Montgomery, Lucy Maud (Macdonald)

Lucy Maud Montgomery, born November 30, 1874 in Clifton, grew up the only daughter of Hugh John Montgomery and Clara Woolner Macneil. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was 21 months old; her father left her in the care of her grandparents. Montgomery's childhood is characterized by the close connection to nature but also by loneliness. She overcame these feelings by devoting herself to writing. In 1911 she married the vicar Ewan Macdonald, to whom she had three children, two of whom survived. Throughout her life she tried to find a balance between her writing and her domestic duties and to fight the "inner demons". She died in Toronto in 1942. In total she published 23 novels, a book of poetry, an essay, about 450 poems and 500 short stories. Her novel Anne of Green Gables made her internationally known.