About Margaret Laurence,
One of the most important writers from Western Canada
Author Jean Margaret (Peggy) Wemyss otherwise known as Margaret Laurence was born July 18, 1926. Born in the prairie town of Neepawa, Manitoba, Canada. Her father Robert Harrison Wemyss (lawyer) and mother Verna Jean, nee Simpson. Jean Margaret’s mother died when she was four years old. Her father later married his late wife’s sister Margaret Campbell Simpson (teacher, librarian) who became Jean Margaret’s “greatest encourages”. After Robert’s death, Jean Margaret (age 9) and her baby brother went to live with her Grandfather Simpson.
She wrote for the Black and Gold, the Neepawa Collegiate paper, and several articles published in the Neepawa Press. After graduating high school in 1944, she attended United College (University of Winnipeg). She became the assistant editor for the collage paper, Vox. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947.
September 13, 1947 Jean Margaret married Jack Laurence. She then started to work for The Winnipeg Citizen.
After her marriage the couple moved to England, Somalia then to Ghana. During their time in Africa Jean Margaret gained an appreciation for Africa and storytelling. Jean Margaret started to take her writing seriously after the birth of her two children.
They returned to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1957. 1962 Jean Margaret and her husband separated. She then moved to London, England for a year then moved to a cottage in Buckinghamshire for ten year. She visited Canada often.
In the 1970’s she moved back to Canada and settled in Lakefield, Ontario. She continued to write and held a position as writer-in-residence at the University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario and Trent University.
Jean Margaret Laurence committed suicide on January 5, 1987 at her home in Lakefield. This was after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Buried in Neepawa Cemetery only a few meters away from the stone angel that inspired her novel.
“Know that although in the eternal scheme of things you are small, you are also unique and irreplaceable, as are all your fellow humans everywhere in the world.” - Margaret Laurence
The Manawaka Cycle:
Five works set in the Canadian prairie town of Manawaka with five memorable women
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The Stone Angel (1964)
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A Jest of God (1966)
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The Fire-Dwellers (1969)
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A Bird in the House (1970)
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The Diviners (1974)
Other Works and Awards:
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1968 Margaret Laurence published Long Drums and Cannons, a study of contemporary Nigerian novelists and playwrights and 1976, Heart of a Stranger, a collection of personal, often autobiographical essays.
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Jason's Quest (1970), The Olden Days Coat (1979), Six Darn Cows(1979), and A Christmas Story (1980).
First Successes:
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Her first novel, called Pillars of the Nation, was written at the age of 12 for a contest sponsored by the Manitoba Free Press.
Other Facts:
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Their daughter, Jocelyn, was born during a leave in England in 1952
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Their son, David, in Ghana in 1955
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The Diviners was her last novel
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She never thought of herself as helping launch a new era in Canadian literature