author
Francis Sherman
1871–1926
A Canadian poet from Fredericton, he wrote graceful, finely shaped verse that helped define the literary life of late nineteenth-century New Brunswick. His best-known books include Matins and In Memorabilia Mortis, written while he was balancing literature with a career in banking.
3 Audiobooks
The Deserted City
by Francis Sherman
A Canadian Calendar: XII Lyrics
by Francis Sherman
Matins
by Francis Sherman
About the author
Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on February 3, 1871, Francis Joseph Sherman became one of the notable poets associated with the city’s rich literary circle. He studied at the University of New Brunswick and published several poetry collections in the 1890s, including Matins and In Memorabilia Mortis, the latter a sonnet sequence written in memory of William Morris.
Sherman’s life was not spent only in literary rooms. Reliable archival and university sources describe him as both poet and banker, and that combination gives his work an appealing character: polished, thoughtful, and shaped by someone living in the practical world as much as the artistic one. He is often remembered as part of the generation that helped early Canadian poetry find a distinct voice.
He died on June 15, 1926. Though not as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, Sherman remains an important figure in Canadian literary history, especially for readers drawn to lyric poetry, careful craft, and the cultural history of New Brunswick.