Dutch-Canadian Writers Contribute to Canadian Literature

Abstract

Canadian literature consists of many voices, ranging from indigenous peoples telling their stories to early immigrants chronicling their journeys. Since World War II Dutch-Canadian writers have added their voices to Canadian literature. Yet, with the exception of Guy Vanderhaeghe and Aritha van Herk, they receive limited scholarly attention in Canadian literary studies. This review of the early contributions of three Dutch-Canadian writers, John Terpstra, Hugh Cook, and Aritha van Herk, sheds light on their literary work, and shows that these Dutch-Canadian writers are recognized not as “foreign” or “immigrant” writers but have begun to break through the “CanLit” ceiling (Aponiuk 2015, 6, 51).