Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock (selections read live in Burnaby, BC) [Online Resource]

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Stephen Leacock (1869 – 1944) was an internationally popular Canadian humorist, teacher, lecturer, and author of more than 30 books of lighthearted sketches and essays. His wit is laugh-out-loud funny as it pokes fun at small-town life and characters of the early 20th century. I found these stories reminiscent of Mark Twain and Garrison Keillor, with a uniquely Canadian point of view.

These two stories were performed by librarians from Burnaby Public Library on Sunday June 16th 2013 at Burnaby Village, a living history museum near Vancouver. It’s directed for maximum dramatic and humorous effect (think Selected Shorts) with interludes of ragtime piano. Links follow.

Introduction with historical photos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn_SGEpF1lk
Audio of the stories:
– The Hostelry of Mr. Smith
– The Marine Excursion of the Knights of Pythias