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Year in Review: Poet wins Gov. Gen. award

Northern Life newsmaker Robert Dickson, a founder of the acclaimed Franco-Ontario rock band CANO, and now a Laurentian University professor, won the 2002 Governor General?s Literary Award for French poetry.
Northern Life newsmaker Robert Dickson, a founder of the acclaimed Franco-Ontario rock band CANO, and now a Laurentian University professor, won the 2002 Governor General?s Literary Award for French poetry.

Dickson
Dickson, a French studies and translation professor, was recognized for his collection of poems entitled ?Humains paysages en temps de paix relative?, published by Sudbury?s Prise de parole. The award is valued at $15,000 and is administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Dickson grew up in a small town outside of Guelph. His family did not speak French.

?Once I got here, the Franco-Ontarian community, especially the arts community adopted me and made me feel welcome very, very quickly?that?s what made me a Franco-Ontarian by adoption,? he told Northern Life in 1998.

He was awarded the 2002 Francophone Personality of the Year Award for Greater Sudbury, the 1998 Nouvel-Ontario Award (given by LU?s Franco-Ontarian Institute), and the Research Centre on French-Canadian Civilization Award.

Dickson helped create the Prise de Parole publishing house in 1973.

The professor has five books of poetry to his credit and translated the French play In the Ring into English. The production was featured at the Stratford Festival in 1994. He also translated an English book entitled Frog Moon into the French language.

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