Raymond Knister

Knister, Raymond

Raymond Knister, writer (b at Ruscom, Ont 27 May 1899; d at Stoney Pt, Ont 29 Aug 1932). He attended Victoria College, University of Toronto, briefly and took courses at Iowa State University, Iowa City (1923-24). To his own writing and criticism, Knister brought a mind attuned to new literary developments. Farm work provided him with realistic details for his stories and his first novel, White Narcissus (1929). He wrote in various literary forms as well as many journalistic pieces.

After a brief stay in Montréal (1931-32) he was offered an editorship with RYERSON PRESS, which had accepted his novel, My Star Predominant. Just before taking up that position, he was drowned in Lake St Clair. A representative collection of his prose is The First Day of Spring and Other Stories, ed by Peter Stevens (1976).