Otto Kelland (1904–2004)

If you're considering this book, I know what you're thinking: "Otto Kelland wrote 'Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's.' He has to be great."

Uh, well... problem is, "Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's" is the only Kelland piece you've ever heard of, and there is a reason. I don't want to say that his poetry is bad. But it didn't strike any sparks in me.

Note that I am not a Newfoundlander. The poems in this book may come closer to home for those who actually live there. (In fact, I strongly suspect they do. If you're a Newfoundlander, I don't think you should trust this review; you should read one by a Newfoundlander.) For one who looks at the matter from outside, the poems can sometimes be pretty dubious -- e.g. one praises Captain Abram Kean, noting his success in killing a million seals, but not even hinting at his psychopathic treatment of his men or his role in the Newfoundland disaster of 1914. Or Kelland's praise of Captain Bob Bartlett ignores the fact that Bartlett was a doofus with an arctic obsession. Those two are the only poems in here which are about people whose histories I actually know (having read Kean's autobiography and various sealing histories and books about Bartlett), but I wonder if the other lyrics are any better.

With all that having been said, it should not be denied that Kelland is one of Newfoundland's great poets -- possibly the greatest after Johnny Burke, and Burke worked mostly in comic styles. Kelland wrote serious poems, and he is much more recent. For Newfoundlanders, this is a book you probably should have. For the rest of us -- well, it's hard to find copies, and perhaps it's just as well.… (meer)