Fred Jacob | |
---|---|
Born | (1882-10-31)31 October 1882 Elora, Ontario |
Died | 3 June 1928(1928-06-03) (aged 45) Toronto, Ontario |
Occupation | Journalist |
Employer | The Mail and Empire |
Fred Jacob (occasionally shown as Fred Jacobs in some publications about his work; 31 October 1882 – 3 June 1928) was a journalist with Toronto's The Mail and Empire (now The Globe and Mail), and joined the publication after winning the publication's poetry contest.
He was first a sports reporter but from 1910 on, Jacob was responsible for the literary section of the newspaper; he was also the drama and music critic. Occasionally, he wrote about drama in the Canadian Magazine.
Early years
Jacob was born in Elora, Ontario on 31 October 1882, the son of a lawyer and the nephew of a judge. As a child, he particularly enjoyed lacrosse. Later in life, while living in Toronto, he was the president of a lacrosse club for 16 years.
Fictional works
Jacob wrote two novels, The Day Before Yesterday (published in 1925) and Peevee (1928), both satirical works, and set in a fictional small communities resembling Elora; the first book included some characters resembling residents of the town.
He wrote that his intention in the books was to "preserve an impression of the Canadian scene". A review of the first book provided this comment: "To the structure of Canadian literature Mr. Fred Jacob has contributed not only a substantial brick but a graceful vine."
Jacob also wrote several popular stage plays, including One third of a bill and Autumn Blooming.
Legacy
Jacob suffered from rheumatic fever as a child, and died on 3 June 1928 of a heart attack during a social function. An obituary in Saturday Night referred to him as the "ablest critic on drama of the daily press in Toronto", praising "the soundness of his judgements and clearness of his expositions".
References
- Keillor, Elaine (18 March 2008). Music in Canada: Capturing Landscape and Diversity - Elaine Keillor - Google Books. ISBN 9780773533912. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- ^ "Elora native Fred Jacob's second book was published posthumously". The Wellington Advertiser. 3 July 1928. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- Wagner, Anton (2010). Establishing Our Boundaries: English-Canadian Theatre Criticism. University of Toronto Press. p. 9. ISBN 9781442611832.
- Weber, Ephraim (2006). After Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery's Letters to Ephraim Weber, 1916-1941. p. 74. ISBN 9780802084590.
- Wagner, Anton (January 2010). Establishing Our Boundaries: English-Canadian Theatre Criticism - Google Books. ISBN 9781442611832. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- Canadian Drama. University of Waterloo. 1983.
- Parker, Charles Whately; Greene, Barnet M., eds. (1922). Who's Who in Canada, Volume 16. International Press. p. 584. Retrieved 16 July 2020 – via Google Books.
- Klinck, Carl F.; Bailey, Alfred G.; Bissell, Claude; Daniells, Roy; Frye, Northrop; Pacey, Desmond (15 December 1976). Literary History of Canada: Canadian Literature in English (Second Edition) - Google Books. ISBN 9781487590987. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- Klinck, Carl F.; Bailey, Alfred G.; Bissell, Claude; Daniells, Roy; Frye, Northrop; Pacey, Desmond (15 December 1976). Literary History of Canada: Canadian Literature in English (Second Edition) - Google Books. ISBN 9781487590987. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- Canadian Literature. University of British Columbia. 1981.
- "Canadian books". Canadian Bookman. 7: 212. 1925. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- Library, Toronto Public (5 November 2009). "Annual Report - Toronto Public Library - Google Books". Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- Story, Norah (1967). The Oxford Companion to Canadian History and Literature. Oxford University Press.
- Montgomery, Lucy Maud; Weber, Ephraim (January 2006). After Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery's Letters to Ephraim Weber, 1916-1941 - Lucy Maud Montgomery, Ephraim Weber - Google Books. ISBN 9780802084590. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- "Fred Jacob Dies at Toronto Home". Times Colonist. Toronto. 4 June 1928. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- Wagner, Anton (1 January 2010). Establishing Our Boundaries: English-Canadian Theatre Criticism. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-1-4426-1183-2.