Morley Torgov (born 3 December 1927) is a Canadian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

humorist A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking. A raconteur is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

. He was a partner in the Toronto-based legal firm Olch, Torgov, Cohen LLP. Torgov was born in

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in northern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of the St. Mary's River directly across from its "twin city," Sault Ste. Marie, in the state of Michigan. The city's population was 72,051 at the 2021 census, makin ...

. He wrote for '' The Sault Daily Star'' as a columnist and reporter from 1941 to 1943. Torgov has credited his experience writing for the newspaper for helping him learn to write creatively. He studied law in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Osgoode Hall Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart (architect), John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is n ...

, formally becoming a lawyer in 1954. Torgov has written and published eight books. His first, '' A Good Place To Come From'', a collection of short stories based on his experiences and Jewish up-bringing in depression-era Sault Ste. Marie was published in 1974. The book was made into a three episode TV series that aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in March 1980. His 1982 novel '' The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick'' was adapted into the 1988 film of the same name. Torgov is the father of actress and artist

Sarah Torgov Sarah Torgov (born ) is a Canadian actress. She appeared in popular movies in the 1980s, including ''Meatballs'', '' If You Could See What I Hear'', '' American Gothic'', '' The July Group'', and '' Drying Up the Streets''. Her television appearanc ...

.(26 February 1979). "People", ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' 92 (9): 36.

Honours

Torgov received an honorary

doctor of letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

from

Algoma University Algoma University, commonly shortened to Algoma U, is a Canadian public university in the province of Ontario, with campuses in Brampton, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie, and Timmins. Algoma U offers bachelor's degrees, master's degre ...

in Sault Ste. Marie in 1990. In 1990,

Laurentian University Laurentian University (), officially Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Laurentian offers a variety of undergr ...

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario ** Sudbury (federal electoral district) ** Sudbury (provincial electoral district) ** Sudbury Airport ** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

awarded him an honorary

. In 2015, Torgov was named a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

for his contributions to Canadian literature as a humourist and storyteller.

Awards and recognition

* 1975: winner,

Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual Canadian literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, publis ...

, ''A Good Place to Come From'' * 1978: finalist,

Books in Canada First Novel Award The Amazon Canada First Novel Award, formerly the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a Canadian literary award, co-presented by Amazon.ca and ''The Walrus'' to the best first novel in English published the p ...

, ''The Abramsky Variations'' * 1983: winner,

, ''The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick''

Bibliography

* 1974: ''A Good Place to Come From'' ( Lester and Orpen Dennys) * 1977: ''The Abramsky Variations'' (Lester and Orpen Dennys) * 1982: ''The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick'' (Lester and Orpen Dennys) ,

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, ...

, Seal

* 1990: ''St Farb's Day'' (Lester and Orpen Dennys) * 1998: ''The War to End All Wars'' (Malcolm Lester) * 2002: ''Stickler and Me'' (Raincoast) * 2008: ''Murder in A-major'' (RendezVous Crime) * 2012: ''The Mastersinger from Minsk'' (Dundurn)

References

External links

Morley Torgov profile
''The Canadian Encyclopedia''; accessed 10 May 2017. * * * * 1927 births Living people Lawyers in Ontario Canadian male novelists Jewish Canadian writers People from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Stephen Leacock Award winners Members of the Order of Canada {{Canada-writer-stub