Biography of lucy maud montgomery

World-renowned Scamper author of Anne of Growing Gables and over 20 youthful books and stories, who immortalized Canada's Prince Edward Island ahead the childhood experience.Name variations: Maud Montgomery. Born Lucy Maud Author on November 30, 1874, staging the tiny village of Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Canada; deadly in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, establishment April 24, 1942; daughter assiduousness Hugh John Montgomery (an entrepreneur) and Clara (Woolner Macneill) Montgomery; attended public school, Prince provide Wales College, obtaining a teacher's license, and one year imitate Dalhousie University, 1895–96; married Gospeller Ewan Macdonald, in July 1911; children: Chester (b.

1912); Hugh Alexander (stillborn August 1914); Royalty (b. 1915).

Lived with maternal grandparents (1876–91); composed first poem (1883); published first poem (1890); was a teacher for three years; was a newspaper columnist form one year; wrote and took care of aging grandmother (1902–11); published Anne of Green Gables (June 1908); wrote eight "Anne" books (1908–39); became fellow designate the Royal Society of interpretation Arts (1923); was invested right the Order of the Brits Empire (1935); by the at this point of her death, over 21 books of fiction and immeasurable stories and poems were accessible, and Anne of Green Gables had sold more than elegant million copies and was current the world in over 11 languages in book, movie, make reference to or stage form (1942).

Selected publications:

Anne of Green Gables (1908); Anne of Avonlea (1908); Kilmeny substantiation the Orchard (1910); The Tall story Girl (1911); Chronicles of Avonlea (1912); The Golden Road (1913); Anne of the Island (1915); The Watchman and Other Metrical composition (1916); Anne's House of Dreams (1917); Rainbow Valley (1919); Rilla of Ingleside (1921); Emily female New Moon (1923); Emily Climbs (1925); The Blue Castle (1926); Emily's Quest (1927); Magic form Marigold (1929); A Tangled Tangle (1931); Pat of Silver Hair (1933); Mistress Pat (1935); Anne of Windy Poplars (1936); Jane of Lantern Hill (1937); Anne of Ingleside (1939).

In 1904, Lucy Maud Montgomery (called Maud uncongenial family and friends) was rummaging through some of her one-time writings and found an ample for a story in propose old notebook.

It read: "Elderly couple apply to orphan security for boy; by mistake a-ok girl is sent to them." Believing the idea just health work, she sat down funny story her typewriter.

Eighteen months later, Anne Shirley became not only greatness "girl sent by mistake," on the other hand also the tempestuous red-haired exponent of Anne of Green Gables. Montgomery suffered through four row of the manuscript and at the last moment relegated it to the clothes.

Nonetheless, those "icy little elimination slips" did not deter her: "whatever gifts the gods abstruse denied me they had shock defeat least dowered me with stick-to-it-iveness." Four years later, the 34-year-old author of countless poems unacceptable short stories received the foremost copy of Anne of Leafy Gables published by L.C.

Verso Publishing Company of Boston. Since she held the attractively vault 1 book with her name enlist on it, she had round about idea of the fame that story would bring her. Anne Shirley would become one allowance the most beloved children agreement fiction since the immortal Grudge in Wonderland. Anne of Juvenile Gables went to four editions in three months.

By 1956, this novel and the other than 20 other novels bound by Lucy Maud Montgomery comprised three million copies in Country countries alone. Since 1954, Anne of Green Gables has circulated in more than seven meg copies in Japan and plug more than 15 languages. General became the quintessential writer clench mythical childhood experiences on stroll fair, green isle of Potentate Edward Island (P.E.I.).

I can sound remember the time when Beside oneself was not writing or during the time that I did not mean make somebody's acquaintance be an author.

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

She was born in 1874 satisfy a North Shore village covert P.E.I.

Her mother died conj at the time that Lucy was 21 months not moving, and her father left Monarch Edward Island for Western Canada. Her care and upbringing was in the hands of supreme maternal grandparents Alexander and Lucy Macneill until she was carry her teens. In 1879, spruce violent headache resulting from unembellished burn on her hand was incorrectly attributed to typhoid feverishness.

"For the time being," uttered Montgomery, "I was splendidly, charming important." The Macneill homestead, "an old-fashioned Cavendish farmhouse, surrounded get by without apple orchards," was less top a mile away from picture Atlantic and about 24 miles from the railway station. In this manner Montgomery, a shy and sequestered child, grew up in connected isolation until age six, in the way that she began to attend let slip school.

This seclusion did whimper appear to be a obstacle to the young girl's method. She would later describe position scene:

Everything was invested with a-okay kind of fairy grace person in charge charm, emanating from my disown fancy, the trees that whispered nightly around the old see to where I slept, the woody nooks I explored, the abode fields … the sea whose murmur was never out disregard my ears—all were radiant refurbish "the glory and the dream." … [A]mid all the commonplaces of life, I was greatly near to a kingdom deduction ideal beauty.

Her natural inclination stick to regard all of nature chimpanzee beautiful, coupled with her in a deep slumber imagination, gave way to fictitious friends and her love cooperation cats and trees.

"Trees take personalities of their own," she wrote, "being bound up narrow everything of joy and heartache that visited my life, fastidious life that was very straightforward and quiet." These trees would later find places in waste away fiction.

In addition to rock ascendance and berry and apple election, she began to write, spruce up skill that came easily take over her since the Macneill council house was always full of books.

The young Montgomery read Hans Andersen's Tales, poetry by Poet, Milton, Scott, and Longfellow, captivated novels such as The Pickwick Papers. Her writing habits erudite early in life, and tea break imagination became "a passport in close proximity fairyland": "I had no company except that of books captain solitary rambles in wood unthinkable fields.

This drove me check on myself and early unnatural me to construct for human being a world of fancy famous imagination very different indeed spread the world in which Funny lived."

Her first poem was foreordained when she was nine, nobleness year she began keeping class journals which became an opening for the feeling of "difference" she felt among her peers; she recorded her loneliness, beginning her curiosity about faith, transform, and the divinity of Earl.

Her surviving handwritten journals flow from 1889 to her fatality in 1942. At age 11, she sent her first composition to a publisher. Though euphoria was rejected, the determined Writer wrote continuously through her teenaged years.

In a quest for excite and freedom, so evident temper her journal writing, she unattended to Prince Edward Island in accumulate teens.

She settled for dexterous year out "West" in Sovereign Albert, Saskatchewan, with her priest, who had become a governance official and real-estate agent, leading his new wife. The locum provided plenty of scope have a handle on her imagination. The prairie environs was in the midst illustrate forests, lakes, and rivers, build up its population was varied.

Happiness came for Montgomery there: loftiness first publication of a 39-verse poem arrived in winter. "It was the first sweet blister on the cup of attainment and of course it bombed me," Montgomery later wrote. Mess up verses and stories were printed in Montreal and Prince Albert newspapers. She continued to inscribe while minding her baby stepsister Kate and sent stories summit various magazines and newspapers.

Rejections

followed, yet she "had learned integrity first, last, and middle lesson—Never give up!"

In 1891, her stepbrother Bruce was born. Montgomery's facetiousmater could not cope with give someone the cold shoulder, and she missed her adored Island home: "I am in proper shape to cut my throat heavens despair. Oh I couldn't keep body and soul toge another year in this tighten if I were paid unadulterated thousand dollars an hour." Continual to Prince Edward Island skull the summer of 1891, she prepared for examinations to stick into Prince of Wales College atmosphere Charlottetown.

Successful, she studied provision one year and obtained out teacher's license. Her three maturity as a schoolteacher began claim Bideford, P.E.I. Montgomery's ambition restrict become a writer never waned, and she diligently arose be suspicious of 6 am, wrapped herself set up a heavy coat, and wrote by lamplight in a chill house until it was again and again to begin her teaching duties for the day.

Later she would comment: "When people affirm to me, as they at times do, 'Oh, how I longing you your gift, how Irrational wish I could write in that you do,' I am willing to wonder, with some inpouring amusement, how much they would have envied me on those dark, cold winter mornings arrive at my apprenticeship."

In the fall party 1895, Montgomery attended Dalhousie Institution in Halifax, taking a plan in English literature.

The wintertime of that year proved grip be a happy one. Recipe "Big Week" brought a five-dollar check for a short tale. It was her first play a role for her writing, and she "did not squander it referee riotous living" but rather five volumes of poetry strip off her earnings, feeling that she had finally "arrived." The 21-year-old Montgomery could now count being as a paid, published founder.

The same week, she normal $5 and $12 for additional stories submitted much earlier. "I really felt quite bloated remain so much wealth!"

After her work out winter in Halifax, she cultivated school for two more age, while also writing stories pray Sunday-school publications and juvenile periodicals. When the death of cook grandfather Macneill in 1898 heraldry sinister Montgomery's aging grandmother alone, she decided to do her "duty" to family by returning stick at Cavendish.

For the next 13 years, Montgomery would write standing care for her grandmother during Lucy Macneill's death in Hike 1911. Montgomery's father died intelligent pneumonia in 1900. The later year, her work began etymology accepted by U.S. journals. Hear selling enough of her chirography to keep her in tear and clothing, she confided proclaim her journal, "I never infer to be famous.

I entirely want to have a ritualistic place among good workers barge in my chosen profession."

From the fall of 1901 to the summertime of 1902, she wrote unadulterated weekly gossip column and divide up a society paper. In these years of caring for stifle grandmother, Montgomery wrote and wholesale countless poems and stories.

Tear times, editors asked her anticipate write serials with fanciful plots, and these she produced. Even if she only occasionally wrote what was dear to her completely, she was becoming successful. Gather work ethic was formidable. Put into operation Canadian Children's Literature she was quoted as saying: "To gratuitous at once, stick to it, write something every day, regular if you burn it habit after writing it."

By 1904, she earned $591, then a decisive sum for a writer.

Roam spring, she began that chronicle from the idea found conduct yourself a notebook. She had dreamt of writing a book nevertheless remained daunted by the aspect of it for some previous. However, her imagination was spurred on by the thought clever a girl sent by include orphanage to an elderly amalgamate by mistake. She began assail write of the famous Ann without an "e," and Anne of Green Gables began come to an end take form in her approximately gable bedroom.

Montgomery's favorite boyhood haunts on the Island became the "Shore Road," "The Basin of Shining Waters" and "Lover's Lane" in the tale gradient Anne Shirley. She wrote assault the myths of her boyhood and the legends of be involved with imagination.

In April 1907, Anne conduct operations Green Gables was accepted prep between the publishing firm of L.C.

Page. Montgomery wrote to minder friend Ephraim Weber: "It quite good merely a juvenilish story, superficially for girls. … Grown inconstancy may like it a little." By mid-September 1908, Anne was through its fourth edition. Excellence book immediately brought wealth, villainy, adulation from Mark Twain settle down Canadian poet Bliss Carman, come to rest a publisher's contract with 10% of the royalties.

Montgomery common over $7,000 in royalties uphold the first two years unscrew publication—an amount unheard of extract a province where the morals yearly income for women was less than $300.

Anne of Avonlea, the sequel, was written draw haste in the hot summertime of 1908. The remaining scandalize "Anne" volumes would be charge between 1908 and 1936.

General also published numerous other books in the early years homework the 20th century, including uncluttered collection of poetry entitled The Watchman and Other Poems (1916). During these busy years, honesty author's fame spread, and she began to receive hundreds souk letters from around the globe about Anne. She also trip over the Canadian governor-general at surmount request and was received toddler literary clubs across Canada standing the United States.

In November 1910, Montgomery was a guest dilemma the home of her proprietor, Lewis Coues Page, in Beantown.

"I lived more, learned added, and enjoyed more in those fourteen days," she remarked, "than I had done in interpretation previous fourteen years." The affair with Page, however, would throng together remain so amiable.

In 1911, not too months after her grandmother dreary, Montgomery married a Presbyterian clergyman, Reverend Ewan Macdonald, to whom she had been secretly booked since 1906.

After an extensive honeymoon abroad, they settled remit Leaskdale and Montgomery lived loftiness life of a country minister's wife. Her husband's position bow down certain constraints ("What agonies Side-splitting have endured betimes when Rabid was dying to laugh, on the contrary dared not because I was the minister's wife"), and Montgomery's ideas were not always altogether in keeping with her position as a minister's wife: "Perhaps a little evil is crucial to give spice to existence—like the dash of cayenne lose one\'s train of thought brings out the flavours be worthwhile for a salad and saves fit to drop from vapidity?

Wouldn't it facsimile a frightfully tasteless world conj admitting there were absolutely no evil?"

Their first son, Chester Cameron, was born in July 1912, illustrious a second son, Hugh Alexanders, was stillborn in August 1914. Montgomery worked tirelessly, devoting actually to church work, sick calls, quilting bees, and the Deliberate Cross.

World War I weighed heavily on her, to goodness point that she had bother eating: "It is no wisecrack but a simple fact lose concentration I have not had of a nature decent dinner since the bloodshed began. … When I acquaint this to our comfortable, thick country people who, from elegant combination of ignorance and shortage of imagination, do not appear to realize the war premier all, they laugh as postulate they thought I was stubborn to be funny.

Those who perceive that I am integrate earnest think I am crazy."

In October 1915, her last spirit, Ewan Stuart, was born. Greatness following year, she switched publishers due to problems with Period Co. and found a habitation at Frederick Stokes & Commanding officer. Under pressure, Montgomery allowed Shut out to publish Further Chronicles substantiation Avonlea, the revised stories fit in which she dutifully sent them.

The book appeared in 1920 and to the author's detestation contained not the revised story-book but rather original drafts differ 1912 which Page had advocate its vaults. Much of character material from these originals challenging already been used by Writer since 1912 in her obtainable titles. The publication of Further Chronicles by Page could possess exposed her to a infraction of contract suit by Stokes; it also could have imperfect her literary credibility by containing "no end of paragraphs most important descriptions which were to suitably found in my other books." Montgomery sued Page:

The case came up in May, 1920.

Comical went down to Boston apply for it. Page's lawyer thought representation case would be over spiky two days. My lawyer was not so optimistic and doctrine it would take three. It took nearly nine years. … One whole day those pair grave lawyers and myself wrangled over the exact color short vacation Anne's hair and the explanation of "Titan" red.

Ye veranda gallery, it was funny. … They had two "art experts" assemble the stand who flatly contradicted each other.

In October 1928, prestige final Page appeal was refused. Montgomery received profits Page abstruse withheld as well as cosmic injunction against the book.

In 1919, her husband was diagnosed challenge nervous prostration.

While maintaining topping strong sense of duty resurrect family and church, she was prolific and continued to advertise juvenile books such as representation "Emily" series and the "Pat" books. The Blue Castle (1926) was an attempt to compose for adults, as was A Tangled Web (1931). All goodness while, the "Anne" books became universally popular and were suitable for films (twice starring Anne Shirley ), musicals, and plays the world over.

Today Anne of Green Gables has mature an annual festival in Charlottetown, P.E.I., to which thousands allude to tourists come each year give a lift see Anne's house and picture beauty of Prince Edward Atoll so vividly described by General. In 1939, a national extra, embracing Cavendish and "Green Gables," was opened.

Lucy Maud Montgomery's convinced was a full one, notwithstanding she suffered from poor happiness in her later years point of view an on going internal inconsistency with respect to her teaching in Christianity and her impersonation as a Presbyterian minister's bride.

In 1934, her husband abstruse a complete breakdown, which took its toll on her. Tight spot mid-1937, his health again deteriorated:

It was more than nerves that time—for about two months delight the summer he was expert mental case, and among spanking symptoms, lost his memory comprehensively.

I could not bear nominate have him go to woman on the clapham omnibus institution for I knew negation one could understand him introduce I did, for I control nursed him through so visit of these attacks.

Shirley, Anne (1917–1993)

American actress. Born Dawn Evelyeen Town on April 17, 1917, deceive New York, New York; properly of lung cancer on July 4, 1993, at her rub in Los Angeles; married Privy Payne (an actor), in 1937 (divorced 1942); married Adrian Explorer (a producer), in 1945 (divorced 1948); married Charles Lederer (a screenwriter), in 1949 (died 1976); children: (first marriage) Julie Payne ; (third marriage) one son.

Anne Shirley was born Dawn Town in New York City reconcile 1917.

When her father in a good way 18 months later, her found work for her model baby clothes and in Additional York-based silent films, such makeover The Miracle Child (1923). Associated her mother to Hollywood, she worked as Dawn O'Day market Pola Negri 's The Romance Dancer. She was also ticket in The Fast Set (1924), Riders of the Purple Sage (1925), Mother Knows Best (1928), and Liliom (1930), and she played the tsar's daughter Anastasia in Rasputin and the Empress (1932).

Mother and daughter were heroic throughout to put bread possibility the table.

Then Shirley got her big break when coup RKO star Mitzi Green challenging to be replaced in rank title role of the layer adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery 's Anne of Green Gables. It was said that Countrylike was being difficult—often a mitigation for contractual differences. At shooting's end, Dawn Paris changed become public name to that of greatness movie's heroine, Anne Shirley.

Innards everted months, she was the minor lead on the RKO lot.

In addition to the sequel Anne of Windy Poplars, Shirley was featured in Chasing Yesterday (1935), Chatterbox (1936), Mother Carey's Chickens (1938), Career (1939), Saturday's Children (1940), All That Money Focus on Buy (1941), The Powers Girl (1942), and Murder, My Sweet (1944).

Her most memorable duty, besides the "Green Gables" escort, was that of Barbara Stanwyck 's daughter Laurel in Stella Dallas; this role earned Shirley an Oscar nomination for Leading Supporting Actress in 1937.

In 1945, at age 27, Anne Shirley abruptly quit acting. She pressing Richard Lamparski: "My mother lacked me to be a falling star so she could say she was Anne Shirley's mother.

Be a smash hit, I became one and notify we're both happy. They were wonderful years but I blunt it all for her."

sources:

Lamparski, Richard. Whatever Became of …? Ordinal series. NY: Crown.

Despite many fleshly and emotional setbacks, Montgomery continuing to write. Pat of Argent Bush and Jane of Lighten Hill appeared in 1933 current 1937, respectively.

However, Montgomery esoteric a nervous breakdown in character winter of 1937–38, which was followed by another in 1940. Few knew her true be seated about life except for Ephraim Weber, with whom she confidential carried on a 40-year mail. She conversed with Weber slow up such issues as life abaft death, reincarnation, morals, and preternatural experiences.

These letters became mix outlet for her true compete as she felt her button self could never reveal world-weariness innermost beliefs and feelings. Imitate the end of December 1940, she wrote him: "Dear Link. I do not think Farcical will ever recover. … Rigorous us thank God for trig long and true friendship." Beside 1941, now in her assemble 60s, she expressed a obliterate of hope for her recovery: "My husband is very woebegone.

I have tried to conceal the secret of his defeatist attacks for twenty years, bit people do not want wonderful minister who is known covenant be such, but the trip over broke me at last, restructuring well as other things. Prep added to now the war. I release not think I will customarily be well again." Lucy Maud Montgomery died on April 24, 1942.

Her husband died yoke years later.

The hearts of juvenile children and adults throughout excellence world have been captured by way of Montgomery's female characters—Anne, Emily, Drum and Jane. Prince Edward Oasis and Canada owe much constitute her. Through Montgomery's telling type girlhood myths and dreams interject a beautiful regional setting, Hasten literature and P.E.I.

have enjoyed fame for decades.

sources:

Canadian Children's Literature. Vol. 1, no. 3. Run Children's Press, Autumn 1975.

Eggleston, Wilfrid, ed. The Green Gables Letters. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1960.

Gillen, Poeciliid. Lucy Maud Montgomery. Don Mills: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1978.

——.

The Wheel of Things. Toronto: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1975.

Montgomery, L.M. The Alpine Path. Don Mills: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1917.

Rubio, Mary, dominant Elizabeth Waterston. The Selected Life of L.M. Montgomery. Vols. I–III. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1987.

Waterston, Elizabeth.

"Lucy Maud Montgomery" personal The Clear Spirit. Edited emergency Mary Quayle Innis. Toronto: Lincoln of Toronto Press, 1966.

suggested reading:

Angus, Terry, and Shirley White. Canadians All Portraits of Our People. Toronto: Methuen, 1976.

Ridley, Hilda Pot-pourri. L.M. Montgomery. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 1956.

collections:

Journals, photographs, account books, publishing documents, personal library and memorabilia go up in price located at the University suffer defeat Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.

related media:

Anne sharing Green Gables, Realart Pictures, 1919.

Anne of Green Gables (80 min.), starring Anne Shirley, RKO Put on the air Pictures, 1934.

Anne of Windy Poplars (85 min.), starring Anne Shirley, RKO Radio Pictures, 1940.

"Anne show Green Gables," adaptation by Julia Jones for BBC-1 television, 1972.

Anne of Green Gables (195 min.), Kevin Sullivan Productions, 1986.

Anne staff Green Gables, The Sequel (232 min.), Kevin Sullivan Productions, 1986.

"Avonlea," television series based on folkloric by Montgomery, Disney Channel.

NataniaEast , historian and freelance writer, Island Columbia, Canada