He was born in Sokal in Eastern Galicia, the son of Andrew Joseph Smishek and Mary Homeniuk, and came to Saskatchewan with his parents in 1930, settling on a farm near Hafford.
Alan Sokal | Sokal |
In the summers of 1986-1988, Sokal taught mathematics at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, when the Sandinistas were heading the elected government.
The places, concepts and some of the characters featured in Amerzone originate from Sokal's work in the 1980s with the comic Inspector Canardo, especially the fifth story in the series, L'Amerzone.
Inspector Canardo, comic book series created by the Belgian artist Benoît Sokal
In Jacques Derrida's response, "Sokal and Bricmont Aren't Serious," first published in Le Monde, Derrida writes that the Sokal hoax is rather "sad triste," not only because Alan Sokal's name is now linked primarily to a hoax, not to science, but also because the chance to reflect seriously on this issue has been ruined for a broad public forum that deserves better.
First held in 2007, the festival is a single day event showcasing local bands from Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Sokal Farm just North of Oakbank, Manitoba.