Max Braithwaite

Braithwaite, Max
Max Braithwaite, novelist, story writer, juvenile writer, humorist (b at Nokomis, Sask 7 Dec 1911; d at Brighton, Ont 19 Mar 1995). One of 8 children, he was raised in Prince Albert and Saskatoon, and educated at U of Saskatchewan. He taught in rural and continuation schools from 1933 to 1940 when he joined the navy and was sent to Toronto with the Royal Canadian Volunteer Services. Discharged in 1945, he remained in Ontario and worked as a freelance writer.

During his 40-year career as one of Canada's best humorists, he wrote plays for radio and television, scripts for theatre and film, contributed articles to major Canadian magazines and produced over 25 books. He wrote the first radio adaptation of Stephen LEACOCK'S SUNSHINE SKETCHES OF A LITTLE TOWN and pioneered educational broadcasting with his radio series, "Voices of the Wild".

Samples of his lighthearted writing are collected in Max: The Best of Braithwaite (1983). He is best known for Why Shoot the Teacher? (1965), an autobiographical novel which tells, with humour and compassion, of his fledgling teaching experiences in a Saskatchewan one-room school during the Great Depression.

The novel was made into an award-winning film of the same title in 1977, and is part of a trilogy - Never Sleep Three in a Bed (1969), and The Night We Stole the Mountie's Car (1971), which won the Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour in 1972. In All the Way Home (1986), Braithwaite once again explored the coming of age on the poverty-stricken and desolate prairies. Braithwaite was the recipient of honorary degrees from numerous schools, including the University of Calgary.

Author DONNA COATES