Margaret Laurence

Jean Margaret Laurence CC was a Canadian novelist and short story writer and is one of the major figures in Canadian literature. She was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-profit literary organization that seeks to encourage Canada's writing community. Margaret Laurence was born Jean Margaret Wemyss on 18 July 1926 in Neepawa, Manitoba, the daughter of solicitor Robert Wemyss and Verna Jean Simpson. 

She was known as "Peggy" during her childhood. Her mother died when she was four, after which a maternal aunt, Margaret Simpson, came to take care of the family. A year later, Margaret Simpson married Robert Wemyss, and in 1933 they adopted a son, Robert. In 1935, when Laurence was nine, Robert Wemyss Sr. died of pneumonia. Laurence then moved into her maternal grandfather's home with her stepmother and brother. She lived in Neepawa until she was 18.

In 1944, Laurence attended Winnipeg's United College, an arts and theology college associated with the University of Manitoba that would later become the University of Winnipeg. Before attending, she applied for academic scholarships that were granted based on her academic record and financial need. During her first year at United College, Laurence studied in a liberal arts program that included courses in English, History, Ethics, and Psychology. 

Laurence's interest in English literature was present even in high school, and her interest in writing her own works continued into her formal education. Within the first few weeks of attending the college, Laurence had works of poetry published in the University of Manitoba's publication The Manitoban. She submitted this work under the pseudonym "Steve Lancaster," which she later credits as a reference to the Lancaster bomber, a highly powerful and successful bomber of the Second World War. 

Another of Laurence's achievements during her first year of college was being welcomed into the English Club, an organization of senior students who discussed poetry, led by professor Arthur L. Phelps. This was her first time being around peers who were also passionate about literature, and it was an opportunity for her to expand her knowledge as both scholar and writer. "Tony's," a part-cafeteria, part-coffee shop in the basement of United College, was another important place for Laurence to share her literary interests with colleagues. 

She would meet with friends and discuss literature; those who were writers would share their works with the group. Laurence's years in college not only shaped her from an academic perspective but also provided opportunities for her to develop creatively and professionally. During this period, Laurence became associated with the Christian socialist movement known as the Social Gospel, which would remain important to her for the remainder of her life. 

In her senior year of college, Laurence had an increasing number of responsibilities while also continuing to have her own work printed in local publications. She became an associate editor of Vox, United College's literary journal, and was also the publicity president of the Student Council. These opportunities encouraged Laurence to hone her craft of writing while also giving her the tools to work in journalism—as she would do upon graduation. She showed promise and success in her early literary pursuits. 

During her undergraduate years, Laurence had at least eighteen poems, three short stories, and a critical essay published. Laurence graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 1947. Following her graduation from United College, Laurence worked at a leftist weekly newspaper, The Westerner, and then at a new independent newspaper, the Winnipeg Citizen. In her reporting, she covered numerous social and political issues; she also wrote a radio column and reviewed books.

Also, not long after graduating, she married Jack Fergus Laurence, an engineer. His work took them to England (1949), the then-British protectorate of British Somaliland (1950–1952), as well as the British colony of the Gold Coast (1952–1957). Laurence admired Africa and its various populations, which found expression in her writing.