In 1976 at Michigan State University, American and Canadian scholars and poets gathered to honor A. J. M. Smith, seventy-four-year-old doyen of Canadian letters. It is fitting that such a symposium should have been held at an American university, for Smith lived and taught in the United States for half a century, though he could hardly be called an expatriate. Much of his writing was done during long summers spent at his country home on Lac Memphremagog, Quebec, less than two hours' drive from Montreal. Moreover, through correspondence and frequent visits with Canadian editors, academics, and poet friends, he kept in touch with literary developments in Canada. He traveled widely in his native country and was frequently a guest lecturer or a visiting professor at various Canadian universities. The bulk of his critical essays and his most important anthologies focus on Canadian literature. He is credited with having, in...