Eric Nicol

Eric Nicol, CM, humorist, playwright, journalist (born 28 December 1919 in Kingston, ON; died 2 February 2011 in Vancouver, BC). Nicol was raised in Vancouver and wrote a column for the Vancouver Province which provided a foundation for his many humorous collections, such as Girdle Me a Globe (1957, Leacock Medal for Humour). These works are characterized by verbal shenanigans put in service to play up the foibles of middle-class, urban family life, with occasional diversions into history as it is popularly misunderstood.

Nicol was a jack-of-all-trades, having produced everything from Vancouver (1970), a lively history of the city, to A Scar is Born (1968), an account of the unsuccess on Broadway of one of his many stage plays. He has written many radio plays and TV scripts, as well as on professional sports (e.g., The Joy of Hockey, 1978). He frequently worked in close collaboration with cartoonists and illustrators, including Dave Moore, e.g., The U.S. or US — What's the Difference, Eh? (1986). In 1992, Nicol published Back Talk: A Book for Bad Back Sufferers and Those Who Love (Put Up With) Them, and in 1998 he completed Anything For A Laugh: Memoirs.