Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- ca. 1890-2022 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
35.92 m of textual records and other material.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Canadian author Mordecai Richler was born in Montreal, Quebec, on January 27, 1931. Died in Montreal on July 3, 2001. He was educated at Sir George Williams College (later Concordia University) for two years. In 1950, he moved to Europe to advance his writing. Richler returned to Montreal in 1952, working briefly at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, then moved to London in 1954. He published seven of his ten novels, as well as considerable journalism, while living in London. In 1972, he and his second wife Florence repatriated permanently with their five children from London to Montreal. Richler was a Companion of the Order of Canada, two-time winner of the Governor General’s Award (1968 and 1971), and winner of the Giller Prize,
His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959), also turned into film twice, and Barney's Version (1997). His 1970 novel St. Urbain's Horseman and 1989 novel Solomon Gursky Was Here were shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He is also well known for the Jacob Two-Two children's fantasy series. In addition to his fiction, Richler wrote numerous essays about the Jewish community in Canada, and about Canadian and Quebec nationalism. Richler's Oh Canada! Oh Quebec! (1992), a collection of essays about nationalism and anti-Semitism. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordecai_Richler and https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mordecai-richler)
Archival history
Acquired between 1974 and 2026.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of correspondence; manuscripts of novels (The Acrobats;The apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz; Barney's version; A choice of enemies; Cocksure; The Incomparable Atuk; It's harder to be anybody; Jacob Two Two and the dinosaur/meets the hooded fang/spy case; Salomon Gursky was here; Son of a smaller hero; St. Urbain's horseman; Stick your neck out), short stories, articles, essays, reviews, screenplays, stage plays, and radio and television plays; published works; interviews; sound recordings and moving images; photographic prints, promotional materials and ephemera. Also includes Genie and Nellie awards and commemorative plaques.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The fonds is intellectually arranged across accessions
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Some audio visual recordings have been digitized.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Text in English and some in French, Hebrew, Italian, German and other languages.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Title based on contents of fonds.
Note
Further accruals expected.
Note
176 photoprints : col. and b&w ; 25x20cm or smaller; 1 35mm film reel; 65 audio cassettes; 17 VHS; 5 8mm film reels; 2 16 mm film reels; 1 45-rpm vinyl disc; 20 compact discs; 1 CD-R; 1 DVD
Alternative identifier(s)
ckey
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Accession 2023.23 (3.30m of textual records and other materiasl) arranged and described. All sent to HDL except typewriter - sent to ASC TFDL. (CLC) Sept. 2024.
Intellectual combination of accessions, description, and rearrangement completed. (CLC) Dec. 2024.
Accession 2026.11 (1 file) of correspondence from Glenn Poffenroth added to combined accessions (CLC) April 2026.