TORONTO - Before Charles Foran wrote his heralded new biography on Mordecai Richler, which won the $25,000 Charles Taylor Prize on Monday, he associated the late literary great with his public image.
"Grumpy, irascible, scotch, cigar, a bit intimidating," Foran, who lives in Peterborough, Ont., said after winning the prize for "Mordecai: The Life & Times" (Alfred A. Knopf Canada).
But as the Toronto native interviewed over 100 of Richler's family members and friends over four years, he came to discover a completely different side of the author -- a warm one.
As Foran puts it: "He was a mensch. He was a good guy."
"He was beloved by his friends, he loved his kids, he was loved by his kids, and of course he had this extraordinary 41-year romance, marriage to Florence Richler," added Foran. "I had to get used to his friends when I would interview them saying things like, 'He was so sweet.'
"I thought, 'Mordecai Richler -- sweet?' It doesn't sound right.' But it happened over and over until I formed this impression of this private man, and that was the discovery of the book really."
Foran beat out four other authors for the 10th edition of Charles Taylor Prize, which honours literary non-fiction.
The other finalists included Stevie Cameron for "On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women" and Ross King for "Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven."
Rounding out the short list was George Sipos for "The Geography of Arrival: A Memoir" and Merrily Weisbord for "The Love Queen of Malabar: Memoir of a Friendship with Kamala Das."
The runners up each get $2,000.
Eva-Marie Kroller, one of three jurors on this year's prize, said Foran's book -- which was also up for last month's $40,000 B.C. Award for Canadian Non-Fiction -- was a strong contender from the beginning.
"His research is pioneering," said Kroller, a University of British Columbia professor.
"He had exceptional access to sources and what he's done with those sources is what makes this book so fabulous."
Foran said he felt the urge to write on Richler four years ago, but wanted the co-operation of his family and friends first.
He got the approval in June 2006 from Florence Richler, who'd felt a "profound grief" after his death in 2001 and had only spoken at length to one other person about him, said the author.
"I think maybe I was lucky in the sense that it was time, she was ready, and we got along," said Foran, who has published nine books, including four novels, and writes regularly for magazines and newspapers.
The more Foran talked to Richler, the more he realized the sacrifices she made in order to be with the author of numerous acclaimed works, including "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz," "Barney's Version" and "Solomon Gursky Was Here."
"He was silent, he would be absorbed by his work for months on end, he was naturally taciturn. They didn't discuss a lot of emotional things," said Foran.
"She gave up a lot. ... She was this really beautiful woman, a lot of men wanted to be with her, and yet after this extraordinary four-year pursuit, she agreed to go with this silent, intimidating, morally severe man, Mordecai Richler. So that was the beginning of this great love story."
It was a love story that moved the Charles Taylor Prize jury members, said Kroller.
"Foran has done such a masterful job of evoking the love of these two people even as he lies dying. You're just moved by the humanity of that."
The Charles Taylor Prize was established in 1998 by Noreen Taylor in honour of her late journalist husband.
Kroller and fellow jurors Neil Bissoondath and David Macfarlane -- who are all the same jury members from the inaugural year -- picked this year's short list from 153 Canadian-authored books submitted by 44 publishers from across North America.
Journalist Ian Brown won last year's prize for "The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search for His Disabled Son," about his child's rare genetic mutation.
Foran book was released at an opportune time -- hitting shelves just as a film version of "Barney's Version" was about to hit theatres.
The author didn't take much credit for his win on Monday, noting he was "standing on the shoulders of a giant" as he wrote his book.
"People are too polite to say that you're only as good as your material," said Foran.
"For instance, I was smart enough to know that if I wanted to be funny in my biography, I didn't try to be funny -- I just quoted Mordecai Richler, because he was funny. And if I wanted a really turn or sharp turn of phrase, I just quoted him."