17 Facts About Crad Kilodney

Crad Kilodney was the pen name of Lou Trifon, an American-born Canadian writer who lived in Toronto, Ontario.

Crad Kilodney was best known for selling his self-published books on the streets of the city between about 1978 and 1995.

Crad Kilodney graduated from Syosset High School in 1965, then obtained a degree in astronomy from the University of Michigan.

Crad Kilodney sold a few humor-oriented articles to the Houston Post in 1969, and taking on the name "Crad Kilodney", published very occasional pieces in The National Lampoon between 1970 and 1972.

Crad Kilodney could generally be found, and indeed was a fixture, on Yonge Street, at the University of Toronto downtown campus and in front of the Toronto Stock Exchange building with a cardboard sign hanging from his neck, holding a book he was selling.

Crad Kilodney was in a relationship with poet and novelist Gwendolyn MacEwen before she died in 1987.

Crad Kilodney commented that while most writers are inspired by conventionally great literature, he drew inspiration from the exact opposite: the slush pile, the crank letter, and of course the vanity press.

Crad Kilodney was not interested in being seen as a crank or an eccentric, but simply wanted to find respectable, legitimate work as a writer and be taken seriously for doing so.

Nevertheless, he enjoyed pranks, and in 1988, Crad Kilodney submitted a number of stories by famous writers to the CBC Radio literary competition, many under absurd names.

Crad Kilodney is at his best when his sense of humor steps in, ironic, mocking and laced with sadness.

When Crad Kilodney allows himself, he has sympathy and understanding for people and what makes them work, or not work.

In 1991, Crad Kilodney was charged with selling commercial goods without a licence, making him the only Canadian writer ever charged for selling his own writing.

At various times Crad Kilodney kept a tape recorder with him and recorded quite a bit of bizarre byplay between himself and prospective customers.

Crad Kilodney then compiled the oddest or most entertaining exchanges into hand-made cassette tapes which he offered for sale alongside his books.

Crad Kilodney handwrote with ballpoint pen on the cassette jacket as well.

Crad Kilodney posted his final blog entry, a short story called "Dreaming With Jay", in December 2013.

Crad Kilodney died of cancer on April 14,2014, at the age of 66.