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Matt Cohen (1942–1999)

Author of Elizabeth and After

46+ Works 912 Members 22 Reviews 3 Favorited

About the Author

Matt Cohen was born in Kingston, Ontario. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Toronto. He taught political philosophy at McMaster University in the late 60's. Between 1969 and 1999, he published more than 20 books, including novels, short stories, poetry and two show more books for children, which won him the Toronto Arts Award. He was a two-time winner of the National Magazine Award for short fiction and a recipient of the John Glassco Translation Prize. Matt Cohen was writer-in-residence at several Canadian universities and was a visiting professor at the University of Bologna in Italy in 1985. He taught a number of writers’ workshops and was a founding member of the Writer’s Union of Canada, where he serv Matt Cohen passed away on December 2, 1999, from lung cancer. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the name: Teddy Jam

Disambiguation Notice:

Cohen published a number of children's books under the pseudonym Teddy Jam. Cohen's authorship of the Teddy Jam books was not revealed until after his death.

Image credit: Cover of "Matt Cohen and His Works"

Works by Matt Cohen

Elizabeth and After (1999) 232 copies
Night Cars (1987) 81 copies
The Spanish Doctor (1984) 75 copies
Last Seen (1996) 53 copies
The Bookseller (1998) 41 copies
The Disinherited (1974) 33 copies
The Year of Fire (1992) 29 copies
Emotional Arithmetic: A Novel (1990) — Author — 28 copies
Typing (2000) 26 copies
Getting Lucky (2000) 22 copies
Nadine (1986) 20 copies
Cafe Le Dog (Short Fiction) (1983) 19 copies
Flowers of Darkness (1981) 15 copies

Associated Works

From Ink Lake: Canadian Stories (1990) — Contributor — 126 copies
The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in English (1986) — Contributor — 111 copies
The New Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories (1986) — Contributor — 72 copies
Ground Works: Avante-Garde for Thee (2002) — Contributor — 35 copies
Invisible Man at the Window (1993) — some editions — 31 copies
Book History (Volume 5) (2002) — Contributor — 15 copies
The Penguin Book of Modern Canadian Short Stories (1982) — Contributor — 12 copies
Book History (Volume 11) (2008) — Contributor — 5 copies

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Reviews

I loved Matt Cohen's last novel, ELIZABETH AND AFTER, but this so-called memoir, TYPING, was a real disappointment and a chore to read. The first hundred-plus pages seemed a lot of self-pitying philosophical rambling - boring and pretentious gobbledygook. Later on there were some mildly interesting pieces about his encounters and interviews with more famous Canadian writers like Morley Callaghan and Margaret Laurence, then more about his struggles as a writer, drinking and doping and, finally, the diagnosis of his fatal illness. I could not help thinking how much of his life had been simply wasted, drifting and drinking. Took him ten years to complete ELIZABETH, which is, I suspect, his best novel. RIP, Matt, but I cannot in good conscience recommend TYPING to a general reading audience, although it could be of interest to students of CanLit and the history of publishing for our northern neighbors.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
… (more)
 
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TimBazzett | Jul 26, 2021 |
A beautifully written, character-driven novel, Matt Cohen's last book, ELIZABETH AND AFTER (1999), simply floored me with its quiet power, the way it builds slowly and then takes an equally quiet turn to a completely unexpected conclusion. I loved every page, and hated to see it end. Set in a small Ontario hamlet in the 80s and 90s (with frequent flashbacks), Cohen has created a literary potboiler with something for everyone: adultery, alcoholism, gruesome accidental death, violence, domestic abuse, and, of course, love. I was reminded of books as various as TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, PEYTON PLACE, SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY, Richard B. Wright's CLARA CALLAN and John Williams' quiet classic, STONER.

Matt Cohen, who died in 1999, was a much respected and revered writer in Canada, who published twenty or more books and won numerous prestigious awards. (ELIZABETH won the Governor General's Award.) It remains a sad mystery to me why so many ultra- talented Canadian writers like Cohen (and others I've read, like Elizabeth Hay, George Bowering, and the late Richard B. Wright) remain virtually unknown here in the U.S. Me? I loved this book, and hope to read more of Matt Cohen's work. My highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
… (more)
 
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TimBazzett | 2 other reviews | May 15, 2018 |
Meh. Not a great book. Not even a really good book. I think LibraryThing suggested it to me because it noted that I seem to like Canadian authors. I suspect it's a gender thing - I like Canadian women writers' work. On the other hand I didn't hate it, and it was short enough that it was easy to carry around and didn't last too long.
 
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oldblack | 1 other review | Jul 31, 2014 |
Interesting Word play, but I can't remember a single poem. Too Bad, Matt!
 
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DinadansFriend | Sep 13, 2013 |

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Works
46
Also by
11
Members
912
Popularity
#28,117
Rating
½ 3.5
Reviews
22
ISBNs
149
Languages
4
Favorited
3

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