Lucy Maud Montgomery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lucy Maud Montgomery
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L. M. Montgomery around 1935
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| Born | November 30, 1874 Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Died | April 24, 1942 (aged 67) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Fiction writer |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | Prince of Wales College, Dalhousie University |
| Period | 1890–1940 |
| Genre | Canadian literature, children's novels, short fiction, poetry |
| Notable works | |
| Spouse |
Ewen ("Ewan") Macdonald
(m. 1911) |
| Children | Chester (1912–1963) Hugh (1914–1914) Stuart (1915–1982) |
Lucy Maud Montgomery (born November 30, 1874 – died April 24, 1942) was a famous Canadian author. She is best known for her series of novels that started in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables. This book was a huge success right away.
The character Anne Shirley, an orphaned girl, made Montgomery famous during her lifetime. People all over the world loved her stories. After the first novel, she wrote many sequels about Anne. Montgomery published 20 novels, over 530 short stories, 500 poems, and 30 essays. Most of her novels are set in Prince Edward Island. Places on this small Canadian island, like Green Gables farm, became popular tourist spots. She was honored with the Order of the British Empire in 1935.
Montgomery's books, diaries, and letters are still read and studied by people everywhere.
Contents
Early Life and Imagination
Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in Clifton (now New London), Prince Edward Island. This was on November 30, 1874. Her mother, Clara Woolner Macneill Montgomery, died from tuberculosis when Lucy was only 21 months old. Her father, Hugh John Montgomery, was very sad. He asked Lucy's maternal grandparents to raise her.
When Lucy was seven, her father moved away to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. So, Lucy was raised by her grandparents, Alexander Marquis Macneill and Lucy Woolner Macneill. They lived in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
Childhood in Cavendish
Montgomery's early years in Cavendish were often lonely. Even though she had relatives nearby, she spent much of her childhood by herself. To cope with this loneliness, she created imaginary friends and worlds. Montgomery believed this time helped her become very creative. Her imaginary friends were named Katie Maurice and Lucy Gray. They lived in a "fairy room" behind a bookcase.
When she was 13, in 1887, Montgomery wrote in her diary about her "early dreams of future fame." She sent a poem to be published. She imagined being famous among her schoolmates. But the poem was rejected. She felt very disappointed and hid the crumpled paper. Still, she later wrote that deep down, she knew she would "arrive" someday.
Education and Inspiration
After finishing school in Cavendish, Montgomery spent a year (1890) with her father and stepmother in Prince Albert. While there, her first work, a poem called "On Cape LeForce," was published. It appeared in the Charlottetown paper, The Daily Patriot. She was very excited about this. She was also happy to return to her beloved Prince Edward Island in 1891. Before going back to Cavendish, she had another article published. It described her visit to a First Nations camp on the Great Plains.
However, returning to Cavendish was a great relief for her. Her time in Prince Albert was not happy. She did not get along well with her stepmother. Montgomery felt her father's marriage was not a happy one.
In 1893, she went to Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown. She wanted to get a teacher's license. Montgomery truly loved Prince Edward Island. During her walks through the peaceful countryside, she began to experience something special. She called it "the flash." This was a moment of peace and clarity. She felt a strong emotional joy and was inspired by a higher spiritual power in nature. Montgomery later gave these "flash" moments to her character Emily Byrd Starr in the "Emily of New Moon" books. They also helped her describe Anne Shirley's deep connection with nature.
She finished the two-year teaching program in Charlottetown in just one year. Then, in 1895 and 1896, she studied literature at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Later Life and Passing
On April 24, 1942, Lucy Maud Montgomery was found dead in her bed. She passed away in her Toronto home from an illness.
Montgomery was buried at the Cavendish Community Cemetery in Cavendish. Her funeral was held at the Cavendish United Church. Before that, a wake was held at the Green Gables farmhouse.
During her life, Montgomery published twenty novels. She also wrote over 500 short stories, an autobiography, and a book of poetry. She was aware of her fame. By 1920, Montgomery began editing her journals. She wanted to present her life as she wished it to be remembered. Because of this, some parts were changed or left out.
Lasting Impact and Recognition
Collections and Research
The L. M. Montgomery Institute was started in 1993. It is located at the University of Prince Edward Island. This institute helps people study Lucy Maud Montgomery's life, works, and influence. It also organizes most of the research and conferences about her. The Montgomery Institute has a collection of her novels, writings, letters, photos, and other items.
Her main collections, including her personal diaries and photos, are kept at the McLaughlin Library's Archival and Special Collections. This is at the University of Guelph.
The first book about Montgomery's life was The Wheel of Things: A Biography of L. M. Montgomery (1975). It was written by Mollie Gillen. Dr. Gillen also found over 40 of Montgomery's letters. These letters were sent to her pen-friend George Boyd MacMillan in Scotland. They were used to help write the book. Starting in the 1980s, her complete journals were published. They were edited by Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston.
Even though Montgomery published more than twenty books, she never felt she wrote her one "great" book. However, her readers have always loved her characters and stories. Mark Twain once said that Montgomery's Anne was "the dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice." Montgomery was the first Canadian woman to be named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was also made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1935.
Her fame was not just in Canada. Anne of Green Gables became famous worldwide. For example, thousands of Japanese tourists visit the green-gabled Victorian farmhouse in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, every year. In 2012, Anne of Green Gables was ranked ninth among the best children's novels of all time. This was in a survey by School Library Journal in the U.S. The British public ranked it 41st among all novels in a 2003 BBC survey.
Special Places and Honours
Montgomery's home in Leaskdale Manse, Ontario, is a special place. Also, the area around Green Gables and her Cavendish home in Prince Edward Island are important. Both have been named National Historic Sites. The Canadian government also named Montgomery a Person of National Historic Significance in 1943.
Bala's Museum in Bala, Ontario, is a house museum opened in 1992. It is called "Bala's Museum with Memories of Lucy Maud Montgomery." Montgomery and her family stayed in Bala during a holiday in July 1922. This trip inspired her novel The Blue Castle (1926). The museum holds events about Montgomery and her stories.
Montgomery was honored by King George V as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Canada did not have its own awards for civilians until the 1970s.
On May 15, 1975, the Post Office Department released a stamp. It honored "Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables." In 2008, Canada Post issued another pair of stamps. These marked 100 years since her first novel was published.
The City of Toronto named a park after her (Lucy Maud Montgomery Park). In 1983, they placed a historical marker there. It is near the house where she lived from 1935 until she died in 1942. On November 30, 2015, which was her 141st birthday, Google honored Lucy Maud Montgomery with a Google Doodle. This was shown in twelve countries.
Works by L. M. Montgomery
Novels
Anne of Green Gables Series
- Anne of Green Gables (1908)
- Anne of Avonlea (1909)
- Anne of the Island (1915)
- Anne of Windy Poplars (1936)
- Anne's House of Dreams (1917)
- Anne of Ingleside (1939)
- Rainbow Valley (1919)
- Rilla of Ingleside (1921)
- The Blythes Are Quoted (2009) — This book was given to the publisher on the day she died. It was not fully published until 67 years later.
Emily Trilogy
- Emily of New Moon (1923)
- Emily Climbs (1925)
- Emily's Quest (1927)
Pat of Silver Bush Series
- Pat of Silver Bush (1933)
- Mistress Pat (1935)
The Story Girl Series
- The Story Girl (1911)
- The Golden Road (1913)
Other Novels
- Kilmeny of the Orchard (1910)
- The Blue Castle (1926)
- Magic for Marigold (1929)
- A Tangled Web (1931)
- Jane of Lantern Hill (1937)
Short Story Collections
- Chronicles of Avonlea (1912)
- Further Chronicles of Avonlea (1920)
- The Road to Yesterday (1974)
- The Doctor's Sweetheart and Other Stories, selected by Catherine McLay (1979)
- Akin to Anne: Tales of Other Orphans, edited by Rea Wilmshurst (1988)
- Along the Shore: Tales by the Sea, edited by Rea Wilmshurst (1989)
- Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side, edited by Rea Wilmshurst (1990)
- After Many Days: Tales of Time Passed, edited by Rea Wilmshurst (1991)
- Against the Odds: Tales of Achievement, edited by Rea Wilmshurst (1993)
- At the Altar: Matrimonial Tales, edited by Rea Wilmshurst (1994)
- Across the Miles: Tales of Correspondence, edited by Rea Wilmshurst (1995)
- Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories, edited by Rea Wilmshurst (1995)
- The Blythes Are Quoted, edited by Benjamin Lefebvre (2009) (a companion book to Rilla of Ingleside)
Poetry Books
- The Watchman and Other Poems (1916)
- The Poetry of Lucy Maud Montgomery, selected by John Ferns and Kevin McCabe (1987)
- A World of Songs: Selected Poems, 1894-1921 (The L.M. Montgomery Library), edited by Benjamin Lefebvre (2019)
Non-fiction Book
- Courageous Women (1934) (with Marian Keith and Mabel Burns McKinley)
Images for kids
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Birthplace of Lucy Maud Montgomery
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Leaskdale Manse, home of Lucy Maud Montgomery from 1911 to 1926
See also
In Spanish: Lucy Maud Montgomery para niños
