author
A little-known poet linked to Canada at the turn of the 20th century, best remembered for The Song of the Exile, A Canadian Epic. The surviving record is sparse, but it suggests a life that moved between England, Canada, and the United States before returning to Ontario.
by Wilfred S. Skeats
Available records identify him as Wilfred Stradling Skeats (1864–1934), born in England and later connected with Ontario, Canada. Family-history records indicate that he married Florence I. Chapman in York, Ontario, on September 12, 1900, and that he died in Georgina, York, Ontario, on July 25, 1934.
He is associated with The Song of the Exile, A Canadian Epic, a work that has kept his name in circulation for modern readers. While detailed literary biographies are hard to find, the title itself suggests an ambitious, patriotic poem shaped by ideas of exile, belonging, and Canadian identity.
Because reliable published information about his life appears to be limited, many personal details remain unclear. What does come through is the outline of an English-born writer whose life and work became tied to Canada, leaving behind at least one notable poetic work.