Margaret Laurence was one of the most influential Canadian novelists and essayists of the 20th century.
Born in 1926 as Jean Margaret Wemyss in Neepawa, Manitoba (the inspiration for the town of Manawaka in her novels), she was primarily raised by her aunt after her parents died. She attended United College, Winnipeg, graduating in 1947 in Honors English. She began working for the Winnipeg Citizen after graduation. In 1949, she married Jack Laurence, a civil engineer. The following year, they moved to Africa, where they lived until 1957. This experience inspired her short story The Tomorrow-tamer (1963) and her novel This Side Jordan (1960). In 1957, the couple moved to Vancouver, where...
