The Nelligan Review, named in honour of Montreal poet Émile Nelligan (December 24, 1879 – November 18, 1941). A poet Edmund Wilson considered to be the greatest Canadian poet in any language. Born to an Irish father and a French-Canadian mother, Émile wrote in French—but only, sadly, until the age of 19, when he was admitted to the Saint-Benoît asylum, exhibiting signs of schizophrenia. Nelligan remained at Saint-Benoît for 25 years, after which he was transferred to the Saint-Jean-de-Dieu Hospital, where he died, never having written again. A symbolist poet in the school of Charles-Pierre Baudelaire and Arthur Rimbaud, and English-language writers Lord Byron and Edgar Allan Poe, Nelligan successfully created a poetic sensibility that was uniquely his own, striking a chord with French Canada that remains to this day. And so we honour him, with the naming of this literary and cultural review journal, for his perseverance to his art, and to himself.

Within The Nelligan Review pages, you will find the same spirit of perseverance and dedication to art—which is why we are here, to help shine a light on those pushing forward, against their own battles, and the shared battles we all find waiting, within the realm of creating. Narratives, that speak of who we are, and who we can be. Who we want to be. And so, with this small effort, in this small corner of the world, The Nelligan Review will attempt to be a celebration of us; artists, and those that strive to be one, while hopefully, helping to increase the diversity, equality, resilience, sustainability, and discoverability of the arts sector.