A.M. Klein’s dystopias: Between Wells and the Holocaust

A protagonist of English-Canadian poetic Modernism and a father of Jewish-Canadian literature, A.M. Klein is possibly the most politically radical figure in that cultural milieu. The interplay of politics, avant-garde, and ethnicity makes for an elusive figure, who has often challenged critical expectations. In poetry and fiction, his outlook takes on a wider scope, that tries to turn a partial standpoint into a universal experience, and to move from fragmentation to survival. Apocalyptic scenarios are a recurring feature in Klein’s work, ranging from ghostly presences to political tyrannies and wars of annihilation. I will especially focus on some of his short stories, that can be associated with various genres of the fantastic, from animal stories to science fiction. Whether derived from Jewish folklore or from contemporary authors like H.G. Wells or George Orwell, these scenarios are cautionary tales that share what can, more or less loosely, be called a dystopian register. Whereas the tone of his portraits of less-than-desirable states of affairs is usually humor and satire, at stake is a very serious comment on Nazism and the Holocaust.