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The Richler Challenge

Published: 17 March 2004

The Richler Challenge
Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19, 2004
McGill University Faculty Club
3450 McTavish Street
Registration Fees: Regular, $50; Full-time students, $25

Canada has produced few writers as polarizing as Mordecai Richler. Loved for his acerbic wit and complete disregard for sacred cows — and loathed for the same reasons — Richler was an author of international standing.

Despite this, the Montreal-born novelist, essayist and occasional polemicist has received remarkably little academic attention, both during his life and after his death in 2001. The Richler Challenge, a symposium being organized by the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, aims to correct that oversight.

"He was a satirist — in Canada we enjoy humour, but satirists are prickly and difficult to embrace in their lifetime," said English professor Nathalie Cooke, who, with Kenneth Whyte, is organizing the conference for the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

Why the Richler Challenge?

"Richler essentially articulated challenges for his readers, and we want to challenge contemporary readers to come to terms with the impact of Richler's work," said Cooke.

With guests that include academics, writers, journalists and publishing industry mavens, the symposium will host several panel discussions on topics relating to the impact of Richler and his work on Montreal, Canada and the international literary community. In keeping with Richler's spirit, don't expect a quiet academic chat.

"As well as having panelists we have provocateurs who have been asked to challenge the panelists and push the analysis to the next level. We also have respondents who will point out what they feel are the gaps or the most provocative issues of the conference."

Discussions of Richler's non-fiction work will play a part in all of the panels - one of the guests is Gérald Leblanc, who penned a rebuttal to Richler's notorious 1991 article on Quebec.

Lighter topics include Terry Mosher - known to Montreal Gazette readers as editorial cartoonist Aislin — on drawing Richler, and "Four Nights with Mordecai," a reading of a David MacFarlane piece by "Ally McBeal" star Gil Bellows. This will be a world premiere of a work that will play at Stratford.

The Richler Challenge, March 18 and 19, information at www.misc-iecm.mcgill.ca or 514-398-8346. Registration: $50; full-time students $25.

The Richler Challenge Symposium is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars with the partnership of Canadian Learning Television, McGill University and the McGill Department of English.

The Richler Challenge Symposium Programme

Thursday, March 18, 2004/jeudi 18 mars 2004

Mistress of Ceremonies/Maîtresse de cérémonie : Hana Gartner, Host/Animatrice, The Fifth Estate, CBC Television

4:45 pm/16h45 Word of Welcome/Propos de bienvenue
- Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University/Principale et vice-chancelière, Université McGill
- Antonia Maioni, Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada/Directrice, Institut d'études canadiennes de McGill
- David Biette, Director/directeur, Canada Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

5 pm/17 h How Do We Frame Richler?/Aborder Richler, mais comment ? Moderator/Animateur : tbc/ à communiquer
- Russell Morton Brown and/et Donna Bennett, Department of English, University of Toronto at Scarborough/Département d'anglais, Université de Toronto à Scarborough
- James King, Professor, Department of English, McMaster University/Professeur, Département d'anglais, Université McMaster
- Gilles Marcotte, Journalist, Literary Critic and Professor Emeritus, Department of French Literature, Université de Montréal/Journaliste, critique littéraire et professeur émérite, Département d'études françaises, Université de Montréal
- Apollonia Steele, Special Collections Librarian, University of Calgary/Bibliothécaire, Fonds spéciaux, Université de Calgary
Provocateur/Polémiste: Moses Znaimer, Co-Founder, Former President and Executive Producer of, among others, Citytv and BookTelevision/Cofondateur, ancien président et chef de production de Citytv et BookTelevision

6:30 pm/18h30 Four Nights with Mordecai
Introduction: Peter Moss, Executive Vice-President, Programming and Development, Corus Television Group/Vice-président exécutif, programmation et développement, Corus Television Group
Developed on behalf of the Stratford Festival of Canada/Créé pour le Stratford Festival of Canada.
Reading by/Lecture par : Gil Bellows, with/avec David Rotenberg.
Writer/Scénario : David Macfarlane
Director/ Metteur en scène : David Rotenberg, Associate Professor/Professeur agrégé, Centre for Film and Theatre, York University/Université York
Pianist/Pianiste : Phil Dwyer, Composer and pianist/Compositeur et pianiste

Friday, March 19, 2004/vendredi 19 mars 2004

Mistress of Ceremonies/Maîtresse de cérémonie : Hana Gartner, Host/Animatrice, The Fifth Estate, CBC Television.

8:45 am/8h45 Word of Welcome/Propos de bienvenue
- Nathalie Cooke, Professor, Dept. of English, McGill University, and Canadian Studies Program Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada/Professeure, Département d'anglais, Université McGill et directrice du programme d'études canadiennes, Institut d'études canadiennes de McGill
- Florence Richler

9 am/9h Mordecai in Montreal (for better or worse)/Mordecai à Montréal (pour le meilleur et pour le pire)
Moderator/Animatrice: Cynthia Good, Former President and Publisher, Penguin Books Canada/Ancienne présidente et éditrice, Penguin Books Canada
- Presentation of video clip from The Apprenticeship of Mordecai Richler by Alan Handel/Présentation d'un court extrait de «The Apprenticeship of Mordecai Richler » par Alan Handel.
- Mervin Butovsky, Professor, Department of English, Concordia University/Professeur, Département d'anglais, Université Concordia
- Nadia Khouri, Author/Auteure
- Ted Kotcheff, Filmmaker/Cinéaste
- Gérald Leblanc, Journalist/Journaliste
- Joel Yanofsky, Author/Auteur, Mordecai and Me (Red Deer Press)
Provocateur/Polémiste : Morton Weinfeld, Chair, Canadian Ethnic Studies/Titulaire de la chaire d'études ethniques canadiennes and author of/et auteur de Like Everyone Else But Different: The Paradoxical Success of Canadian Jews

10:30 am/10h30 Break/pause

10:45 am/10h45 Is Richler Canadian Content?/Richler, contenu canadien ? Moderator/Animatrice: Louise Dennys, Executive Publisher/Éditrice exécutive, Knopf Canada
- Neil Besner, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, University of Winnipeg/Doyen, Faculté des sciences humaines, Université de Winnipeg
- Glenn Deer, Professor, Department of English, University of British Columbia and Associate Editor (Reviews), Canadian Literature/Professeur, Département d'anglais, Université de Colombie-Britannique et rédacteur associé (revues), Canadian Literature
- David Macfarlane, Author/Auteur, The Danger Tree and Summer Gone and/et National Columnist/chroniqueur national, The Globe and Mail
- Blair Munro, Graduate Student, University of Calgary/Étudiant de 2ème cycle, Université de Calgary
Provocateur/Polémiste: Frank Davey, Professor, Department of English, University of Western Ontario/Professeur, Département d'anglais, Université de Western Ontario

12:15 pm/12h15 Special Presentation/Allocution spéciale
- Bernice Rubens, Author/Auteure

12:45 pm/12h45 Lunch/Déjeuner

1:45 pm/13h45 A Canadian Jew Abroad/Un Juif canadien à l'étranger
Moderator/Animatrice : Pamela Wallin, Canadian Consul General of New York/Consule générale du Canada à New York
- David Brauner, Director/Directeur, American Studies, University of Reading, England/Études américaines, Université de Reading, Angleterre
- Matteo Codignola, Editor/Rédacteur, Adelphi
- Joseph B. Glass, Author and Treasurer, International Council for Canadian Studies/Auteur et trésorier, Conseil international d'études canadiennes
- Michael Posner, Author/Auteur, The Last Honest Man Mordecai Richler
Provocateur/Polémiste : John Fraser, Master/Maître, Massey College, University of Toronto/Université de Toronto

3:15 pm/15h15 Break/Pause

3:30 pm/15h30 Drawing Mordecai Richler/Esquisse de Mordecai Richler
- Terry Mosher, Aislin, Editorial Page Cartoonist/Caricaturiste politique, The Gazette and/et Maclean's

3:45 pm/15h45 Why Richler Matters/L'importance de Richler
Moderator/Animateur : Seamus O'Regan, Co-Host/Coanimateur, Canada AM
- Nadine Bismuth, Author/Auteure, Les gens fidèles ne font pas les nouvelles
- Bryan Cheyette, Former Editor/Ancien rédacteur, The Jewish Quarterly and/et Twentieth-Century Chair, School of Humanities, University of Southampton/Sciences humaines, Université de Southampton
- David Homel, Writer/Écrivain
- David Staines, Professor, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa/Professeur, Faculté des arts, Université d'Ottawa

Summary/Résumé : Ken Whyte, Visitor in Media and Public Policy, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada/Chercheur invité, Médias et politiques publiques, Institut d'études canadiennes de McGill

Registration: website

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