Matt Cohen (writer) facts for kids

Matthew Cohen (born December 30, 1942 – died December 2, 1999) was a Canadian writer. He wrote books for grown-ups under his own name, Matt Cohen. He also wrote many popular children's books. For these, he used a secret pen name: Teddy Jam.

Matt Cohen's Life and Work

Matt Cohen was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in Kingston and Ottawa. He studied political economy at the University of Toronto. This field looks at how governments and economies work together. In the late 1960s, he taught at McMaster University. His first novel, Korsoniloff, came out in 1969.

His stories were translated into many languages. These included German, Dutch, French, and Spanish. His book The Spanish Doctor was very popular around the world. It still sells well in French and Spanish-speaking countries.

Awards and Recognition

Matt Cohen's last novel was Elizabeth and After. It was his biggest success with critics. This book won the Governor General's Award in 1999. This is a very important Canadian award for writers. He won it just a few weeks before he passed away. He had been nominated for this award twice before. These nominations were for The Sweet Second Summer of Kitty Malone (1979) and Last Seen (1997).

Helping Other Writers

Matt Cohen was a founder of the Writers' Union of Canada. This is a group that supports writers in Canada. He worked on their board for many years. In 1986, he became the president of the Union. During his time as president, he helped make a big change. He convinced the Canadian government to start a Public Lending Right program. This program pays writers when their books are borrowed from libraries.

He also helped the arts in Toronto. He led the Literary Division of the Toronto Arts Council. He worked to get more money for writers. For his efforts, he received the Toronto Arts Award and the Harbourfront Prize.

Writing for Children as Teddy Jam

Matt Cohen also wrote many books for children. He used the pen name Teddy Jam for these books. People did not know he was Teddy Jam until after he died. One of his children's books, Dr. Kiss, won the Governor General's Award in 1991. It was illustrated by Joanne Fitzgerald. Another children's book, Fishing Summer, was nominated for the same award in 1997.

This was special because he was nominated for two different Governor General's Awards in the same year. He was nominated for a children's book and a book for adults.

Later Life and Legacy

Matt Cohen was married three times. His wives were Arden Ford, Susan Bricker, and Patsy Aldana. He passed away at his home in Toronto. He had been battling lung cancer.

His last book of short stories, Getting Lucky, was published after he died. His final Teddy Jam book, The Kid's Line, also came out in 2001. Today, there is a Canadian literary award named after him. The Matt Cohen Award is given in his memory by the Writers' Trust of Canada.

His 1990 novel, Emotional Arithmetic, was made into a movie. Famous actors like Max von Sydow and Susan Sarandon starred in it. The movie was shown at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

See also

• Canadian literature
• List of Canadian writers