Montreal novelist, entrepreneur and book reviewer Richard King died on Sunday.
King brought his unbridled passion for books to CBC Montreal as a columnist for Homerun and then Let’s Go on CBC Radio One up until the end of 2021. He also wrote book reviews and articles for CBC’s website.
King wrote several fiction novels and biographical books, including Serving Life, which was set to be published April 1. According to his website, King worked in the book industry for more than 40 years.
King also helped co-found Paragraphe Bookstore and Café in Montreal, which opened in 1981.
He was a constant presence in the store for many years, his obituary says, as it was a store “he cared for so much. He retained a lifelong interest in the lives and well being of the Paragraphe staff, many of whom had become friends.”
King had degrees in history from Concordia University and the University of Rochester in New York. As part of his graduate work in French history, he spent time researching in Paris.
Later in life, he combined his academic love of history with his passion for writing, his obituary says.
“He co-wrote, with two Holocaust survivors, the stories of their survival and success and also co-wrote two additional biographies,” it says.
“He then turned to fiction, writing mystery novels which he chose to set in Montreal.”
King had a keen intellect which he combined with an unparalleled sense of humour, the obituary says, and his “concern for those less fortunate was always at the forefront of his thinking and actions.”
He worked as a volunteer in the Jewish General Hospital’s emergency room for many years.
Though it is not yet been made public how he died, his family is expressing gratitude to the Segal Cancer Center and Palliative Care Unit of the Jewish General Hospital “for their dedication to the wellbeing and comfort of Richard and all of their patients,” the obituary says.
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