Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: May 2, 2013
• Invested on: September 12, 2014

For his contributions to Canadian literature and to the preservation of First Nations’ culture, as a poet and cultural historian.


Revered poet Robert Bringhurst is a renaissance man, known for his work as a linguist, cultural historian and typographer. He has enriched our literary canon with his distinctive poetry, which has been described as lyrical and sophisticated. His translations of works dictated by the Haida oral poets Skaay, Ghandl and Kilxhawgins have helped to preserve the culture and language of our First Nations. He has also influenced the design of publications the world over with his book The Elements of Typographic Style, considered a classic in the field.