Madge Macbeth
Madge Macbeth was a notable twentieth-century novelist, born in 1880 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her early life was marked by hardship, including her father's illness and subsequent death, which prompted her family to relocate several times. During her youth, she found solace in writing, often creating plays and neighborhood newspapers. After attending a Victorian finishing school in Canada, she briefly pursued a career as a mandolinist before marrying Canadian civil engineer Charles Macbeth, with whom she had two sons. Following her husband’s untimely death from tuberculosis in 1907, she dedicated herself to writing to support her family.
Macbeth's literary career began with short stories, with her first major success being “The Changeling.” By 1910, she published her first novel, *The Winning Game*, which established her as a prominent writer. Recognized for her feminist themes, many of her works explored women's evolving roles in society, exemplified by her 1923 novel, *The Patterson Limit*, which featured a female forest ranger. Throughout her life, Macbeth remained active in the literary community, serving as the first female president of the Canadian Author’s Association. She passed away in 1965, leaving a legacy as one of Canada’s pioneering women writers.
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Madge Macbeth
Author
- Born: November 6, 1880
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: September 20, 1965
Biography
Madge Macbeth, a twentieth century novelist, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1880, the daughter of Haymen Hart Lyons and Bessie Maffit Lyons. Her father became ill shortly after her birth, and her family moved to Asheville, North Carolina, remaining there until his death in 1888. After her father’s death, Macbeth’s family moved several times to various locations throughout Maryland. During this turbulent time, Macbeth turned to writing to escape the sadness and financial stress that was abundant in her family’s life. She would often spend her time staging plays for her friends or creating neighborhood newspapers.
After finishing her primary education, Macbeth was sent to Hellmuth College, a Victorian finishing school for young women in Ontario, Canada. After graduating from Hellmuth, Macbeth returned to Maryland, where she embarked on a brief musical stage career as a mandolinist. In 1901, Macbeth left her musical career behind for her marriage to Charles Macbeth, a Canadian civil engineer. Together they had two sons. Charles Macbeth died from tuberculosis in 1907, not long after his second son’s birth.
After her husband’s death, Macbeth chose writing as a way to support the family and remain at home with her two young sons. She sold her first short story, “The Changeling,” to Canadian Magazine. For the next several years, Macbeth continued to earn a meager living by selling short stories to various publications. To generate extra income, she conducted freelance interviews with parliamentary members and sold these interviews to various Canadian newspapers.
In 1910, Macbeth broke into the novel market with the publication of her book The Winning Game. This novel was well received and led to many more publications. Macbeth developed a reputation as a feminist writer. Many of her works investigated women’s changing roles in the early 1900’s. For example, her novel The Patterson Limit (1923) featured a female forest ranger as its main character and defended a woman’s right to work in traditionally male- dominated occupations.
In her later years, Macbeth remained in Canada and continued to write novels and nonfiction book. She served as the first female president of the Canadian Author’s Association and was also the first president elected for three terms. Macbeth, known as one of Canada’s pioneering women writers, died in 1965.