Jack Batten (born January 23, 1932) is a Canadian writer and broadcaster, author of more than 40 fiction and non-fiction books and winner of book and magazine awards.

Early life

Jack Hubert Batten was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

to Jack and Kathleen Batten and moved with his parents to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

when he was three years old. He attended the

University of Toronto Schools University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school follows a specialized academic curriculum, and admission is determined by competitive ex ...

(UTS) and completed a BA in philosophy and history at Victoria College, University of Toronto in 1954. He then earned a law degree at the University of Toronto Law School in 1957, was called to the bar in 1959, and practised law for four years at MacLaughlin, Macaulay, May and Soward.

Writing career

He left the legal profession in 1962 to make his living as a writer, starting as a staff writer and copy editor at

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

magazine. After a short period at The

Canadian Magazine The ''Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature'' was the premiere monthly literary journal of Anglophone Canada for three decades. History and profile Edited first by James Gordon Mowat then by John Alexander Cooper, the first i ...

he returned to Maclean’s as staff writer, then became managing editor at Saturday Night Magazine, and later a staff writer for The

Star Weekly The ''Star Weekly'' magazine was a Canadian periodical published from 1910 until 1973. The publication was read widely in rural Canada where delivery of daily newspapers was infrequent. History Formation The newspaper was founded as the ''Toronto ...

. He has been a freelance writer since 1968. His articles have appeared in

Toronto Life ''Toronto Life'' is a monthly magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ''Toronto Life'' also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including ''Real Estate'', ''Stylebook'', ''Eatin ...

Reader’s Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

Chatelaine Chatelaine may refer to: * Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc. *Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse * ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...

and other magazines. He reviewed jazz for

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

in the 1970s, and crime novels for the

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 ...

from 1998 to 2017 (his reviews were syndicated to other papers in the Torstar chain at the time). His books include biographies of lawyer Tom Longboat,

John Josiah Robinette John Josiah Robinette, (November 20, 1906 – November 18, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer who was one of Canada's premier legal authorities and litigators. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he attended the University of Toronto Schools. In 1926, he re ...

, and

Ed Mirvish Edwin "Honest Ed" Mirvish, (July 24, 1914 – July 11, 2007) was an American-Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario. He is known for his flagship business, Honest Ed's, a landmark disco ...

, a series of crime novels featuring a criminal lawyer called Crang, sports books on hockey and basketball, books for young adult readers, and books on the legal and justice systems in Canada.

Broadcasting

Between 1977 and 2002, Batten reviewed movies twice a week for CBC’s

Metro Morning Metro Morning is CBC Radio One's local morning program in Toronto, airing on CBLA-FM. The program airs from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. weekday mornings, and has frequently been Toronto's highest-rated radio program in its timeslot. The program is c ...

radio program.

Personal life

Jack Batten is married to the gardening writer and consultant Marjorie Harris. He was previously married to Jane Bradshaw, and has two children, Brad and Sarah. He lives in Toronto.

Awards

1993: Arbor Award, University of Toronto 1997: Silver National Magazine Award 1999: Gold National Magazine Award, Arts and Entertainment Category 2002:

Norma Fleck Award The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction is a lucrative literary award founded in May 1999 by the Fleck Family Foundation and the Canadian Children's Book Centre, and presented to the year's best non-fiction book for a youth aud ...

for Best Children’s Non-fiction Book for ''The Man Who Ran Faster than Everyone'' 2003: Distinguished Alumnus Award from Victoria College, University of Toronto 2023: Derrick Murdoch Award, Crime Writers of Canada

Select bibliography

''Non-fiction'' ''The Inside Story of Conn Smythe’s Hockey Dynasty'' (1969) ''Honest Ed’s Story: The Crazy Rags to Riches Story of Ed Mirvish'' (1972) ''The Leafs in Autumn'' (1975) ''Lawyers'' (1980) ''In Court'' (1982) ''Robinette: The Dean of Canadian Lawyers'' (1984) ''On Trial'' (1986) ''Judges'' (1987) ''Mind over Murder, DNA and other Forensic Adventures'' (1995) ''Hoopla: Inside the Toronto Raptors’ First Season'' (1996) ''The Man Who Ran Faster than Everyone: A Biography of Tom Longboat'' (2002) ''The Annex: The Story of a Toronto Neighbourhood'' (2004) ''Silent in an Evil Time: The Brave War of Edith Cavell'' (2007) ''Oscar Peterson'' (2012) ''Ross Mackay, The Saga of a Brilliant Criminal Lawyer'' (2020) ''Fiction'' ''Tie-Breaker'' (young adult novel, 1984) ''Crang Plays the Ace'' (1987) ''Straight No Chaser'' (1988) ''Riviera Blues'' (1990) ''Blood Count'' (1991) ''Take Five'' (2013) ''Keeper of the Flame'' (2016)

External links

Jack BattenJack Batten - DundurnJack Batten > Compare Discount Book Prices & Save up to 90% > ISBNS.netJack BattenNotable Alumni , University of Toronto SchoolsJack Batten

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batten, Jack 1932 births Living people Canadian crime writers University of Toronto alumni Writers from Toronto