We have recently been informed of the passing of Martin Myers, a founding member of The Writers’ Union of Canada.
Martin Myers was the author of five individual books, both fiction and nonfiction, and a fiction trilogy called The Secret Viking. A new novel, Return of the Secret Viking will be released posthumously. Books in Canada once described Myers as “a richly inventive author, a comedian driven by the quirkiness of world and time.”
A graduate of both the University of Toronto and John Hopkins University (Baltimore), Myers was a sometime visiting professor at U of T, and taught writing workshops there and at York University. His eclectic life’s work included the creation of advertising copy, stand-up comedy, cooking on a cruise ship, and owning a Pancake House.
Myers died at age 96. His official obituary lists the cause of death as ninety-six-itis… a Whac-A-Mole of a condition in which only the battles, but never the war, can be won. Informing the Union of his passing, a family member wrote “He was writing right up until the end of his life,” and “he was proud to be a member of The Writers' Union.”
