Woodcock, George

▪ 1996

      Canadian poet, critic, historian, travel writer, playwright, scriptwriter, and editor (b. May 8, 1912, Winnipeg, Man.—d. Jan. 28, 1995, Vancouver, B.C.), was a prolific man of letters who philosophized that anarchism—the mutual noninvolvement of the individual and the state—would transform society, a view reflected especially in his poetry. Though born in Canada, Woodcock was an infant when his family moved to England. He was educated there and later worked as a railway clerk. Woodcock became involved in left-wing politics and sat out World War II as a conscientious objector while editing his own magazine, Now (1940-47). After returning to Canada in 1949, he led a hardscrabble existence, shoveling manure for a living. Soon Woodcock gained a steady income as a writer and broadcaster. He taught from 1954 to 1955 at the University of Washington and from 1956 to 1963 at the University of British Columbia, where he founded (1959) the journal Canadian Literature. As editor (until 1977) of that quarterly, he showcased the works of Canadian writers. He also established a fund for impoverished Canadian authors. The breadth of his writings was enormous and included historical travelogues: Faces of India (1964), South Sea Journey (1976), and The Canadians (1979); political writings: The Anarchist Prince: A Biographical Study of Peter Kropotkin (1950; with Ivan Avakumovic) and Anarchism (1962), the movement's bible; literary criticism: Dawn and the Darkest Hour: A Study of Aldous Huxley (1972), Thomas Merton, Monk and Poet (1978), and The Crystal Spirit (1966), an award-winning biography about George Orwell; and three volumes of memoirs.

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▪ Canadian writer

born May 8, 1912, Winnipeg, Man., Can.

died Jan. 28, 1995, Vancouver, B.C.

      Canadian poet, critic, historian, travel writer, playwright, scriptwriter, and editor, whose work, particularly his poetry, reflects his belief that revolutionary changes would take place in society.

      Woodcock's family returned to England soon after he was born. Too poor to attend university, he worked as a farmer, railway administrator, and freelance writer. In the 1940s he founded and edited the radical literary magazine Now and also worked for the anarchist publisher Freedom Press. He and his wife moved to Canada in 1949. Woodcock then taught at the University of Washington, Seattle (1954–55), and at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, where he became an associate professor. He stopped teaching in 1963 to concentrate on writing and editing.

      Woodcock published more than 100 books. His poetry, particularly that published before World War II, expressed his anarchistic expectation of revolutionary changes in society. His poetry includes The White Island (1940), Notes on Visitations (1975), and Collected Poems (1983). Among his travel books are To the City of the Dead (1957), Faces of India (1964), and Caves in the Desert (1988). Anarchism: A History of Libertarian Ideas and Movements appeared in 1962. Woodcock also wrote several social histories of Canada, as well as innumerable essays on Canadian literature, many for the quarterly Canadian Literature, which he helped found in 1959 and edited until 1977. He published biographies of his friend George Orwell (1966), Mordecai Richler (1970), Herbert Read (1972), and others, as well as two volumes of autobiography: Letter to the Past (1982) and Beyond the Blue Mountains (1987).

▪ English labour leader

born Oct. 20, 1904, Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, Eng.

died Oct. 30, 1979, Epsom, Surrey

      English labour leader who was general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) from 1960 to 1969.

      A weaver at the age of 12, Woodcock won a scholarship to Ruskin College in 1929 and then received high honours in philosophy and political economy at Oxford in 1933. He joined the TUC staff in 1936, becoming assistant general secretary in 1947 and general secretary in 1960. In 1969 he resigned to become chairman of a new Commission on Industrial Relations and held that post until 1971.

      Woodcock was known as an adroit administrator and conciliator who fought to make the TUC more of a partner of government and industry in solving national economic ills. He was successful in convincing English unions to accept wage restraints and higher productivity standards. Woodcock was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1953 and appointed a Privy Councillor in 1967.

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