Publisher Description

In a time of malevolent righteousness, often described as Cancel Culture, J'Accuse is an essay-in-poetry by Canada's Parliamentarian Poet Laureate emeritus that responds to the impacts of being "cancelled." Shame is not a word that gets much play these days among the caustically righteous, but Clarke had been wronged, and the people who did the wronging should be ashamed of themselves.

J'Accus is a poignant statement that calls upon individuals, scholars, artists, and journalists to never submit to impulses that intentionally, or even unintentionally, forbid debate and questioning.

J'Accus ponders what is truly unspeakable: injustice.

Clarke boldly confronts the reality that in our turbulent time there must be an interest in real voices and stories, otherwise any individual can fall victim to silencing – blacklisting – gag-orders – cancelling… And ultimately, this cri-de-coeur reveals the personal cost.

Author Biography

George Elliott Clarke was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, has served as the fourth Poet Laureate of Toronto (2012-15), the seventh Parliamentary/Canadian Poet Laureate (2016-17), and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. A professor of English at the University of Toronto, Clarke has also taught at Duke and Harvard. He has published over 20 books of poetry, four plays, two novels, and has won numerous awards. He lives in Toronto.

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