William Arthur Deacon
William Arthur Deacon (6 April 1890 — 5 August 1977) was a Canadian literary critic and editor. He was Canada's first book critic to serve in that capacity on a full-time basis.[1] Deacon was a founding member of the Canadian Authors Association, serving as its national president in 1946-48.[2][3]
Early life and education
Deacon was born in Pembroke, Ontario on 6 April 1890.[4] He studied in Winnipeg, Manitoba to be a lawyer.[5]
Career
Deacon "aimed to become the first full-time book reviewer in Canada".[5]
Widely known throughout Canada and the United States, Deacon began as a writer about books. His career started around 1920 with the publication of articles in The New York Times Book Review and the Literary Review of the New York Evening Post. After a year on the contributing staff of the Manitoba Free Press, he was appointed Editor of The Saturday Evening Citizen, for whom he wrote weekly articles and book reviews.[6] He worked for the Winnipeg Free Press (1921), Saturday Night (1922–28), The Mail and Empire (1928–36) and The Globe and Mail (1936–1961).[7] His column at The Globe and Mail was entitled, "The Fly Leaf".[8]
Deacon also found time for occasional contributions to the London Bookman, The American Mercury, the International Book Review, Yearbook of the Arts in Canada (1928-29; 1933-34), Canadian Portraits (1940); Some Canadian Essays (1932); Book of Canadian Humor (1951).[9]
During his six years with the The Saturday Evening Citizen, he published four books: Pens and Pirates, Peter McArthur, Poteen, and The Four Jameses.[10] Later, he published two additional ones, Open House (1931), My Vision of Canada (1933), and a pamphlet, "Here Comes the Censor" (1940).[9]
In 1960,[9] Deacon retired from the Globe and Mail when he was seventy.[11]
According to Stouck & Stouch (2010), in his day, Deacon was considered to be the "most influential literary critic in the country".[12] The Waterloo Region Record described him as "for 40 years an intellectual patron and prophet in Canadian writing".[7] The Brantford Expositor, speaking editorially, wrote: "Mr. Deacon has no peer in Canada as a critical book reviewer of understanding." Deacon's articles on the latest books appeared each Saturday in The Whig-Standard.[10]
Personal life
His second wife was the writer known as Sally Townsend Syme.[13][14]
In 1918, Deacon served as President of the Theosophical Society's Winnipeg Lodge.[14]
Death and legacy
William Arthur Deacon died on 5 August 1977 in Toronto.[15]
His biographer, Jessie L. Beattie, published William Arthur Deacon, Memoirs of a Literary Friendship in 1978 (The Fleming Press, Hamilton, Ontario).[1] Clara Thomas and John Lennox published William Arthur Deacon: A Canadian Literary Life in 1982. (University of Toronto Press).[7] Dear Bill, The Correspondence of William Arthur Deacon was edited by John Lennox and Michele Lacombe (University of Toronto Press, 1988).[11]
Selected works
- Pens and Pirates (1923)
- Peter McArthur (1923)
- Poteen and Other Essays (1926)
- The Four Jameses (1927)
- My vision of Canada (1933)
- Open House (1931)
Pamphlets
- "Sh-hh. Here Comes the Censor!" (1940)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bishop, Dorothy (12 August 1978). "Early outrider for Canadian literature". The Ottawa Journal. p. 38. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "William Arthur Deacon". The Globe and Mail. 15 August 1977. p. 6. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Authors' Association To Hear W. A. Deacon". The Winnipeg Tribune. 11 January 1947. p. 17. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Colombo, John Robert (1 January 1984). Canadian Literary Landmarks. Dundurn. ISBN 978-0-88882-073-0. Retrieved 23 December 2025. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rubio, Mary Henley (18 February 2011). Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings. Doubleday Canada. pp. 353–. ISBN 978-0-385-67481-2. Search this book on
- ↑ "Uncle Ray's Saturday Mail Bag". The Ottawa Citizen (Public domain ed.). 20 April 1929. p. 26. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Kesten, Myles (11 September 1982). "A Canadian literary life". Waterloo Region Record. p. 10. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ French, William (9 August 1977). "Deacon built a structure for Canadian literature". The Globe and Mail. p. 13. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Book Editor William Arthur Deacon Retiring". The Globe and Mail. 17 December 1960. p. 17. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Introducing William Arthur Deacon". The Kingston Whig-Standard (Public domain ed.). 1 September 1928. p. 18. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 French, William (12 November 1988). "The man of letters". The Globe and Mail. p. 67. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Stouck, Jordan; Stouck, David (15 July 2010). "Collecting Stamps Would Have Been More Fun": Canadian Publishing and the Correspondence of Sinclair Ross, 1933-1986. University of Alberta. ISBN 978-0-88864-755-9. Retrieved 23 December 2025. Search this book on
- ↑ "The World of Canadian Letters Honors William Arthur Deacon". The Globe and Mail. 12 January 1961. p. 5. Retrieved 23 December 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Peterman, Michael A. (1982). "The Deacon of Canadian Letters". Journal of Canadian Studies/Revue d'études canadiennes. 17 (3): 146–148. ISSN 1911-0251. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
- ↑ "William Arthur Deacon". thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
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