In 2007 editor, cultural bureaucrat and homme de lettres Roy MacSkimming made John A. the subject of a well-received novel, Macdonald. Now he's moved on to Laurier. Laurier in Love is newly published by Thomas Allen Publishers.
MacSkimming is not the first to make prime ministers into fictional characters. He acknowledges that Heather Robertson's 1983 novel Willie, about Mackenzie King was an inspiration. And Richard Rohmer once wrote a book called John A's Crusade, which must be one of the very worst of Canadian historical novels -- John A. undertakes a secret mission in Russia in 1867.
Others? Linda Griffiths's Maggie and Pierre (1981) was a terrific piece of theatre, partly because Griffiths played - brilliantly - both lead characters.
