Robert Thomas Allen (1911–1990) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

humorist, best known as a two-time winner of the

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

for humour."Robert Allen hailed as humorist". ''

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 pa ...

'', July 15, 1990. He won the award in 1957 for ''The Grass Is Never Greener'', and in 1971 for ''Wives, Children and Other Wild Life''. Born in

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 anchor ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Allen began his career as an advertising writer for

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...

and

Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...

,"Robert Thomas Allen Magazine writer was gentle humorist". '' The Globe and Mail'', July 21, 1990. and was a freelance contributor of humorous essays to publications such as ''

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 perspe ...

'', '' Saturday Night'', ''The Canadian'', '' Weekend'' and ''

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 published 14 books throughout his career, including both compilations of his essays and works of children's literature. In addition to his two Leacock Awards, he won the Ruth Schwartz Award for children's literature in 1976 for his book ''The Violin''. A recurring character in the work of ''

'' editorial cartoonist

Duncan Macpherson Duncan Ian Macpherson, CM (September 20, 1924 in Toronto – May 3, 1993 in Beaverton, Ontario) was a Canadian editorial cartoonist. He drew for the '' Montreal Standard'' (starting 1948) and for ''Maclean's'', illustrating the writings of Gr ...

, a bespectacled "average Canadian", was originally drawn as a caricature of Allen. Roy Macgregor, "Canadian readers lose a delightful old friend". ''

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, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The newsp ...

'', September 13, 1990. Following his retirement, Allen and his family moved to Sun City, California in 1983. He died of a heart attack in

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...

in 1990, aged 79.

References

1911 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Canadian essayists 20th-century Canadian male writers Writers from Toronto Canadian magazine writers Canadian children's writers Stephen Leacock Award winners Canadian humorists Maclean's writers and editors Canadian male essayists Canadian expatriates in the United States {{Canada-writer-stub