PETERBOROUGH LAUNCH: Delicious Mirth

Bagnani Hall, Traill College (Trent University), 310 London Street, Peterborough, ON
View Larger Map ›

Join Michael A. Peterman for Peterborough launch of his new book, Delicious Mirth: The Life and Times of James McCarroll. The event will be hosted by Michael Eamon, Principal, Catharine Parr Traill College.

ABOUT THE BOOK

James McCarroll (1814-1892) was a talented Irish poet, journalist, humorist, musician, and arts critic who left his mark on nineteenth-century Canada by seemingly engaging with anything topical in every medium. Often writing anonymously or under pseudonyms, McCarroll's best-known nom de plume was "Terry Finnegan," who wrote weekly comic letters to his "cousin" Thomas D'Arcy McGee, offering advice on political and social matters. Yet, since his death, McCarroll's contributions to early Canadian writing and culture have largely been forgotten. Making a case for the recuperation of Canada's lost Irish voice, Michael A. Peterman seeks to gather and contextualize the extant fragments of this outspoken and flamboyant entertainer and commentator. Revealing a man of immense creative energy and cultural significance who has been lost to Canadian literary historians for over a hundred years, Delicious Mirth shows that McCarroll's life and works are outstanding achievements and deserve fresh attention today.

Michael A. Peterman is professor emeritus in the Department of English at Trent University.