author
Helen M. (Helen Mar) Johnson
1834–1863
A 19th-century Canadian poet from Magog whose work stayed alive long after her early death. Her verse is remembered for its warm feeling, spiritual tone, and close attention to the natural world.
1 Audiobook
Canadian Wild Flowers: Selections from the Writings of Miss Helen M. Johnson
by Helen M. (Helen Mar) Johnson
About the author
Helen M. Johnson, also known as Helen Mar Johnson, was a Canadian writer associated with Magog, Quebec. Library and archive records identify her as living from about 1834 to 1863, and later collections present her as an author from Magog, P.Q., Canada.
Her writing continued to circulate after her death. A small volume titled Poems was published in Boston in 1855, and Rev. E. H. Dewart included ten of her poems in Selections from Canadian Poets in 1864. An 1884 collection, Canadian Wild Flowers: Selections from the Writings of Miss Helen M. Johnson, gathered her work again and helped preserve it for new readers.
What stands out in Johnson's surviving work is its blend of lyric feeling, religious reflection, and love of nature. Even in the brief record that remains, she comes across as a writer whose poems made a lasting impression on readers who wanted her scattered pieces brought together in one place.