Biography.guide
Home › People › Poet › David Donnell
Portrait of David Donnell

David Donnell

1939 – 2020

Canadian, Poet & Writer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About David Donnell

Lived 1939 – 2020 (aged 80). David Donnell was a Canadian poet and writer.

David Donnell (13 October 1939 – 23 May 2020) was a Canadian poet and writer. Born in St. Marys, Ontario, Donnell moved to Toronto, Ontario in 1958 before publishing his first book. Poems, During this period Donnell frequented the Bohemian Embassy, where Margaret Atwood, Gwendolyn MacEwen, Milton Acorn, and other poets established their reputations. In conjunction with John Robert Colombo, Donnell printed Atwood's first book Double Persephone (1961) Donnell Published The Blue Sky poems 1974-77 examining the relationships of his life from an oblique perspective, then Dangerous Crossings (1980) followed by A Poem About Poland.

Donnell died on 23 May 2020, at the age of 81.

Works Poems (1969) The Blue Sky (1977) / 0-88753-032-X Dangerous Crossings (1980) Hemingway in Toronto (1982) Settlements (1983) The Blue Ontario Hemingway Boat Race (1985) . The Natural History of Water (1986) Water Street Days (1989) China Blues: Poems and Stories (1992) crab cakes w/blueberries (1995) Dancing in the Dark (1996) Sometimes a Great Notion (2004)

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality

People in David Donnell's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped David Donnell's

Frequently asked questions

Who was David Donnell?

Canadian, Poet & Writer (1939–2020)

When was David Donnell born?

David Donnell was born on 13 October 1939 in St. Marys.

When did David Donnell die?

David Donnell died on 23 May 2020.

What was David Donnell's occupation?

David Donnell was a poet and writer.

What nationality was David Donnell?

David Donnell was Canadian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: David Donnell

· Wikidata: Q5233023

· DBpedia: David Donnell

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). David Donnell. https://biography.guide/david-donnell/

MLA: "David Donnell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/david-donnell/.

Chicago: "David Donnell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/david-donnell/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:04 UTC