The John Adams Institute presented a special Canadian guest, Mordecai Richler, who discussed his novel Barney’s Vision. In Barney’s Vision, the main character, Barney Panovsky, is forced to write his memoirs when a sworn enemy threatens to publish a biography riddled with accusations, including murder. In a racy voice, Barney vents his gall about feminists, anti-smoking activists, and others in a blend of realism and satire. From his writings it becomes clear that he is aging and somewhat addled, a wonderfully realistic trait which Richler uses well. Richler wrote novels, short stories, children’s books and film scripts. Richler was born in Montreal and great up in an Eastern European immigrant neighborhood which was a great inspiration for many of his novels. He received numerous awards and several fellowships.
Mordecai Richler died of cancer in 2001. Read his obituary from The Guardian here.
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