Margaret Laurence (1926-1987) is one of Canada’s
most loved and respected writers.
She is the author of sixteen books, including a travel memoir, five
novels and two collections of short stories, a translation of Somali
tales and poems, a collection of essays and an important study of Nigerian
dramatists.
Margaret Laurence: the Making of a Writer traces the challenging
years that preceded publication of her first major success The Stone
Angel (1964). There are few studies of Canadian writers that chart
the important stages on the way to becoming an acclaimed author. With
the diligence of a detective and the skill of a writer who knows her
subject, Donez Xiques takes readers from Laurence’s youth in a
small prairie town in Manitoba to her early married life in Africa,
where she lived for seven years with her husband, a civil engineer.
Margaret Laurence: the Making of a Writer unfolds with the
suspense of a novel as the biographer shows readers the young wife who
wrote in a small grass hut in the Somali desert region as well as the
writer who coped with ten years of rejections from publishers. And finally,
there is the portrait of Margaret Laurence when she first received acclaim
for her short stories after returning to live in Vancouver.
This exciting story of Margaret Laurence’s early literary career
contains much new material, including a hitherto unknown story by Laurence,
which is published here for the first time, in addition to two relatively
unknown stories by her. Whether readers are familiar with Margaret Laurence’s
books or simply eager for a compelling story, Margaret Laurence: the
Making of a Writer will hold their interest.
Information about Margaret Laurence’s life
and links to other sites may be found at About
Margaret Laurence and Links.
If you’d like to know more about the distinctive
focus of this book and its special features, go to About
the book.
For an overview of Margaret Laurence: the Making
of a Writer, see Table of Contents
Comments offers remarks
from reviewers about this book.
Additional information about the author (Donez Xiques)
may be found at About the author.
Q & A gives further details
about the writing of this biography.
For information about contacting the biographer
or buying the book, go to Contact or Buy
the book.
