Gwethalyn Graham
Gwethalyn Graham was a Canadian author born into a wealthy family in Toronto in 1913. She briefly attended Smith College before eloping with John McNaught, though the marriage was short-lived. After moving to Montreal, Graham launched her writing career with her debut novel, *Swiss Sonata*, published in 1938, which garnered her critical acclaim and a Governor General's Award. Her second novel, *Earth and High Heaven*, released in 1944, notably became the first book by a Canadian to top the New York Times best-seller list, also earning her another Governor General's Award. Graham's personal life included a second marriage to David Yalden-Thomson, which also ended in divorce. Over time, she became involved in controversial movements relating to anti-Semitism and anti-French Canadian sentiments, contributing articles on these and other societal issues. Although her later novels did not achieve the same success as her earlier works, she found a new avenue in writing television scripts. Gwethalyn Graham passed away in 1965 due to an undiagnosed brain tumor.
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Gwethalyn Graham
Writer
- Born: January 18, 1913
- Died: 1965
Biography
Gwethalyn Graham was born to a wealthy Toronto family in 1913. At age of nineteen she began attending Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her stay at Smith did not last very long. Instead, she dropped out of school and eloped with John McNaught, who was the son of her father’s business partner. This marriage did not last. Graham relocated to Montreal after its dissolution.
Her writing career began when her first novel, Swiss Sonata, was published in 1938. The book won her critical acclaim as well as a Governor General’s Award. In 1944 Graham published Earth and High Heaven. It was the first book written by a Canadian to reach number one on the New York Times best-seller list, and it earned her another Governor General’s Award.
Later, Graham met and married David Yalden-Thomson, a philosophy professor at McGill University. This marriage also ended in divorce. After publishing her novels, Graham became active in anti-Semitic and anti-French Canadian movements. She wrote many articles on these subjects as well as on immigration and women’s issues. In her later novels, Graham was unable to meet the expectations set by her previous works, and so she focused on other work. Ultimately, she found some success as a writer of television scripts. Graham died in 1965 from an undiagnosed brain tumor.