The Revolt of Charles Heavysege

The British-born poet, dramatist, newspaper editor and wood-carver Charles Heavysege (1816-1876) immigrated to Montreal in 1853. Although a trained wood-carver, in 1860 he became a reporter for the Montreal Transcript newspaper, and a few years later joined the Montreal Daily Witness where he eventually became editor. Heavysege's first published work was "The Revolt of Tartarus, A Poem in Six Parts" first published in London in 1852 and heavily edited and re-published anonymously in Montreal in 1855. He published "Sonnets" in 1855, "Saul: A Drama in Three Parts" in 1857, "Count Filippo; Or, The Unequal Marriage: A Drama in Five Acts" in 1860, "The Owl" and "The Dark Huntsman: A Dream" in 1864, "The Advocate: A Novel" and "Jephthah's Daughter: A Poem" in 1865, and "Jezebel: A Poem in Three Cantos" in 1867. During his lifetime, "Saul: A Drama in Three Parts" was Heavysege's best-known work.

University of Toronto Quaterly

Vol. 22

no. 1

35-43

October 1952

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