lilburn said he was “overwhelmed” at receiving the prize.
“To have this confirmation was just extraordinary,” he said.
Lilburn was born in Regina and taught at the University of Saskatchewan and at St. Peter’s College in Muenster, as well as at the University of Victoria and Middlebury College, Vermont. He now lives in the Bowker Creek watershed in W̱ SÁNEĆ territory on Vancouver Island.
He has authored 12 books of poetry, including Harmonia Mundi, The House of Charlemagne, The Names, Assiniboia, Orphic Politics, Kill-site, Moosewood Sandhills and To the River.
He was also a founder of Jackpine Press.
The Kloppenburg Award is one of the most lucrative provincial awards in Canada, and is presented to a Saskatchewan writer with a substantial body of acclaimed literary work who has also had a significant impact on writing in the province.
The selection of the annual recipient is done by jury. In choosing Lilburn this year, the jury said, “For nearly 40 years, Tim Lilburn has made profound and indelible contributions to Canadianculture.”
In addition to his poetry, “Lilburn’s work concerning environmental ethics has been prescient, and has culminated in three widely influential volumes of non-fiction,” the jury noted.
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.