When Lucy Maud Manotgomery wrote her first novel in 1905, it was rejected by almost all publishers she showed it to. Upset, she locked away the manuscript in a hat box. A couple of years later, when she tried to get her book published again, she succeeded. That novel was none other than Anne of Green Gables, which went on to become a children’s classic, recommended for students around the world even today.
This coming-of-age story – about the adventures of a redheaded girl set in the small town of Prince Edward Island – became one of the most popular books of Canada, being translated into about 30 different languages and adapted into several films and television series.
And it all started with a little bit of imagination.
Growing up, author Lucy Maud Montgomery had two imaginary friends, Katie Maurice and Lucy Gray. Katie and Lucy ‘lived’ in an imaginary room behind the bookcase in her grandparents’ house, where she spent her childhood. They were her constant companions and comforted her when she was scared and alone. They also did something more: they sharpened her imagination and fostered her creativity.
Keeping the secret
Montgomery’s father left her in the custody of her grandparents after her mother’s death. When she was nine, Montgomery began writing poetry and keeping a journal. Her poem On Cape LeForce was published by a local newspaper, the Patriot. But her family was not supportive of her writing as they considered it to be a waste of time, especially for a woman. But Montgomery did not give up, instead she continued writing in secret at night by sneaking in candles to her room. When she grew up, she even started working at a post office run by her family so that she could clandestinely send out her work to publishers.
A matter of luck
After graduating from college, Montgomery started working as a teacher. Though she did not enjoy it much, teaching gave her extra time to write. She penned hundreds of poems and short stories, but they continued to be rejected by Canadian, British, and American magazines. Finally, she was able to publish her first novel Anne of Green Gables in 1905, which marked the beginning of Montgomery’s successful career as a novelist.
Anne Shirley
Mirroring the author herself, Montgomery’s heroine, Anne Shirley, is an eternal optimist and an unrepentant romantic. Anne fights against all odds to find love, acceptance and her pace in the world. Montgomery’s beautiful descriptions of her hometown peppered with Victorian green-gabled farmhouses as well as its people, immortalised the tiny province of Prince Edward Island. Each year, hundreds of Montgomery’s fans visit the island to see the place she loved so much.
Legacy
After the Anne series, she wrote a number of successful novels and stories. For her literacy contribution, she became the first Canadian woman to be made a member of the British Royal Society of Arts and was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. She died on April 24, 1942. Like Anne, Montgomery was a woman much ahead of her time!
Picture Credit : Google
