On Canada

In his fifty-year career, Frank Underhill has contributed a great deal to freeing Canada from its colonial past. He has acted the part of a gadfly, incessantly stinging Canadians for their complacency, and has been the master of metaphor and the ironical use of cliché in his lecture and broadcasts, essays and book reviews. His clarity and cool wit are often devastating in their penetration, and he has poured an incredible energy into his speeches and writing, as the bibliography in this volume testifies. They remain a witty and penetrating commentary on world affairs.

His principle targets over the years were small-town colonialism, anti-Americanism, the depression, and post-war threats of totalitarianism. Much of his writing and speaking has centred on the political and moral life of the community: his aims have been the preservation of freedom and the creation of a climate of opinion that would foster excellence in individual and collective accomplishments.

This volume of essays and bibliography, compiled in his honour, reflects the breadth of Frank Underhill’s influence in history, public policy, poetry, Canadian culture, and foreign relations. Eight distinguished contributors examine diverse topics centred on Canada: FHU, and The Canadian Forum, modern Quebec poetry, Lord Durham and the assimilation of French Canada, the Canadian Radio League, Louis St Laurent, and Canada’s relations with France and with the Commonwealth. Four of the essays are concerned with French Canada, and one is written in French.

The bibliography contains more than 1,175 items and is the most complete list yet compiled of Frank Underhill’s works. It includes his books, articles, essays, editorials (signed and unsigned), radio and television scripts, book reviews, and correspondence published in journals and newspapers.

In the past twenty-five years there has been increasing recognition of Frank Underhill’s abilities and contributions to Canada. His ideas are cited and his penetrating statements and memorable witticisms extensively quoted by political scientists, historians, and writers. Our cultural and intellectual life has been immeasurably enriched by the stimulus and challenge he has given it. This volume is a fitting tribute to an inspiring teacher, an outspoken critic, and a great Canadian.

NORMAN PENLINGTON is a former student of Frank Underhill. He studied history at the University of Toronto (MA) and the University of California at Berkeley (PHD), and is now professor of humanities at Michigan State University. He is the author of Canada and Imperialism, 1896—1899.