Jack:a Life With Writers: The Story Of Jack McClelland

by James King

From one of Canada's most esteemed literary biographers, the extraordinary story of the gregarious, trail-blazing man who propelled the country into a cultural coming of age, and whose life has been every bit as 'page-turning' as many of the books and writers he published.

Jack McClelland, the man who set out in the fifties to transform McClelland & Stewart into the country's most exciting publishing house, is renowned as a risk-taker and an entrepreneur, indefatigable, irascible, funny and humane, who did some things well and some things badly - both in extreme measures. He is credited with bringing Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler, Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen, Margaret Laurence, Farley Mowat, Pierre Berton, Roloff Beny and many others to centre stage in Canada and around the world. He is famous as the hard-drinking, chain-smoking publicity hound whose flamboyant stunts, calculated to bring attention to his books, made front-page news. But he was also an astute reader who denied his skill as an editor, an inveterate, spicy letter writer, an ardent nationalist, loyal friend, devoted family man, and a man whose passion for the family business delayed his leave-taking until the company's financial difficulties nearly killed him.

James King interviewed Jack McClelland himself, his family, as well as numerous friends, authors and publishers, and was given unprecedented access to Jack McClelland's papers and the archives of McClelland & Stewart. This is the candid, captivating biography of a legendary man - and a vivid window onto the lives and habits of this country's writers, as well as the story behind Canada's rise to prominence as a literary powerhouse.

"You were the real Prime Minister of Canada. You still are. And even though it's all gone down the tubes, the country that you govern will never fall apart."


Leonard Cohen to Jack McClelland, 1996

Genres: Biography

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

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Reviews

[Jay Millar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book filled with amusing tales of bravado CanLit publisher Jack McClelland and his publishing empire during the height of colonial literature in Canada. For me it became a good book about how NOT to run a publishing business in Canada. I wanted to rewrite the final paragraph of the book so that is said that Jack changed the face of Canadian culture because of his love of debt, and we will all be forever in his books. I do think it is funny that the final word of the book as it was written by King is "debt."

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a professional/business biography than a biography outright, which is acknowledged at the outset. A shame as the glimpses of McClelland's personal life are some of the most interesting parts of the book.

Breezy writing and meticulously researched book, but gets bogged down in the dollar-by-dollar accounting of M+S / office politics a little too much. Jack's correspondence takes up way too much of the book as well.

[Nigel Beale]

Listen to my Biblio File podcast interview with James King about Jack: A Life with writers, here: http://thebibliofile.ca/james-king-on...

[Theryn Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack is a biography of Jack McClelland, who ran McClelland & Stewart (Canadian publisher that his father founded) for many years (1950s – 80s). McClelland championed Canadian literature and started the New Canadian Library series. As biographies go, this is a pretty entertaining one. You learn (if you didn't already know!) how close to bankruptcy publishing firms have always operated as well as all sorts of gossip about famous Canadian writers. Be prepared for the usual sexism of the era.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book is getting an inside look at some great Canadian authors. The rest of it was often frustrating - either because of the company's bad luck when a deal didn't work out, or because of Jack's approach to the business. Not to say he didn't care or take it seriously, but that sometimes his decisions seem bizarre or ill-advised in light of today's market.

[To the point · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me long to write a novel. I found McClelland's life interesting and motivating.