As you may have seen on our store or in our last blog post, Smidgen Press is proud to bring readers The L. M. Montgomery Christmas Collection, our specially curated short stories and poems by the author with beautiful vintage artwork along with them.
But perhaps you are unfamiliar with dear Lucy Maud. Well, let us introduce you!
Who is L. M. Montgomery?
Lucy Maud Montgomery was born on November 30, 1874 in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Canada. And it is this island that she would later make famous with her novels and stories.
After losing her mother at an early age, Montgomery was given by her father to her grandparents to raise. She grew up lonely, giving her an affinity for the plight of the orphan, a character that would be revisited again and again in her writings.
As a child, Montgomery created a vibrant, make-believe world, which would aid her in the years to come as she crafted over 500 stories and eventually published 20 novels as well as numerous poems and essays. Her journals revealed that she disliked being called “Lucy” and instead preferred “Maud,” spelled “not ‘with an e’ if you please.” Fans today frequently refer to her as Lucy Maud, or just Maud.
Imagination and education
In 1908, Montgomery published her first novel, Anne of Green Gables, about the irrepressible redhead, Anne-with-an-E, whom readers all over the world would fall in love with. Mark Twain himself later characterized the novel as the most lovable child in fiction since Lewis Carroll’s Alice. This launched Montgomery’s career as an author and became the first of eight Anne books she would write over the course of her life.
While most women of this era never received a higher education, Maud graduated from Prince of Wales College, receiving her teaching degree from a two-year course which she completed in one year. Later, she went on to study literature at Dalhousie University. Montgomery became a teacher, and though she did not care for it, she used the time it afforded her to write.
On battling for her rights and being unapologetically Canadian
Lucy Maud became famous to a degree, though she went through many battles with her publisher in order to receive her contracted royalties.
It is well known that her first publisher was led by an unscrupulous American businessman, Louis Couse Page, who owned L.C. Page and Company. When Lucy Maud realized the tyrant was cheating her by paying her seven cents on the dollar instead of the nineteen cents he was supposed to, she sued him. He attempted to cut her off from all royalties of her earlier books and went onto sell rights to a book that she never sold to him.
As a millionaire, he counted on being able to outspend Maud in legal fees. Surely the author would have to give up. But the world soon realized who they should never underestimate: Lucy Maud Montgomery! Eventually, the publisher had to pay her $15,000, a monumental sum and a huge victory for authors everywhere.
However, one thing remained elusive in Maud’s career, and it caused her great frustration. Like most traditionally published authors, the movie rights did not belong to her. Adding insult to injury, the first film adaptation of Anne of Green Gables was set in the US and mischaracterized Anne. A journal article is quoted to say Lucy Maud called it “such crass, blatant Yankeeism”—how dare they Americanize a Canadian (albeit fictional) heroine!
Maud had purposely created a Canadian Anne who could only have thrived on Prince Edward Island. In fact, every single novel she ever wrote set place in Canada, and 19 of them are on P.E.I. It is for this reason that Smidgen Press made sure to include artwork by Canadian artist Franklin Carmichael. You can learn more about him at The Canadian Encyclopedia, and you can see his art piece Bissett Farm here, which we have digitally remastered for this edition.
Mental health and Lucy Maud’s legacy
Like many artists and writers throughout the centuries, dear Lucy Maud suffered from severe depression. This was compounded by living with and caring for her abusive, mentally unstable husband.
Montgomery nevertheless pushed forward in life. She cared for her children, taught Sunday school, and spent time answering letters from readers in addition to her author work. She had grown up lonely and found comfort in her imaginary friends. So since she compared herself most to Emily of New Moon, perhaps in real life, like Emily, finding it “maddening that no one could see she had to write,” then also like many artists and writers, she also found solace in her craft.
But in the end, imaginary friends and even work we love can only provide so much solace. After fighting over half her life in the long battle against depression, the circumstances around her death in 1942 are mysterious, with the listed cause of death being natural causes, while more recent revelations of her struggle with depression alluding to the possibility of something darker and more intentional.
We will never know. But Maud’s granddaughter Kate Macdonald Butler has spoken up with the aim to end the stigma around depression and mental illness.
Despite the sadness of her death, Maud Montgomery left behind a beautiful legacy of charming characters like Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, Pat of Silverbush, and the beloved Story Girl.
Forever, we will be grateful.
Our thanks to you
As you may be aware, this collection was lovingly given life with the aid of readers like you. Almost all of our books to date have been chosen from readers’ requests. We thrive on recommendations and strive to breathe new life into old stories that YOU adore.
Do you have a suggestion for a future republication? We would love to know—just submit your idea(s) here.
And our final word: You don’t have to battle alone.
Depression can feel like such a poison. If you, or someone you know, is depressed and feeling stuck, or you’re contemplating self-harm or suicide, you don’t have to fight them alone.
- For help with depression, text the word CONNECT to the number 741741 to chat with a human immediately.
- Or text or call 988 for help with suicidal or self-harming thoughts or actions.
We are praying for you.
