Edwin John Pratt has been described as the person who "ushered Canadian poetry into the twentieth century." He was a landmark for all Canadian Poets and his effort along with determination made him a Newfoundlander not to be forgotten.

Edwin John Dove Pratt was born in Western Bay, Newfoundland on February 4th, 1882. He was the third son of a Methodist Minister. E. J. Pratt grew up in a series of Newfoundland outports and received his early schooling here. He also went to attend a Methodist Collage in St. Johns, Newfoundland. After completing a degree at the Methodist Collage, E. J. Pratt traveled to Ontario to attend Victoria Collage at the University of Toronto, where he studied philosophy and psychology. Pratt became a candidate for Methodist Ministry, and was ordained but never served as a regular pastorate. Instead he stayed at Victoria Collage and was appointed Head of the English Department (1920) and remained at Victoria Collage until his retirement in 1953.

It was during his time at Victoria Collage that Pratt began to write. He published many books of collections of his poetry; Newfoundland Verse (1923), The witches Brew (1926), Titans (1926), The Iron Door (1927), The Roosevelt and the Antinoe (1930), Many Moods (1932), The Titanic (1935), The Fable of the Goats and other Poems (1937), Bréfeuf and His Other Brethren (1940), Still Life and Other Verses (1942), Collected Poems (1944), They are Returning (1945), Behind the Log (1947), Ten Selected Poems (1947), Towards the Last Spike (1952), Collected Poems 2nd Edition (1958). Edwin John Pratt won the Governor Generals Medal for poetry in 1937, 1940, and 1952. Although Pratt never returned to Newfoundland to live, much of his work was influenced by his boyhood and his surroundings.

After Pratt's retirement he taught summer courses in poetry in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Vancouver, British Columbia, and in Kingston, Ontario. He also traveled all across Canada reading his poetry and lecturing.

E. J. Pratt was appointed Editor of Canadian Poetry Magazine from 1936 to 1943. He was also an early member of the Canadian Authors Association.

Edwin John Dove Pratt was laid to rest in 1964, and Canada lost one of the best poets to have ever lived. The fact that he came from Newfoundland makes our heritage a little richer and knowing he made the world a little better makes his life that much more important.