Hugh Garner
Hugh Garner was an English-Canadian writer born on February 22, 1913, in Batley, Yorkshire, and later moved to Toronto. His early life was marked by hardship, as he rode the rails during the Great Depression before joining the Abraham Lincoln Brigade to support the Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War. Garner served in the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Navy during World War II, experiences that profoundly influenced his writing. His first novel, "Storm Below" (1949), draws from his naval service, while his most renowned work, "Cabbagetown" (1950), explores the lives of families in a struggling Toronto neighborhood during the Depression. Over his lifetime, he authored hundreds of articles and stories, as well as more than a dozen books, including his autobiography and notable novels like "The Intruders" (1976). Garner's literary contributions earned him recognition, including the Governor General's Award for Fiction, and he was known for his focus on social realism, advocating for the working-class and the marginalized in urban society. He passed away on June 30, 1979, leaving behind a legacy that reflects the challenges and resilience of the lower-middle class.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Hugh Garner
Fiction and Nonfiction Writer
- Born: February 22, 1913
- Birthplace: Batley, Yorkshire, England
- Died: June 30, 1979
- Place of death: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Biography
Hugh Garner was born in Batley, Yorkshire, England, on February 22, 1913, and came to Toronto with his parents when he was six years old. Garner rode the rails in Canada and the United States during the Depression before he joined the international Abraham Lincoln Brigade in 1937 to fight on the Loyalist side in the Spanish Civil War. He served in the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Navy from 1940 to 1945, and then turned to writing.
Garner based his first novel, Storm Below (1949), on his naval experiences during World War II. His next novel, and probably his most famous, was Cabbagetown (1950), which is set in that Toronto neighborhood and deals with several families dealing with the effects of the Depression. Before he died on June 30, 1979, Garner wrote hundreds of articles and short stories and produced more than a dozen books of fiction, nonfiction, and drama. These works include his novel The Intruders (1976), which returns to the Cabbagetown neighborhood of Toronto and deals with the urban life of the lower-middle-classes; his autobiography, One Damn Thing After Another (1973); and radio and television scripts. His short story “The Conversion of Willie Heaps” was included in Best American Short Stories for 1952, Hugh Garner’s Best Stories(1963) received the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. Garner was a social realist who championed the causes of the working-class poor and the urban down-and-out.