HOW MANY OF US THE ENGLISH-READING, HUMOUR-LOVING PUBLIC KNOW ABOUT THIS GREAT AUTHOR-STEPHEN LEACO

How many of us- the english- reading, humour-loving people really know about this writer-STEPHEN LEACOCK of the last century? STEPHEN LEACOCK: THE GREAT HUMOURIST AND NOVELIST : Stephen Butler Leacock was born on 30 December 1869 at Swanmore, Hampshire, England, the third of eleven children to Peter Leacock and Agnes Emma .The family ultimately emigrated to Canada in 1876 and settled near the village of Sutton, Ontario. Studied classical and modern languages and literature at Ontario university and graduated in 1891. By 1890, he had established himself as a humourist by contributing to variety of magazines. In August 2ooo he married an actress Beatrix Lushington and got a son Stephen by her in1915. He became a master in political science and got a ph.D from University of Chicago and also accepted post of special lecturer in political science. His book ‘Elements of Political Science’ written in 1906 was accepted as a text book for next 20 years. His book “Literary Lapses” published in 1910 became an highly popular book of humour by 1911 in the entire English speaking world. Nonsense Novels published in 1912 followed and later by satirical collection “sunshine sketches of a little town”. A number of books followed and established him as an unparalled humourist in his own inimitable style. He had a gift of public speaking. His wife died in 1925 of breast cancer. In spite of his sadness, he returned to writing and contributed many more books which are even now widely read by humour-loving English speaking world. Leacock was diagnosed with throat cancer and died on 28 March 1944. The “Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour” has been awarded yearly since 1947 by the Government of Canada for the best humorous book by a Canadian author. Besides P.G.Wodehouse the famous humourist from England soil, Stephen Leacock is the only other writer that is widely read even today and by all the English –speaking, humour-loving public throughout the world. Rest of his works listed below:-

OTHER BOOKS BY STEPHEN LEACOCK: Further Foolishness and Essays and Literary Studies (1916) The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice (1920) My Discovery of England (1922) Economic Prosperity in the British Empire (1930) Mark Twain (1932) Charles Dickens, His Life and Work (1933) Humour: Its Theory and Technique (1935) Canada: Foundations of Its Future (1941) Montreal: Seaport and City (1942) My Remarkable Uncle (1942) Canada and the Sea (1944) published posthumously:– Last Leaves (1945) While There Is Time: The Case Against Social Catastrophe (1945) The Boy I Left Behind Me (1946) The Doctrine of Laissez-faire (1997) ————————————————————————–