All hail the ever-green Lucy Maud Montgomery
I always thought it a bit creepy to say it is so and so’s birthday when they have been dead for decades.
That is what I was trying to avoid this week with my bosom friends when I WhatsApped them a reminder on Monday that November 30 was the day our beloved author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, was born in 1874.
If you have no idea who that is, I’m awfully sorry, but you cannot be a kindred spirit. (If you do, you will understand that reference and we can possibly be soul mates).
Montgomery was the Canadian author who gave us the wonderful series, Anne of Green Gables.
If you need another recommendation for the books, Mark Twain said Montgomery’s Anne was “the dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice”.
The first book was published in 1908 and is still muchneeded chicken soup for the soul.
It ’ s about an orphan who, through sheer optimism, belief in the good in people and a sense of backbone, imagination and determination, overcomes much to become beloved by everyone she meets.
It became so popular that it sold 19,000 copies in the first five months.
It ’ s still so admired that there are huge annual pilgrimages to the green-gables house in Cavendish, on Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada.
Montgomery led a fascinating and tragic life.
Her mother died when she was a baby and she lived on PEI with her grandparents.
Just like Anne, Montgomery became a teacher.
Unlike her character though, she went on to publish 20 novels (among them the popular Emily of New Moon trilogy) and write 530 short stories, 500 poems and 30 essays.
Montgomery, who hated to be called Lucy, preferring Maud, received seven cents on the dollar for the sale of each of the Anne books, instead of the 19 cents she was entitled to.
She was systematically cheated out of the profits by her publishers, LC Page and Company.
She sued them in 1917 and, in 1925, won the case.
A devout Allied supporter, World War 1 hit Montgomery hard.
Every defeat the forces faced worsened the depression with which she was plagued.
This became slightly noticeable in her later books, when Anne’s sons signed up to fight in the war.
However, writing remained Montgomery ’ s solace and despite her poor mental health she continued to give to the world stories of hope and comfort.
If you have Netflix, you will see there’s an adaptation of the series called Anne with an E.
It has taken the warm, fanciful stories and turned them into a dark, grey, cold reality. I give it a big ol’ boo.
Read the series rather (you can get the collection — eight books — on Loot.co.za for R800, a bargain really).
Or get the 1980 series that most kindred spirits say is the best adaptation by far, filmed by Kevin Sullivan and starring Megan Fellows. It’s much more encouraging fare for this year.
Or read and watch all the Anne Shirleys that have been produced over the years.
As Anne said: “It ’ s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”