| Noah Richler | |
|---|---|
| Born | Montreal, Quebec, Canada. |
| Occupation | Essayist, Writer |
Noah Richler is a Canadian journalist, who was raised in Montreal, Canada and London, England. He is the son of Florence Isabel Wood and famous Canadian novelist Mordecai Richler. Noah also has two brothers Daniel Richler and Jacob Richler and two sisters Emma Richler and Martha Richler.[1]
Richler worked for many years as a radio documentary producer for the BBC Radio, representing the organization at the Prix Futura and winning a Sony Award before following in his father's footsteps and becoming a writer. His book, This is My Country, What's Yours? A Literary Atlas of Canada, won the 2007 British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, the largest prize for non-fiction in the country.[2] The book is a literary travelogue and cultural portrait of the country, for which he interviewed novelists and storytellers from Newfoundland to British Columbia and the Inuit Arctic. After returning to Canada in 1998. He was the books editor and then the Literary Columnist for the National Post, and has contributed to numerous publications in Britain, including The Guardian, Punch and The Daily Telegraph, and in Canada, including The Walrus, Maisonneuve, Saturday Night, the Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail.[3] He also made a ten-part "Ideas" CBC Radio series from his researches.
He lives in Toronto with his wife, House of Anansi publisher Sarah MacLachlan.
Contents |
Richer wrote about the making of the film version of his dad’s Mordecai Richler’s book Barney’s Version.[4] September 2010 with Paul Giamatti in the title role. Richard J. Lewis directed the film with Robert Lantos producing.[5] Michael Konyves wrote the screenplay.[6] Noah’s writing style is more related to an essayist style. He writes articles regularly in the National Post regarding Canadian themes. He has written about some travels he has done within Canada, as well as Farmer’s market in the summer.[7] He has a collective writing style pertaining to Canadian cultures and themes. He has regular posts in the National Post, and the Globe and Mail.
Richler drew significant criticism for an opinion piece written for the Toronto Star. On December 16, 2011, Richler published a piece which bordered strongly on the criminal offence libel. In it, Richler claimed
"Did you know? Jason Kenney has quit his cabinet post to run the Gay Pride parade. Vic Toews confessed to being a pederast. Stephen Harper has been corresponding with Syrian President Bashar Assad about crowd control for years."[8]
He followed up his claim by saying that he was simply expressing his right to free speech. However, the Criminal Code of Canada states that libel is a “matter published, without lawful justification or excuse, that is likely to injure the reputation of any person by exposing him to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or that is designed to insult the person of or concerning whom it is published.” (s. 298)
“A person publishes a libel when he (a) exhibits it in public; (b) causes it to be read or seen; or (c) shows or delivers it, or causes it to be shown or delivered, with intent that it should be read or seen by the person whom it defames or by any other person.” (s. 299)
The Prince Arthur Herald columnist Daniel Dickin immediately took issue and reported on Richler's choice of words and dangerous line-toeing with libelous comments. Dickin particularly took offence to the accusation that Minister Vic Toews is a pederast, a term for a grown man who has sex with young boys.
To date Richler or the Toronto Star has not apologized or retracted the article or comments.
1. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1102954--lies-damned-lies-and-spinmasters