Sangster, Charles (1822-1893), was a Canadian poet. His best poems sensitively describe the Canadian landscape and reflect his passionate sympathy for nature. His work shows the influence of the British Romantic poets, especially Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott.
Sangster was born on July 16, 1822, in Kingston, Upper Canada (in present-day Ontario). He left school at the age of 15 to work in a Kingston ammunition factory. Sangster worked as a newspaper reporter and editor from 1849 to 1868. He was a self-taught poet, writing during his spare time. In 1868, he settled in Ottawa, where he worked in the Canadian post office department until 1886. Sangster’s poetry was published in The St. Lawrence and the Saguenay, and Other Poems (1856) and Hesperus, and Other Poems and Lyrics (1860). He died on Dec. 9, 1893.
