In 1957, the late Al Purdy, one of Canada's greatest poets, and his wife, Eurithe, built an A-frame lakeside cottage in Prince Edward County. The A-Frame has now been assured of preservation and a continued retreat for writers to gather and work.
Thanks to the generosity of Eurithe Purdy, who lowered the asking price for the house, and from donors across Canada, the A-Frame house was acquired on October 9 by the the Al Purdy A-frame Association, a newly incorporated national non-profit organization with a mandate to promote Canadian literature and Canadian writers. A major benefit is planned for Koerner Hall in Toronto on February 6th to continue the restoration of the A-frame.
This is only the first step of an even larger ambition project, said Jean Baird. "It?s not only a celebration of Al Purdy?s legacy, but a mission to educate today?s students on the value and worth of Canadian literature, and to preserve the Purdy home as a retreat for future generations of Canadian writers."
The A-Frame house had been the centre of Purdy's writing and was known for being an important crosswords on Canada's literary map, Purdy having hosted there such Canadian authors and poets as Margaret Laurence, Milton Acorn, H.R. Percy and Michael Ondaatje (to name a few).
The association plans to begin work on the property immediately, and hopes to have its first writer-in-residence installed next summer and working in local schools by fall 2013.
For more information (or to make a donation), please visit www.alpurdy.ca.
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