Sondra Gotlieb (née Kaufman; 30 December 1936Profile of Sondra Gotlieb
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Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

)Sondra Gotlieb
in

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. is a Canadian

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

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 ...

who lives 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 ...

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. She married Allan Gotlieb, Canadian ambassador to the United States during the presidency of

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. Her book ''Washington Rollercoaster'' recounted the Gotliebs' years as glamorous hosts in Washington during the Reagan Era, when she wrote a much-read column for the ''

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''. '' Vanity Fair'' magazine called her a "sparkling hostess", and in Washington she quickly became known for her irreverent attitude and sharp tongue. She often attracted attention with remarks considered out-of-character for diplomatic wives. Referring to Canada's image in America as a dull northern neighbour, she remarked: "Maybe we should invade South Dakota". In 1986, she attracted a blaze of international publicity when reporter Juliet O'Neill caught her slapping her social secretary Connie Gibson Connors at an official dinner she and her husband were hosting in honour of the Canadian prime minister

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

and U.S. Vice-President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

. The incident, while criticized, made her one of the most talked-about women in Washington, and invitations to the Gotliebs' parties became highly coveted. After she and her husband returned to Canada in the early 1990s, they moved to

's exclusive Rosedale neighbourhood and became the centre of establishment society in that city. Allan joined numerous corporate boards, including

Conrad Black Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-British writer and former politician, Publishing, newspaper publisher, Investor, financier, and Fraudster, convicted fraudster. Black's father was businessma ...

's Hollinger Inc., while Sondra began writing columns for ''

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'' and later the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'', which was owned by Conrad Black. She won the Stephen Leacock Prize for her 1978 novel, ''True Confections'', which was subtitled, ''Or How My Family Arranged My Marriage''. In 2001, she alluded to the infamous "Slap Flap" incident in a series of articles about her recent facelift, published in the ''National Post''. Gotlieb recounted how the idea for cosmetic surgery first came to her after a visit with friends in Washington D.C. "One of them said to me, 'It must be nice living in Toronto. You can slop around without having to bother too much about your appearance. Canadians have such old-fashioned values.' For the second time in my life I felt like slapping someone's face." Her regular column in the ''

'' continued until 2015. She resides in the Toronto neighbourhood of Rosedale.

Family

Sondra Gotlieb (née Kaufman) and husband Allan were married in 1955. They had three children: Rebecca (1958-2003), Marc (born 1959), and Rachel (born 1962). Rebecca, a lawyer, was married to Keith Ham, also a lawyer, but they separated and divorced a few years after the adoption of son David in 1992. She subsequently married journalist Matthew Fraser, former Editor-in-Chief of the ''

'' and television host. In early 2003, she died suddenly after a recurrence of liver cancer. Marc, an art historian and former

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

professor, is married to Lauren Freeman. They have three children. Rachel is married to lawyer Rob Dickson and they have two children. They live in the Toronto neighbourhood of Rosedale.

Works

*''The Gourmet's Canada'' - 1972 *''True Confections'' - 1978 *''First Lady, Last Lady'' - 1981 *''Wife Of...'' - 1985 *''Washington Rollercoaster'' - 1990 *''Dogs, Houses, Gardens, Food & Other Addictions'' - 2002 *''When I Rises Up, I Gets Confused: The Best of Sondra Gotlieb'' - 2004

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotlieb, Sondra 1936 births Living people Canadian columnists Canadian women novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists Writers from Winnipeg Stephen Leacock Award winners Canadian women journalists The Globe and Mail columnists Canadian women columnists 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian women humorists Canadian women non-fiction writers