The McGill Department of English and McGill-Queen's University Press present a public lecture by Brian Busby on Montreal author John Glassco. Celebrated literary translator Sheila Fischman will introduce Mr. Busby.

Dr. Richard Virr, chief curator of the McGill Library's Rare Books and Special Collections, will discuss the library's Glassco papers.

The lecture coincides with the release of Brian Busby's new book: A Gentleman of Pleasure: One Life of John Glassco, Poet, Memoirist, Translator, and Pornographer. A book signing will follow.

John Glassco (1909-1981) holds a unique position in Canadian letters and a somewhat notorious reputation throughout the world. He is best known for his Memoirs of Montparnasse, the controversial chronicle of his youthful adventures and encounters with celebrities in the Paris of James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, and Ernest Hemingway.

Less known are his poetry, his instrumental role in the foundation of modern translation, and his numerous - and widely popular - works of pornography.

A Gentleman of Pleasure not only spans Glassco's life but delves into his background as a member of a once prominent and powerful Montreal family. In addition to Glassco's readily available work, Brian Busby draws on pseudonymous writings published as a McGill student as well as unpublished and previously unknown poems, letters, and journal entries to detail a vibrant life while pulling back the curtain on Glassco's sexuality and unconventional tastes.

In a lively account of a man given to deception, who took delight in hoaxes, Busby manages to substantiate many of the often unreliable statements Glassco made about his life and work.

A Gentleman of Pleasure is a remarkable biography that captures the knowable truth about a fascinatingly complex and secretive man.

Brian Busby is an independent scholar and the author of several books, including Character Parts: Who's Really Who in CanLit.