Bob Silverman : the impossible hero
2025
Book
"Robert "Bicycle Bob" Silverman achieved the impossible with his small but loyal band of followers in Le Monde a Bicyclette (MàB), together with a few allies. Over three decades. Montreal was transformed from one of the least bicycle-friendly cities in North America to becoming the cycling capital of North America by practising colorful cyclodramas, or street theatre with group members dressed in costume. Robert Silverman was a cinematic and historical figure larger than life. A poet who owned an independent bookstore in 1960, he attracted an incredible gang of artists, intellectuals and musicians including Leonard Cohen and Armand Vaillancourt. He travelled to Fidel Castro's Cuba in 1962 to join the revolution, eventually meeting Ernesto "Che" Guevara. A few years later, he worked on an Israeli kibbutz, later becoming a rare Jew to shake hands with Yasser Arafa. He studied in France and Spain and pioneered outdoor volleyball. A notable nonconformist, his activism changed Montreal's landscape forever. Many describe him as "a prophet before his time." Find out how Robert Silverman, a real-life Man of la Mancha, succeeded in reaching a few unreachable stars ... "-- Provided by publisher.
Item Details
ISBN: 9780776641799
Description: xxviii, 254 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Notes:
- Canadiana.
- Includes bibliographical references.
Control Number: 3369300
Publisher: Ottawa, ON : University of Ottawa Press, 2025.Subjects:
- Bicycle commuting -- Québec (Province) -- Montréal -- History -- 20th century.
- Bicycle trails -- Québec (Province) -- Montréal -- History -- 20th century.
- Monde à bicyclette (Association) -- History.
- Political activists -- Québec (Province) -- Montréal -- Biography.
- Silverman, Robert, 1933-2022.
Genre:
Other Authors: Desjardins, Stéphane, 1962- author.