Jean Margaret Laurence CC (née Wemyss; July 18, 1926 – January 5, 1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is an important person in Canadian literature. She also helped start the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-profit group that tries to support writers in Canada.

Biography

Margaret Laurence was born Jean Margaret Wemyss on July 18, 1926, in Neepawa, Manitoba. She was the daughter of Robert Wemyss, a lawyer, and Verna Jean Simpson. She was called "Peggy" during her childhood.

Her mother passed away when she was four years old. After that, her maternal aunt, Margaret Simpson, helped care for the family. A year later, Margaret Simpson married Robert Wemyss. In 1933, they adopted a son named Robert. In 1935, when Laurence was nine, Robert Wemyss Sr. died of pneumonia. Laurence then moved to live with her maternal grandfather, her stepmother, and her brother. She lived in Neepawa until she was 18 years old.

In 1944, Laurence attended United College in Winnipeg, a school that taught arts and theology and was part of the University of Manitoba. This school later became the University of Winnipeg. Before attending, she applied for scholarships based on her grades and financial need. During her first year, she studied in a program that included English, history, ethics, and psychology.

Laurence was interested in English literature even in high school. This interest continued during her college education. Within a few weeks of starting college, she had poems published in The Manitoban, a publication from the University of Manitoba. She used the name "Steve Lancaster" for her work, which she later said was inspired by the Lancaster bomber, a powerful airplane used in World War II.

During her first year, she also joined the English Club, a group of senior students who discussed poetry. The club was led by Professor Arthur L. Phelps. This was her first experience being around peers who loved literature, and it helped her grow as a writer and scholar. She also met with friends at "Tony's," a place in the basement of United College where students discussed literature and shared their writing.

Laurence’s time in college helped her grow academically and creatively. During this time, she became involved with the Social Gospel, a Christian movement focused on social justice. This movement remained important to her for the rest of her life.

In her senior year, she took on more responsibilities, including becoming an associate editor of Vox, the college’s literary journal. She also served as the publicity president of the Student Council. These roles helped her improve her writing skills and prepare for a career in journalism, which she pursued after graduating.

During her undergraduate years, she published at least 18 poems, three short stories, and one critical essay. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 1947.

After graduating, Laurence worked for The Westerner, a leftist newspaper, and later for The Winnipeg Citizen, an independent newspaper. She wrote about social and political issues, wrote a radio column, and reviewed books.

Soon after graduating, she married Jack Fergus Laurence, an engineer. His work took them to England (1949), British Somaliland (1950–1952), and the Gold Coast (1952–1957). Laurence admired Africa and its people, which influenced her writing. She recorded and translated Somali poetry and folk tales, later published in A Tree for Poverty: Somali Poetry and Prose (1954). Her time in Somalia also inspired her 1963 memoir, The Prophet’s Camel Bell.

In 1952, Laurence gave birth to a daughter, Jocelyn, in England. Her son, David, was born in 1955 in the Gold Coast. The family left the Gold Coast before it became independent as Ghana in 1957, moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, where they lived for five years.

In 1962, Laurence separated from her husband and moved to London, England, for a year. She later moved to Elm Cottage in Penn, Buckinghamshire, where she lived for over ten years, though she visited Canada often. Her divorce was finalized in 1969.

That year, she became writer-in-residence at the University of Toronto. A few years later, she moved to Lakefield, Ontario. She also owned a cabin near Peterborough, Ontario, where she wrote The Diviners (1974) during the summers of 1971 to 1973.

In 1978, a documentary titled Margaret Laurence: First Lady of Manawaka was made about her by the National Film Board of Canada.

Laurence served as Chancellor of Trent University in Peterborough from 1981 to 1983.

In 1986, Laurence was diagnosed with lung cancer that had already spread to other organs. No treatment beyond palliative care was offered. She decided to end her suffering and chose to take her own life by overdosing on medication. She died on January 5, 1987, at her home in Lakefield, Ontario.

She was buried in Neepawa Cemetery, Neepawa, Manitoba.

Literary career

Margaret Laurence was one of Canada's most respected and loved authors by the end of her career. She began writing short stories when she was a teenager in Neepawa. Her first published story, "The Land of Our Father," was sent to a competition by the Winnipeg Free Press. This story introduced the name "Manawaka," a fictional Canadian town she used in many of her later books.

After she married, Margaret wrote more often, as did her husband. Both wrote stories that were published in literary magazines while they lived in Africa. Margaret continued to write and explore new ideas in her work. Her early novels were shaped by her experiences as a minority in Africa. These books include strong Christian symbols and show concern about being a white person in a country ruled by another nation.

When she returned to Canada, she wrote The Stone Angel (1964), the book she is most famous for. Set in the fictional Manitoba town of Manawaka, the story follows 90-year-old Hagar Shipley. The book tells her life through memories and present moments. For a time, The Stone Angel was required reading in many schools and colleges in North America.

Laurence wrote four more fictional stories set in Manawaka. She was published by the Canadian company McClelland and Stewart and became an important figure in Canadian literature.

The 1968 film Rachel, Rachel, directed by Paul Newman, was based on Laurence's novel A Jest of God. A film version of The Stone Angel, directed by Kari Skogland and starring Ellen Burstyn, was released in 2007.

Her papers are kept in the Clara Thomas Archives at York University in Toronto and at McMaster University's William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections in Hamilton.

Laurence won two Governor General's Awards for her novels A Jest of God (1966) and The Diviners (1974). In 1972, she was named a Companion of the Order of Canada.

The Margaret Laurence Memorial Lecture is an annual event organized by the Writers' Trust of Canada. The Stone Angel was one of the books chosen for the 2002 Canada Reads program, supported by Leon Rooke.

The University of Winnipeg created a Women's Studies Centre and an annual speaker series in her honor. At York University, a floor in Bethune Residence was named after her.

In 2016, she was named a National Historic Person. Her childhood home in Neepawa has been turned into a museum.