In the swinging culture of sixties’ London, Canadian Mortimer Griffin is a beleaguered editor adrift in a sea of hypocrisy and deceit. Alone in a world where nobody shares his values but everyone wants the same things, Mortimer must navigate the currents of these changing times. Richler’s eccentric cast of characters include the gorgeous Polly, who conducts her life as though it were a movie, complete with censor-type cuts at all the climactic moments; Rachel Coleman, slinky Black Panther of the boudoir; Star Maker, the narcissistic Hollywood tycoon who has discovered the secret of eternal life; and a precocious group of school children with a taste for the teachings of the Marquis de Sade. Cocksure is a savagely funny satire on television, movies, and the entertainment industry. This is Mordecai Richler at his most caustic and wicked best.

Mordecai Richler (1931-2001) wrote ten novels; numerous screenplays, essays, children's books; and several works of non-fiction. He gained international acclaim with The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, which was later made into a movie. During his career, he was the recipient of dozens of literary awards, including two Governor General's Awards, The Giller Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. Mordecai Richler was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2001.

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“It’s a funny book, gorgeously so. I wish I’d written it myself.”
—Anthony Burgess, Life Magazine
“Short, sharp, sexy, and witty, it is full of energy and invention. . . . Exhilarating.”
—Margaret Drabble

“Outrageous and irreverent.”
—Daily Express (U.K.)

“A wild, far-out satire that manages to be funny-dirty much of the time. . . . Smashing hilarity.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Bright, authentically witty and imaginative and knocks you
cockeyed sprawling in the aisles.”
—Newsweek