Mordecai Richler, one of the brightest-ever lights in Montreal’s literary scene, was posthumously honoured at Montreal city hall Thursday evening.
Mayor Denis Coderre and Plateau borough mayor Luc Ferrandez presided over the reception that named Richler a "citizen of honour,” to the delight of Richler’s family who were pleased to finally see the famed author celebrated.
The City of Montreal’s press release used the possibly-confusing description of “honorary citizen” in the soiree but Richler was a Montrealer, born and raised near the St. Urbain Street area he frequently wrote about.
The Mile End Library will also be named after Richler, who wrote 10 novels, including The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz in 1959.
Richler, who passed away in 2001, becomes the 13th person to be honoured with the title since 2002. His widow Florence Richler was on hand for the occasion, as was his son Noah.
The author’s wife said she never thought the city would come through with the promised tribute to her late husband.
“I’m obviously over the moon with happiness, truly,” said Florence. “I never really imagined that this would come to fruition. There have always been a number of well-meaning people, but nothing seemed to ever be going to happen.”
She added that the commemoration may have been a long time coming, but she said she understands that it’s hard to appreciate anyone “who stirs the pot and makes trouble.”
“We can have them at our dinner table and be thoroughly entertained,” she mused, “But years later it’s safer, because after all he can’t talk back.”
She also chuckled about the city’s stalled plans to rename a dilapidated gazebo for her husband.
“I was very naughty and offered to buy the paint,” laughed Florence. “Anything to make it more palatable.”
Florence still hopes the gazebo project will go ahead, and laughed at the thought of it eventually being covered in graffiti, “because they have to have that kind of outlet as well.”
Mayor Denis Coderre said that some might have been upset with Richler's frequent criticism of and sometimes acerbic mockery of Quebec politics but that one should be able to appreciate and even celebrate different viewpoints.
“Of course it’s controversial, of course I wasn’t in favour of what he was saying on a certain level but he painted everybody with the same brush," Mayor Denis Coderre told CTV Montreal Thursday.
The mayor of the Plateau borough made similar comments.
"The decision to name a library in honour or a great and famous writer, nothing could be more natural,” said Ferrandez in a speech. “The decision to rename an overwhelmingly French library in honour of Mordecai Richler, a man whose relationship with the French majority of Quebec may have seemed tempestuous and controversial, that’s a less obvious decision. But it’s hardly incoherent. It’s anything but. It’s characteristic of the sophistication and urbanity of Montreal.”
