The Canadian Encyclopedia states that "Klein has rightly been called the 'first contributor of authentic Jewish poetry to the English language.' His writings articulate the feelings of a generation that witnessed the destruction of European Jewry and the fulfillment of the Zionist dream."[1]
Fellow Jewish-Montrealer Leonard Cohen was an admirer who cited Klein as an influence and had written a couple of poems as well as a song, "To a Teacher," in Klein's memory. Mordecai Richler is said to have used Klein as a model for the character L. B. Berger in Solomon Gursky Was Here (1989). He is honoured posthumously through the A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry, presented by the Quebec Writers' Federation. A play inspired by the poems and life of Klein was produced by Tableau D'Hôte Theatre and presented at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montréal in February 2009.[6]
Klein was designated a Person of National Historic Significance by the federal government in 2007, and a plaque reflecting that status from the national Historic Sites and Monuments Board was unveiled in Montreal on November 19, 2017.[7] Klein's papers are preserved in the National Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.
