Charles Gordon (born 1940) is a Canadian writer and retired journalist, best known as a longtime columnist for the ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

''."Charles Gordon: Incisive, Funny, Retired". ''

'', June 11, 2005.

Background

Born in New York City while his father

J. King Gordon John King Gordon (1900–1989) was a Canadian Christian minister, editor, United Nations official, and academic. Biography Gordon was born on 6 December 1900 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the son of the novelist and future Presbyterian Church moderat ...

was working in publishing there,"Cottage Industry". ''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

'', August 3, 2006. Gordon grew up in several cities around the world during his father's diplomatic career with the United Nations. He is also the brother of writer

Alison Gordon Alison Ruth Gordon (January 1, 1943 – February 12, 2015) was a Canadian journalist and mystery novelist. She wrote for CBC and the ''Toronto Star'' in addition to a series of mystery novels. Early life and education Gordon was born January 1, ...

and the grandson of novelist

Ralph Connor Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

. He studied political science at

Queen's University Queen's or Queens University may refer to: *Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK **Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency) (1918–1950) **Queen's University of Belfast ...

Career

While completing his master's degree in political science, Gordon was hired as an editor with the '' Brandon Sun'' in 1964, remaining with the paper until joining the ''Citizen'' in 1974. With the ''Citizen'', he held a variety of roles – including writing editorials, editing the local news and books sections, and writing his daily column – until retiring from the paper in 2005. He took a leave of absence from the paper in 2002 to serve for several months as

writer-in-residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

at the University of Ottawa. Gordon's columns were noted for their wry and sometimes

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

humour. He published several books, both fiction and non-fiction. His first book, ''The Governor General's Bunny Hop'', was adapted by

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

into the short-lived sitcom ''

Not My Department ''Not My Department'' is a Canadian television sitcom, which aired on CBC Television in 1987.The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band, formed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Recor ...

'', September 26, 1987. He also wrote the afterword for the

New Canadian Library The New Canadian Library is a publishing imprint of the Canadian company McClelland and Stewart. The series aims to present classic works of Canadian literature in paperback. Each work published in the series includes a short essay by another nota ...

edition of Paul Hiebert's influential humour novel ''

Sarah Binks ''Sarah Binks'' is a novel published in 1947 by University of Manitoba professor Paul Hiebert. The novel is a faux biography of "Sarah Binks", the "Sweet Songstress of Saskatchewan". It satirizes literary pretensions — both of the critic and o ...

''.

Awards and honours

He was a three-time nominee for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, garnering nods in 1986 for ''The Governor General's Bunny Hop'',"Star's Slinger Up for Humor Prize". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', April 11, 1986. in 1994 for ''How Not to Be Too Bad''"Richardson Wins Leacock Prize". ''

'', April 26, 1994. and in 2002 for ''The Grim Pig''. He was granted an honorary doctorate from

Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrollment of 3375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon Co ...

in 1994."Not bad! Citizen Book Editor Given Honorary Doctorate". ''

'', May 29, 1994.

Works

*''The Governor General's Bunny Hop'' (1985, ) *''At the Cottage: An Affectionate Look at Canada's Summer Obsession'' (1989, ) *''How to Be Not Too Bad: A Canadian Guide to Superior Behaviour'' (1993, ) *''The Canada Trip'' (1997, ) *''The Grim Pig'' (2001, ) *''Still at the Cottage: Or the Cabin, the Shack, the Lake, the Beach, or Camp'' (2006, )

References

1940 births Canadian columnists Canadian humorists Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Ottawa Citizen people Queen's University at Kingston alumni Living people Canadian travel writers Canadian male essayists 20th-century Canadian essayists 21st-century Canadian essayists 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Writers from New York City {{Canada-writer-stub