Duley, Margaret Iris National Historic Person
St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador
Duley, Margaret Iris
(© Courtesy of the Centre for Newfoundland Studies Archives (Alison Feder, Collection MF-213),)
Address :
St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1976-06-15
Life Date:
1894 to 1968
Other Name(s):
-
Duley, Margaret Iris
(Designation Name)
Importance:
First Newfoundland novelist to attain worldwide recognition
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Education Building, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Born in St. John's, Duley's brief period of creative writing was concentrated in the 1930s and 1940s. The first Newfoundland novelist to attain international recognition, she enjoyed a wide readership in Canada and England as well as at home. Her novels, such as "Cold Pastoral" and "Highway to Valour," abound with vivid images of the beauty and harshness of her homeland, and are descriptive of life in early 20th century Newfoundland and Labrador. Her works are a significant contribution to Canadian literature and Newfoundland culture. She died at St. John's.