Joshua Then and Now is about Joshua Shapiro today, and the Joshua he was. His father a boxer turned honest crook, his mother an erotic dancer whose greatest performance was at Joshua’s bar mitzvah, Joshua has overcome his inauspicious beginnings in the Jewish ghetto of Montreal to become a celebrated television writer and a successful journalist. But Joshua, now middle-aged, is not a happy man. Incapacitated by a freak accident, anguished by the disappearance of his WASP wife, and caught up in a sex scandal, Joshua is besieged by the press and tormented by the ghosts of his youth. Set in Montreal, the novel chronicles the rocky journey we all make between the countries of the past and the present. Raucous, opinionated, tender, Joshua Then and Now is a memorable excursion into Mordecai Richler's comic universe.

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.

Mordecai Richler's profile page

“A richly comic satire in the best uninhibited Richler tradition, full of sharp jabs and ticking bombs.”
—Globe and Mail

“A superb work, a rowdy, roistering tour de force. . . . It’s Richler the Irreverent at the height of his powers.”
—Calgary Herald

"Full of splendid writing. . . . Funny, compassionate, ambitious, perceptive and rich in character. . . . Richler has unflagging comic energy.”
—Chicago Tribune

"Wildly funny.”
—Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22

"A thoroughly enjoyable, exhilarating read.”
—Times Literary Supplement