The Life Of Margaret Laurence

by James King

The magnificent and long-awaited biography of the beloved writer who gave us the Manawaka novels, including The Diviners and The Stone Angel .

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Canada

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

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Reviews

[Neil Mudde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I am rampant with memory....Each day, so worthless really has a rarity for me lately. I could put it in a vase and admire it,like the first dandelions, and we would forget their weediness and marvel that they were there at all." "The Stone Angel"
James King has allowed us a rare insight into the person of Margaret Laurence. warts and all. What an interesting human being, her gift as she frequently mentions this to her writers who are her aquaintances, she writes bout the content she writes as "being given to her" it would appear to know Margaret Laurence was very difficult, as much of her life was spent on her own, with herself, and I believe by choice.
The book is filled with stories by persons that knew Margaret, or from her prolific letter writing she did over the years, this is such a must read book, considering there were not that many Canadian Authors around during the time she wrote, she became world renown.
As is often the case Margaret was reviled by many of the Canadian "god fearing gangs" who considered her a writer of pornography, this hurt her very deeply, since she knew the truth. Margaret had a great sense of humour, did not tolerate fools gladly, yet with all the fame, and accolades honorary doctorates, etc bestowed upon her, she remained a private person so much so, that when she was diagnosed with untreatable cancer, she decided to skip the whole suffering routine by learning how to take ones own life with the least amount of discomfort. she says: " One always hears or reads that someone has "died peacefully" How can anyone except that person really know?" Once she had made this decision, arranged her own memorial service she simply set a time, and place to do this, it is a bit eerie when she writes about the fact that in order to swallow the pills she needed to end her life she needed to make tea, but had to search for her teakettle, suffice it to say she was successful

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading this I reread the Stone Angel, A Bird in the House and The Diviners. I had recently reread A Jest of God and The Fire Dwellers. She is such a wonderful writer.

[Paul C. Stalder · Rating 4 out of 5]

King has done an exceptional job of showing his readers the real Margaret Laurence, complete with all her very human flaws, while making certain you meet her with a compassionate embrace. It would have been far too easy to focus on the vices that plauged Laurence's life. King, however, holds her up as an example of a tortured genius who believed she had something to say. While I found King's writing got stale rather quickly, my desire to follow Laurence to the bitter end kept me coming back. The last few chapters were beautiful, primarily because of King's continued return to Laurence's own writings. In a fascinating, albeit morbid, end, as Laurence awaited her death, having drunk her equivalent of hemlock, she wrote, "Please, my near & dear ones, forgive me & understand. I hope this potion works. My spirit is already in another country & my body has become a damn nuisance. I have been so fortunate." I have been so fortunate. King demonstrates the truth of this fortune. The giant of Canadian literature that Laurence was would be proud of this book. Even though it has flaws, it may be that much more real because of them.

[Tamara Willems · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just this morning I finished this fantastic biography of beloved Canadian writer Margaret Laurence by James King.
Quite a remarkable strong willed woman, who also battled uncertainty and haunting insecurities.
Again I found so much to recognize in Margaret Laurence that it was easy to feel so much compassion for this extraordinary, really trailblazing woman who managed in a way to keep much of her own internal anguish to herself.
Always a good feeling when you come to the end pages and feel as though you wish to give the subject (and as it turns out - the book) a much needed hug,
of great gratitude. 💗📚

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly engaging biography of one of Canada's best writers period. Even with a little detail on her husband and children, the author managed to guide us through the highs and lows with ease and drama. I wish there had been more reflection from others on younger Margaret but still a great biography.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this after reading many of her books and enjoying them all so much.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book very much and thought that it was an excellent look into the life of Margaret Laurence. Having read her novels previously, I was surprised to see how her works of fiction mirrored her actual life. After reading about her final years, I would have been interested to see what her next work would have been.

[Alana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I remain convinced that the writing is mediocre, the research is thoroughly done, and the subject is certainly fascinating enough. 5 stars for Laurence's fabulous oddity, 4 stars for the thoroughness of the study, and 2 stars for the awkward, bumbling prose.

[Newgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read, and in some cases re-read all he novels after this, and enjoyed them much, much more.

[Laurie Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply excellent!

[Elaine Cougler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Life of Margaret Laurence by James King is excellent, balanced, informative and real--sometimes too real. The icon falls. For a Laurence lover a great addition to the collection.

[Lisagoegan]

Laurence's life ended more sadly but had a much richer and conflicted middle than I knew from reading her memoirs Dance on the Earth. The struggle between domestic and professional is one I've heard before, but it resonated none the less. The colonial history she was involved in and her framing of it as such in Canada as well are also interesting relics of the period.