The poet Douglas Burnet Smith discusses his new collection Burden (University of Regina Press, 2020), about the British First World War soldier Private Herbert Burden, with Joseph Planta.

Burden by Douglas Burnet Smith (University of Regina Press, 2020). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Burnet

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

A new poetry collection from the poet Douglas Burnet Smith is a good way to reflect on this Remembrance week. In Burden, he tells the story of seventeen-year-old British soldier Private Herbert Burden, who was shot for desertion during the First World War. The collection examines many themes from courage and valour, to trauma and shell shock, what we’d now term as PTSD. The poems in the book are told through the voice of Lance Corporal Reginald Smith, who is an ancestor of the author of this book. Reginald Smith had befriend Burden, and was ultimately commanded to join the firing squad that killed Burden. It’s a powerful collection, and it gives one a lot of think about as we mark Remembrance Day tomorrow. Douglas Burnet Smith is the Governor General’s Award nominated author of Voices from a Farther Room. Burden is his seventeenth book of poetry. He joined me on the line from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where he teaches in the English Department at St. Frances Xavier University. Visit www.douglasburnetsmith.com for more. This new book is published by University of Regina Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Douglas Burnet Smith; Professor Smith, good morning.

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