Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1949-2000 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
15 cm of textual records
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Peter Kroeger was born on 29 June 1918 in Rosental, Ukraine to parents Peter and Helene (Koop) Kroeger. His mother died in 1920 and his father remarried in 1921. He had two brothers Arthur (1921) and Harry (1929). His father was taken away in 1937 during a time of political unrest and never seen again. During the chaos of the Second World War the family was dispersed and Peter worked as a translator, able to leave the Soviet Union for Germany. In 1949 he immigrated to Canada. He met and married Adina Klassen in Winnipeg in the fall of 1949. Peter Kroeger's lifelong occupation was a draftsman. He worked for Manitoba Bridge and Engineering Works for over 30 years. During almost all his life Peter wrote poetry. This was one of his passions and he wrote over 750 poems. He wrote in German, Low German and English.
Peter Kroeger died in Winnipeg on 5 Dec 2002.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Peter Kroeger and the editorial office of Der Bote.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This fonds consists of mainly the poetry which Peter Kroeger wrote. There are a few sample engineering drawings, correspondence, sketches of Manitoba scenes by his brother Arthur, and a few miscelleneous documents which he collected. Much of the poetry was submitted to the editors of the German language Mennonite newspaper called Der Bote or to the producers of Faith and Life Communications Low German Radio broadcast. The poems were written for various occasions, seasons, institutions and people -- mainly in German and Low German, and occasionally in English. At least one poem was selected for publicaion by "The National Library of Poetry" (Owings Mills, Maryland, USA) in 1996. (See Vol. 1655:11).
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Arranged and described in Volumes1655 and 5683 by Alf Redekopp, April 2013.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English
- German
- Low German
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Incomplete list of poems
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Acc. No. 86-150, 89-196, 92-055, 93-083, 95-050, 98-083, 99-060