Mordecai Richler (1931-2001) was a Canadian author, scriptwriter, and essayist. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, in his early years he lived and wrote in England but returned to Canada in 1972. He was the author of ten novels, including Barney's Version (1997), Solomon Gursky Was Here (1989), Cocksure (1968), and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959), as well as numerous screenplays, essays, children's books, and several works of non-fiction.
Ann-Marie MacDonald is a writer, playwright, and actor. Her first novel, Fall on Your Knees, won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book, and was selected for Oprah's Book Club. Her second novel, The Way the Crow Flies, won the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award. She lives in Toronto.