Robert Weaver

Weaver, Robert

Robert Weaver, literary editor, anthologist, broadcaster (b at Niagara Falls, Ont 6 Jan 1921; d at Toronto 26 Jan 2008). Robert Weaver grew up in Niagara Falls and Toronto, and before graduating from the University of Toronto worked briefly for a bank and in the RCAF and the army. Appointed program organizer in the Talks and Public Affairs Department of the CBC in 1948, Weaver created programs such as "CBC Stage,""CBC Playhouse,""Canadian Short Stories," and "CBC Tuesday Night" (later the popular "Anthology") and provided much-needed outlets for Canadian talent. He co-founded the TAMARACK REVIEW, a leading literary quarterly (1956), and co-edited the Oxford Anthology of Canadian Literature (1973). He was perhaps best known as editor of numerous anthologies in both verse and prose, including the Canadian Short Stories editions (1952, 1960, 1968, 1978, 1985) and The Anthology Anthology: A Selection from Thirty Years of CBC Radio's "Anthology". In 1979 Weaver created the CBC Literary Awards, which have since expanded to include French-language literature. Although he took early retirement from the CBC in 1985, he continued to oversee its annual literary competition and was appointed fiction editor of Saturday Night in 1988. He was an unflagging inspirational voice, offering constant encouragement to writers through frequent conversations and faithful correspondence. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000.