YA New York

I just read this article by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s granddaughter, telling the world that the great novelist suffered from depression and eventually took her own life. It’s a sad story, especially when you put it in context: She died in 1942, during the second world war. She had written, during the first world war, that to see the entire world at war was too painful to watch. (This is a paraphrase; I can find exact quotes later on.) She was deeply depressed, as am I, and she was the wife of a conservative minister, and she didn’t have the resources we have now. A variety of medications, sympathetic and knowledgeable doctors, and most importantly, good friends who understand that mental illness is not a character flaw.

I have an entire shelf in my bookcase devoted to her writing. She was, without a doubt, the most influential author I read during my childhood. You know that feeling you have, especially when you’re very young, that certain authors are like friends to you? That if you ever met them, you’re sure they would be kindred spirits, because their stories capture you entirely? That is how I felt about LM Montgomery growing up, and I feel it even more today.

Dot Lin from Tor Books sent me this link, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for me, as right now I’m sitting at the bottom of a giant hole. What is amazing is that, in spite of her illness, Lucy Maud achieved so much. She wrote wonderful books and connected with generations of readers.

So for today, all I have to say is this: Read the article. And then go back and re-read some of Lucy Maud’s best work. If you haven’t read anything by her, start with the Anne books and go through the first three at the very least. Otherwise, try the Emily trilogy. You won’t regret it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 10:44 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.