Widely recognized as Canada's finest literary humorist, Stephen
Leacock was a prolific author, publishing over sixty books during
his lifetime, in addition to countless articles and pamphlets. He
was also a devoted correspondent, writing hundreds of letters to
friends, relatives, and business associates. Illustrated with
several original photographs, The Letters of Stephen Leacock brings
together over 800 letters, most of them never before published.
Together they give a vivid picture of one of the twentieth
century's most distinguished men of letters, a man who was honest,
compassionate, and committed to his craft. From the brief,
unpolished lines he wrote as a boy to his father, to the final
letters he wrote before his death, Leacock's correspondence reveals
much about the man behind the humour: the devoted son, husband, and
father; the distinguished McGill professor; the proud Canadian; the
generous uncle; the social critic; and the private citizen consumed
and deeply troubled by the two world wars. Fans of Leacock's many
books of humour will find glimpses of his trademark wit in letters
on subjects ranging from the Scottish penchant for whiskey to the
beauty of the west. More than a humorist, Leacock was an
intellectual and an educator who wrote serious works on many
topics, including political economy, education, and social reform,
and many of his strong views on these subjects are laid out plainly
in letters to associates and friends. He was also an astute
businessman, and was, as letters to numerous publishers show, a
writer by profession. As Leacock himself wrote of his letters to a
friend and associate, 'We wrote in the plain straighforward way
only possible in such an interchange of letters, about what we
thought of this new world that seemed to overwhelm us in our old
age.' These are the letters of a gentleman, written with charm,
grace, and humour, occassionally blunt and assertive in dealings
with publishers, but - in keeping with his humour - never
mean-spirited or designed to injure. Together, they represent a
fascinating collection that will captivate anyone who enjoys
Canadian fiction or history. David Staines has spent 15 years
bringing together Leacock's letters, many of them from private
collections in Britain, the United States, and Canada. His ten
chapter introductions place these carefully selected and annotated
letters in the context of Leacock's life and work.
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