The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks

by Robertson Davies

The second of the Samuel Marchbanks volumes, originally published in 1949, is available in eBook form for the first time.

In 1942, two years after returning to Canada from Britain, Robertson Davies took up the role of editor of the Peterborough Examiner . During his tenure as editor at the Examiner , a post he held until 1955, and later as publisher of the newspaper (1955–65), Davies published witty, curmudgeonly, mischievous, and fiercely individualistic editorials under the name of his alter ego, Samuel Marchbanks, “one of the choice and master spirits of his age.”

The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks gathers together a number of Marchbanks' columns from 1947 and 1948, presenting them as observations purportedly made by Marchbanks during a seven-course formal dinner. Funny, delightful, and timeless, The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks reveals one of the most entertaining periods in a Canadian literary giant’s career.

231 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

William Robertson Davies, CC, FRSC, FRSL (died in Orangeville, Ontario) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best-known and most popular authors, and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies is sometimes said to have detested. Davies was the founding Master of Massey College, a graduate college at the University of Toronto.

Novels:

The Salterton Trilogy
• Tempest-tost (1951)
• Leaven of Malice (1954)
• A Mixture of Frailties (1958)
The Deptford Trilogy
• Fifth Business (1970)
• The Manticore (1972)
• World of Wonders (1975)
The Cornish Trilogy
• The Rebel Angels (1981)
• What's Bred in the Bone (1985)
• The Lyre of Orpheus (1988)
The Toronto Trilogy (Davies' final, incomplete, trilogy)
• Murther and Walking Spirits (1991)
• The Cunning Man (1994)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertso...

Reviews

[Dan]

If you like reading the thoughts of an intelligent and engaging Canadian curmudgeon, then this is for you. Add an extra star for Canadian readers. Otherwise, I would strongly suggest starting with the Deptford Trilogy, his best work.