About the book

Author: Ferguson, Will

Title: The Penguin anthology of Canadian humour

Publication: Toronto : Viking Canada, 2006. ISBN 9780670064434.

DAISY audio format narrated by Barbara Lord and Chris Caughey. CELA library call number DA28565. 496 pages in the print edition; 16 hrs., 45 mins. as a recorded book.

About the story

This anthology, compiled by Will Ferguson and originally published in 2006, is a veritable Who’s Who of Canadian humour. You find all the expected names: Stewart McLean, Douglas Copeland, Robertson Davies and, of course, Steven Leacock.

However, with over 70 different authors represented, you will surely find new voices that you want to read. From a reader’s advisory perspective, this is pure gold. I do wish it were easier to take notes while reading an audiobook on the go, while blind. I remember a truly hilarious sequence by Sandra Shamas, author of Wit’s End. I do believe I need to read this book. How I laughed!

There are modern writers, writers from the ‘30s, writers from French Canada. This is a very valuable collection and I’m very glad to read it.

The two narrators, Barbara Lord and Chris Caughey, took turns depending on the gender of the author whose work they were reading. This was useful, since several excerpts from each author were read. After a while, it does get confusing as an audiobook, but it was so much fun to read.

I did read it over the course of several weeks, because I generally crave longer narrative fiction. But I did read several of these pieces between each longer book, and when I just wanted a quick pick me up.

Highly recommended, so long as you are not in a hurry. Some descriptions of sex, violence and strong language.

What follows is a VERY LONG LIST of authors. Really, its TLDR territory.

To do this thing right, here is the list of authors (you won’t find this online!) likely spelt ideosyncratically:

  • Dave Bidini, of hockey-book fame
  • Arthur Black, from CBC
  • Marsha Bolton (Letters from the Country, Just a minute)
  • Max Braithwaite (Why shoot the teacher, Never sleep three in a bed, The night we stole the Mountie’s car).
  • Chuck Brown, an Atlantic columnist and co-author of the Girlfriend’s guide to football
  • Roch Carrier, author of the Hockey Sweater, other very funny stuff, and one-time National Librarian of Canada
  • Douglas Copeland, of Generation X fame, and many other fiction and non-fiction books
  • Ivan E. Coyote, Boys like her, Close to Spiderman, One man’s trash
  • Herb Curtis, The Americans are coming, and the Lone angler, among others
  • Roberston Davies, whom you must know (Salterton, Deptford and Cornish trilogies, among others)
  • Bob Edwards (1864-1922), Eye-opener Bob
  • M.A.C. Ferrant Sick pigeon, Raw material, etc.
  • Ian Ferguson, How to be a Canadian (with his brother Will, the editor), and Village of the small houses
  • Will Ferguson, the editor of this book and a best-selling author of Happiness, Beauty Tips from Moosejaw, etc.
  • Jacques Ferrand, Tales from the uncertain country, Wild Roses, etc.
  • Mavis Gallant, of the New Yorker fame, and many collected works
  • Zuzie Gartner, All the anxious girls on earth
  • Charles Gordon, At the cottage, The Canada trip, The Grim Pig
  • Ray Guy, a Newfoundland newspapers whose work has been compiled into several books, including You may know them as sea urchins, m’am
  • Paul Hebert (1892-1987) for his Sarah Binks work
  • Donald Jack (1924-2003) for his series of comic novels, The Bandy Papers
  • Thomas King, Medicine River; One good story, that one; Green Grass, Running water; Truth and bright river, Inconvenient Indian, and many more (though not nearly enough: I love this writer!)
  • W.P. Kineslla, Dance me outside, Born Indian, Shoeless Joe,
  • Jack Knox, weekly humour column “Slightly skewed”
  • Dany Laferrière, a Hatian-Canadian author who writes in French
  • Gary Lautens (1928-1992), Take my family, please; No sex please, we’re married; two anthologies
  • Stephen Leacock (1869-1944), ‘nuff said
  • Antonine Maillet, one of my favourites! Don L’Orignale, Crache à Pic, La Sagouine
  • James Martin, Mr Smutty columns (and a non-practising librarian)
  • Stewart McLean, of CBC’s Vinyl Cafe (Dave and Morley rule!)
  • Richard J. Needham (1912-1936) a newspaper columnist and author of Needham’s Inferno, The Garden of Needham
  • Dan Needles, columnist and creator of the Wingfield Farm comic plays
  • Eric Nichol (1919), Say Uncle, A scar is born, Anything for a laugh, A guide for aging Boomers
  • Brian O’Connell (1916-1991), columnist and author of Magnets and meatloaf, and Say, scribe
  • Maureen Olsen six collections of newspaper columns, including The school bus doesn’t stop here anymore
  • Patricia Pearson, journalist and fiction writer, Playing House, Believe me
  • Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990), among whose books The Peter Principle coined that term
  • John Porteus (1932-1995), Ernie Fréchette radio plays, and three humour collections: They choke herring, don’t they? ; My lobster is double-parked, and Here’s your chainsaw, what’s your hurry?
  • Jacques Poulin, who wrote many novels including Volkswagen blues, Autumn rounds, and Wildcat, as well as Les grandes marées
  • Paul Quarrington, Whale music, King Leary, Galveston
  • David Rackoff, Fraud, Don’t get too comfortable
  • Bill Richardson, late of CBC’s Richardson’s Roundup and former children’s librarian, he wrote Bachelor Brothers bed and breakfast, Scorned and beloved, Oddball at large, After Hamelin, Waiting for Gertrude
  • Mordecai Richler (1931-2001) Montreal writer of The apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, St Urban’s Horseman, Solomon Gursky was here, Barney’s version, and many others including Jacob Two-Two
  • Erica Ritter, playwright, Urban scrawl, Ritter in residence, The Hidden life of humans, the Great big book of guys
  • Robert W. Service (1874-1958) Songs of a sourdough and other poems
  • Sandra Shamus, A trilogy of performances (My Boyfriend’s Back and There’s Gonna be Laundry; The Cycle Continues; Wedding Bell Hell); Wit’s End
  • Antonas Selika, Dinner at the end of the world, Buying on time and a novel, Woman in bronze
  • Joey Slinger, No axe too small to grind; If it’s a jungle out there, why do I have to mow the lawn?; Down and dirty birding; Punchline
  • Mariko Tamaki, Cover me; True lies: The book of bad advice; Fake ID
  • William J. Thomas, humour columnist; Guys, not real bright and damn proud of it; The dog rules damn near everything; Never hitchike on the road less travelled
  • Miriam Toews, Summer of my amazing luck, A boy of good breeding, A complicated kindness
  • Morely Torgov (1927), A good place to come from, Ibramski variations, St. Farb’s day, The outside chance of Maximillian Glick, The war to end all wars, Stickler and me
  • Stewart Truman (1911-1995) You are only as old as you act, Life’s odd moments
  • Nancy White, the singer-songwriter, Momnipotent, Stickers on Fruit, etc.

A good overview. Fun to read (but not all at once!).