Mavis Gallant
Mavis Gallant
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Mavis Gallant was born Jean Margaret Burgin on August 11, 1922, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is often referred to as simply "Mavis" or sometimes "Mary".
Birth and Death Dates
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August 11, 1922 – February 18, 2014
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Canadian novelist, short story writer, and playwright.
Early Life and Background
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Gallant grew up in a middle-class family in Montreal. Her early life was marked by a sense of restlessness and discontent, which would later influence her writing. She began writing stories at the age of 13, but it wasn't until she moved to Paris in 1941 that she truly found her voice as a writer.
In Paris, Gallant became part of the city's vibrant expatriate literary community, befriending writers such as Samuel Beckett and Jean-Paul Sartre. This experience not only shaped her writing style but also instilled in her a deep appreciation for the complexities of human relationships.
Major Accomplishments
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Gallant's breakthrough novel, The Other Paris, was published in 1956 to critical acclaim. However, it is her short stories that have earned her widespread recognition. Gallant's most celebrated works include:
Home Truths (1979)
A Life (1993)
Over Seventy (2002)
These collections showcase Gallant's mastery of the short story form, with each tale offering a poignant and incisive portrayal of human experience.
Notable Works or Actions
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Gallant's writing is characterized by its nuance, subtlety, and unwavering commitment to exploring the complexities of human relationships. Her stories often revolve around themes of love, loss, and identity, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences.
In addition to her literary accomplishments, Gallant was also known for her wit, humor, and sharp intellect. She became a beloved figure in Montreal's literary scene, and her presence at readings and events was always highly anticipated.
Impact and Legacy
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Mavis Gallant's impact on Canadian literature cannot be overstated. Her work has been widely praised for its insight into the human condition, and she is often credited with helping to establish the short story as a vital literary form in Canada.
Gallant's legacy extends beyond her writing, however. She remains an inspiration to generations of writers, who continue to draw upon her example as a testament to the power of literature to capture the complexities of life.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Mavis Gallant is widely quoted and remembered for several reasons:
Innovative storytelling: Her short stories revolutionized the genre, offering readers new ways to engage with narrative.
Unflinching honesty: Gallant's writing is characterized by its unwavering commitment to exploring the complexities of human experience.
Timeless themes: Her stories remain relevant today, tackling universal themes that continue to resonate with readers.
In summary, Mavis Gallant was a Canadian novelist and short story writer whose innovative storytelling, unflinching honesty, and timeless themes have cemented her place in literary history.
Quotes by Mavis Gallant
Stories are not chapters of novels. They should not be read one after another, as if they were meant to follow along. Read one. Shut the book. Read something else. Come back later. Stories can wait.
Like his father, like Jules Renard, he had been carried along the slow, steady swindle of history and experience.
There is a term for people caught on a street crossing after the light has changed: “pedestrian-traffic residue”.
It happened that at the late age of twenty-seven I had run away from home. High time, you might say; but rebels can’t always be choosers.
Converts have it soft,” said Mary. “They come to it late, without ever having had the Devil under the bed. They sail in and admire the stained-glass windows. All the dirty work has been done.
Like every other form of art, literature is no more and nothing less than a matter of life and death. The only question worth asking about a story – or a poem, or a piece of sculpture, or a new concert hall – is, Is it dead or alive?
A writer’s life stands in relation to his work as a house does to a garden, related but distinct.
The first flash of fiction arrives without words. It consists of a fixed image like a slide or closer still a freeze frame showing characters in a simple situation....
I wanted to live in Paris and write nothing but fiction and be perfectly free. I had decided all this had to be settled by the time I was thirty, and so I gave up my job and moved to Paris at twenty-eight. I just held my breath and jumped. I didn’t even look to see if there was water in the pool.