Little Dogs

Little Dogs

New and Selected Poems

Written by: Crummey, Michael

Twenty years after the publication of his debut, Little Dogs: New and Selected Poems brings together selections from Michael Crummey’s first four books of poetry with a significant offering of new work. In this collection, Crummey emerges not only as the master storyteller we know him to be, but also as one of our great poets of connection. Whether reporting from a solitary room or a shared bed, recalling the barbed delirium of adolescence, the subtler negotiations of mature love, or the generational echoes between fathers and sons, these poems are deeply engaged in the business of living with others. Of living with the absence of those who have shaped and sometimes scarred us. Unafraid of confronting the darker corners of desire or of digging into the past to make sense of the present, Crummey has already given us a tremendous body of work. Little Dogs showcases the evolution of one the most distinct and celebrated Canadian writers of his generation.

Twenty years after the publication of his debut, Little Dogs: New and Selected Poems brings together selections from Michael Crummey’s first four books of poetry with a significant offering of new work. In this collection, Crummey emerges not only as the master storyteller we know him to be, but also as one of our great poets of connection. Whether reporting from a solitary room or a shared bed, recalling the barbed delirium of adolescence, the subtler negotiations of mature love, or the generational echoes between fathers and sons, these poems are deeply engaged in the business of living with others. Of living with the absence of those who have shaped and sometimes scarred us. Unafraid of confronting the darker corners of desire or of digging into the past to make sense of the present, Crummey has already given us a tremendous body of work. Little Dogs showcases the evolution of one the most distinct and celebrated Canadian writers of his generation.

Published By House of Anansi Press Inc — Apr 9, 2016
Specifications 288 pages | 5.5 in x 8.5 in
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Written By

MICHAEL CRUMMEY is the author of thirteen books of fiction and poetry. His latest novel, The Adversary, was the winner of the 2025 International Dublin Literary Award. His work has been published in a dozen countries and has won or been a finalist for many Canadian and international awards, including the Giller Prize, the Governor General's Award, the Commonwealth Prize, and the Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. His most recent poetry collection, Passengers, was published by Anansi in 2022.

Written By

MICHAEL CRUMMEY is the author of thirteen books of fiction and poetry. His latest novel, The Adversary, was the winner of the 2025 International Dublin Literary Award. His work has been published in a dozen countries and has won or been a finalist for many Canadian and international awards, including the Giller Prize, the Governor General's Award, the Commonwealth Prize, and the Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. His most recent poetry collection, Passengers, was published by Anansi in 2022.

“…this is poetry of pure survival.” — Overcast

“Whether watching his mother keep vigil at his father’s deathbed, or chiding himself for looking through an old photo album of his wife’s first marriage and feeling like a cheap voyeur, this poet brings an exhilarating self-critical eye to poems worth a determined stroll through a gale to a bookstore.” — Arc Poetry Magazine