John Wilson Duffie (May 15, 1913 - February 9, 1989) was a Canadian writer."Duffie, John". ABC Bookworkd, 1989. A longtime humor columnist for the arts and entertainment publication Monday Magazine in Victoria, British Columbia,Rebecca Wigod, "The time of their lives: John Duffie". Victoria Times-Colonist, February 4, 1982. he was most noted for his 1982 book Duffie's Unimportance of Being Earnest, a collection of his magazine writing which was shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour in 1983."Torgov wins 1983 Leacock Medal". The Globe and Mail, April 29, 1983.
Born in Saint-Lambert, Quebec, Duffie spent much of his working life as a property tax manager for Marathon Realty in Toronto, Ontario, until retiring from that job around age 60. He and his wife Edith then moved to Victoria in 1973, where he began writing "Overset", his Monday Magazine column, just a few weeks after the publication launched in 1975."Duffie had 'grace, style' in his writing". Victoria Times-Colonist, February 12, 1989. His writing also appeared in Edmonton magazine and Wildlife Review, whose editor once praised Duffie as the only writer in his publication who could write funny stuff about animals.David Berry, "About 'earnest'". Victoria Times-Colonist, February 11, 1982.
In the late 1980s, after his wife's death, he moved to Vancouver to be closer to his daughters and grandchildren, but continued writing his column until his death in 1989. Following his death, the Victoria Public Library set up a memorial endowment fund in his memory.Gorde Hunter, "One man's opinion". Victoria Times-Colonist, May 2, 1989.
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