Keith Ellis

KEITH ELLIS, April 5, 1935 – December 28, 2024 Keith Audley Alexander Ellis, FRSC, DFil (University of Havana). CD (Jamaica), Professor Emeritus University of Toronto (Spanish and Portuguese), passed away peacefully on December 28, 2024, at the age of 89, after a life devoted to his family, learning, teaching and social justice through culture, especially literary culture. Keith was born on April 5, 1935, in St. Mary, Jamaica, to Cora Joyce (Lazarus) and Charles Henry Alexander Ellis. He is the elder brother of his beloved surviving sisters: Claudette (Herman White), Jean (Keith Dixon), Marion (Dennis Taylor), Cherry (Orett Hart) and Christine (Ray Applewhaite). He is the deeply missed husband of Zilpha, the loving father of Carmen Marie (Robert Willetts) and the proud grandfather of Owen and Maxwell. A scholarship student at Calabar High School, Keith taught Spanish and History there for 2 years following graduation. He earned his B.A. from the University of Toronto in just 2 years. While completing his graduate studies 4 years later at the University of Washington (Seattle) in Romance Literatures and Languages, he published on his key literary interests—the art of poetry and of prose narrative and humanitarian justice: an article on 3 poems by the Venezuelan writer Rafael Pineda, a key article on the Brazilian novel Dom Casmurro, and various articles leading to his Ph.D thesis on the work of an exiled antifascist Spanish writer in the book, El arte novelístico de Francisco de Ayala. After a year lecturing at the State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo, Keith was hired back to the University of Toronto by his mentor Prof. Kurt Levy. His love of poetry and his recognition of the poetic genius of the Cuban national poet, Nicolàs Guillén, inspired the largest part of his intellectual work over his long life of research and teaching for undergraduate and graduate courses and many books, articles and talks. His last book appeared in December 2023; and he gave a talk on the first Spanish poem he studied at the age of 11, to fellow patients in his long-term care home in 2024. His analysis of most of the outstanding Spanish American and Caribbean poets and leaders informed his understanding of the contribution of artistic culture to social progress (for example, his publications on Dr. Francia, José María Heredia, Rubén Dario, Vicente Huidobro, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Pablo Neruda, Jacques Roumain and Roberto Fernández Retamar). He actively promoted exhibitions of Cuban art, music and dance; and was led by his sense of social justice to his own practice of poetry. Keith was also a gifted translator, both from Spanish to English and vice versa. He translated the major poetic work (Versos libres) of José Martí, revolutionary Cuba’s apostle, a complex work which had not yet been translated in its entirety for more than one hundred and twenty years. He translated several anthologies of Nicolás Guillén’s poems and taught and researched the subject of translation. He accepted Caribbean Nobel prizewinner Derek Walcott’s invitation to translate his outstanding play, The Joker of Seville into Spanish; and he introduced Canadian writing to Cubans in Spanish translation. He published at the invitation of both Venezuela and Cuba bilingual anthologies of English-Caribbean poetry. Keith was determined to end the colonial divisions of American culture; and he was convinced that sharing the cultural artifacts of these different languages would facilitate this goal. Keith Ellis received many honours for his achievements in scholarship, teaching, cultural and social justice work. His life work is an inspiration to those who knew him and understood the motive for his outstanding contribution. He would feel honoured by donations to help sustain hrs beloved internationalist Revolutionary Cuba, through the provisions proposed by either (for Canadians): The Canadian Network on Cuba (http://www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca) and/or Toronto Forum on Cuba (https://www.forumoncuba.com), and (for USA citizens) Global Health Partners (https://www.ghpartners.org/cuba2024/). A memorial service and celebration of Keith’s life will be held in a few months.