First published in 1937 as the dark clouds of World War II began to gather over Europe, The Fable of the Goats and Other Poems stands as one of E. J. Pratt's most powerful and enduring collections. The title epic is a striking, masterful anti-war allegory set high in the treacherous Aralasian mountains. When two warring tribes of majestic mountain goats—the Gottites and the Carobites—meet on a perilous, narrow ledge known as the Capra Pass, a brutal and seemingly inevitable conflict is poised to erupt. Through this tense standoff, Pratt explores the catastrophic folly of pride and the difficult, courageous path toward peace.

The volume also includes some of Pratt's most celebrated shorter works, including his classic free-verse poem "Silences." Winning E. J. Pratt his very first Governor General's Literary Award, this collection is an essential, timeless piece of Canadian literature that speaks just as powerfully to today's world as it did in the 1930s.