author
Florence Randal Livesay
1874–1953
A Canadian poet, journalist, and translator, she helped bring Ukrainian folk songs and poetry to English-language readers while building a writing career across newspapers, magazines, and books. She is also remembered as the mother of poet Dorothy Livesay, though her own work stands firmly on its own.
1 Audiobook
Songs of Ukraina, with Ruthenian poems
by Florence Randal Livesay
About the author
Born in Compton, Quebec, in 1874, she was educated at Compton Ladies’ College and began publishing early. She worked as a teacher for a time, then built a career in journalism, including editing women’s pages for newspapers in Ottawa and later writing for publications in both eastern and western Canada.
Alongside journalism, she wrote poetry, fiction, and criticism. She is especially noted for translating Ukrainian songs and verse into English, helping introduce that literary tradition to more readers in Canada and beyond. Her books include original poetry as well as translated work, reflecting a career that moved easily between creative writing and cultural exchange.
She died in Toronto in 1953. Although she is sometimes mentioned in connection with her daughter Dorothy Livesay, she was an important literary figure in her own right: a versatile writer whose work linked Canadian journalism, poetry, and translation.