December 2 Ottawa Robert Wenman (PC […]

When

1977-12-02

Description

December 2 Ottawa Robert Wenman (PC – Fraser Valley West) complained in the House of Commons that "the Canada Council is supporting, with public money, individuals to write what anyone in this chamber would term as offensive and demeaning pornography" (Wenman, 1487). Wenman was referring to Council support for the work of Bertrand Lachance and bill bissett, publisher of blewointmentpress. bissett's own work was also published by Talonbooks. bissett's poetry, as well as various titles published by blewointmentpress, frequently contained homoerotic imagery. The controversy, focusing on the nature of literary merit and the independent, arm's-length integrity of Canada Council arts support, dragged on until 1979. bissett and Talonbooks fought back, organizing wildly successful support benefits featuring poets such as Margaret Atwood and Allen Ginsberg. On June 23, 1978, bissett and Talonbooks filed suit in the Supreme Court of B.C. against eight Conservative MPs, seven newspapers, and thirteen others for libel and violation of copyright (printing excerpts of bissett's poetry without permission). These actions helped to silence the critics, and also to validate literary experimentation and reinforce the independence of the Canada Council. A continuing decline in Canada Council support for blewointmentpress, however, forced a suspension of publishing in 1979 and bissett's loss of ownership of the enterprise by 1983.

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