William Arthur Deacon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Barrister
- literary critic
- editor
William Arthur Deacon | |
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| Born | 6 April 1890 Pembroke, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 5 August 1977 (aged 87) Toronto, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Manitoba |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | National President, Canadian Authors Association |
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William Arthur Deacon (6 April 1890 — 5 August 1977) was a Canadian barrister-at-law, literary critic and editor, widely known throughout Canada and the United States,[1] He was Canada's first book critic to serve in that capacity on a full-time basis.[2] Deacon was a founding member of the Canadian Authors Association, serving as its national president in 1946–1948.[3][4]
Deacon was born in Pembroke, Ontario on 6 April 1890.[5] His parents were William Henry Deacon and Sarah Annie (Davies).[6][7]
In 1917, moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba,[8] he studied law at the University of Manitoba.[9]
Career
Deacon worked as a barrister-at-law during the first ten years of his career,[10] after which he "aimed to become the first full-time book reviewer in Canada".[8]
Deacon began writing about books, 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.[1] He worked for the Winnipeg Free Press (1921), Saturday Night (1922–1928), The Mail and Empire (1928–1936) and The Globe and Mail (1936–1961).[11] His column at The Globe and Mail was entitled, "The Fly Leaf".[12]
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).[13]
During his six years with The Saturday Evening Citizen, he published four books: Pens and Pirates, Peter McArthur, Poteen, and The Four Jameses.[14] Later, he published two additional ones, Open House (1931), My Vision of Canada (1933), and a pamphlet, "Here Comes the Censor" (1940).[13]
In 1960,[13] Deacon retired from the Globe and Mail when he was seventy.[15]
According to Stouck & Stouch (2010), in his day, Deacon was considered to be the "most influential literary critic in the country".[16] The Waterloo Region Record described him as "for 40 years an intellectual patron and prophet in Canadian writing".[11] 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.[14]
Personal life
In 1911, he firstly married Gladys Coon of Weston, Ontario.[10] They divorced. About 1923, he secondly married the writer and theosophist, Mrs. Sally Townsend Syme.[17][18][10][7]
In 1918, Deacon served as President of the Theosophical Society's Winnipeg Lodge.[18]
