Mordecai Richler
Nathalie Cooke and Norman Ravvin, "Mordecai Richler" (2010) 207 Canadian Literature 6.
5 Pages Posted: 1 Feb 2016
Date Written: January 29, 2010
Abstract
Mordecai Richler’s death in the summer of 2001 prompted an outpouring of appreciation for his writerly contributions. After all, how much more bland would our literary landscape be without the endearing curmudgeon who is Barney Panofsky, the fierce independence and chutzpah of Ephraim Gursky, or the set pieces that tempted Richler-the-writer towards the dessert table of extravagant description and away from the main course of plot? (Think of the Bar Mitzvah extravaganza in Duddy Kravitz). In the years immediately following his death, it seemed understandably difficult for commentators to separate the man from his work. During “The Richler Challenge,” a conference hosted by McGill’s Institute for the Study of Canada in 2004, speakers found themselves “missing” him, “remembering when,” or laughing outright at Richler’s wit and warmth.
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