Canadian cultural icon Stephen Leacock was as wise and witty as he was prolific, and as sharp as he was humane. A professor of political economy, author, and social critic, Leacock has long been considered Canada's foremost humourist and social satirist. He was at his best in observational humour but excelled as well in the unforgettable aphorism and the pointed riposte. Leacock's views on life provide a uniquely Canadian take on the world, an ironic perspective which continues to delight and instruct readers around the globe.

Introduced and compiled by scholar and writer Gerald Lynch, with material gleaned from the approximately sixty books of fiction and non-fiction Leacock published, Leacock on Life is an anthology of Leacock's wit and wisdom, beginning with his memorable preface to Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town and ending with his bitter-sweet essay, 'Three Score and Ten.' With selections classified under forty-five headings and a reference key sourcing all quotations, this collection makes widely available Leacock's views on such subjects as: Canadian politics, love, education, economics, humour, technology, business, America, and writing, among many others. Leacock had opinions on every subject, and they are as humorous, provocative, and relevant today as when first articulated.

STEPHEN LEACOCK was a Canadian humorist, teacher, and writer. He passed away in 1944.

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Gerald Lynch was born in Ireland, where he frequently visits, and grew up in Canada. Omphalos is his sixth book of fiction. In 2015 Signature Editions published Missing Children, his fifth, the novel that introduced Detective Kevin Beldon. These novels were preceded by Troutstream, Exotic Dancers, and two books of short stories, Kisbey and One’s Company. A Professor mainly of Canadian literature at the University of Ottawa (occasionally offering a seminar in contemporary Irish fiction), earlier this year Gerald published the co-edited Alice Munro's Miraculous Art: Critical Essays. He has edited a number of other books and published many short stories, essays, and reviews, and had his work translated into a number of languages. He has also authored two books of non-fiction, Stephen Leacock: Humour and Humanity and The One and the Many: Canadian Short Story Cycles. He has been the recipient of a number of awards, including the gold award for short fiction in Canada’s National Magazine Awards.

Gerald Lynch's profile page