George Jonas

Writing

Jonas and Amiel co-wrote By Persons Unknown: The Strange Death of Christine Demeter (1976), an account of the 1973 murder of Christine Demeter and the subsequent murder trial and conviction of her husband, Peter. Their work won the 1978 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime book. He contributed to the National Review, Saturday Review, the Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Telegraph (London), The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy magazine, the Hungarian Review (Budapest) and The National Interest. He worked as a columnist for the Toronto Sun from 1981 to 2001, when he moved to the National Post, where he remained a regular contributor until his death. He wrote 16 books, one play, and two operas.

Vengeance

His 1984 book Vengeance was a bestseller, printed in 21 editions in 13 languages.

In an extended article in Maclean's magazine in January 2006, Jonas wrote about the development of the book, for which he was commissioned by publishers who had heard Avner's story, and the long process of it being developed as a feature film. He felt that the film Munich suggests that there is little difference between terrorism and counter-terrorism, and thus Spielberg's movie had a spirit opposite to that of his book. In the article, Jonas notes that the world and opinions about allowable actions and grievances has changed in the nearly 20 years between when his book was published and the film was being developed.

Illness and death

Jonas died on January 10, 2016, at the age of 80. He had suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years.

Work

The Absolute Smile, 1967 (poems) The Happy Hungry Man, 1970 (poems) Cities, 1973 (poems) By Persons Unknown: The Strange Death of Christine Demeter co-written with Barbara Amiel, 1977 Final Decree, 1981 (novel) The Scales of Justice: Seven Famous Criminal Cases Recreated, 1983 Vengeance, 1984 Foreword for In the Name of the Working Class written by Sándor Kopácsi, Grove Press, 1986 The Scales of Justice: Volume II, 1986 Greenspan: The Case for the Defense, 1987 (biography) Crocodiles in the Bathtub and Other Perils, 1987 (articles 1977–87) A Passion Observed: A True Story of a Motorcycle Racer, 1989 (biography) Politically Incorrect: Notes on Liberty, Censorship, Social Engineering, Feminism, Apologists and other Topics of our Times, 1991 The East Wind Blows West, 1993 (poems) Beethoven's Mask: Notes On My Life and Times, Key Porter Books, 2005 (autobiography) Reflections on Islam: Ideas, Opinions, Arguments, Key Porter Books, 2007 The Jonas Variations: A Literary Séance, Cormorant Books, 2011 (poetry translations)

Honours and awards

In 2013, Jonas was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for his thought-provoking contributions to Canadian public discourse as an author and journalist".

He received The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal "in recognition of his contributions to Canada" in 2012,