The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks

by Robertson Davies

The earliest of the Samuel Marchbanks volumes, originally published in 1947, is available in e-book 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 Diary of Samuel Marchbanks is funny, delightful, and timeless in revealing one of the most entertaining periods in a Canadian literary giant’s career. 

Genres: Canada, 20th Century

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2016

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

[andrej_reads7878 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humour books are usually a mixed bag for me, as I think (or used to, rather) that the medium doesn’t really lend itself well to sustained jokes, but this is one of the funniest things I have ever read. I will make a point to read the rest of Samuel Marchbanks’ ramblings as soon as I can slot it into my reading queue.

[Colin Grieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago and it was hilarious. I still remember the long drawn out campaign he waged against his furnace.

I added a paperback edition even though I no longer have a copy and don't have any details because the only two listed were an e-book and an audio book. If anyone has a physical copy please feel free to add details to this edition. Thanks

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cantankerous old-school Canadian irreverence at its best.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unstoppably, unrelentingly funny.