Hugh Garner (February 22, 1913 – June 30, 1979) was a British-born Canadian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

Biography

Early life

Hugh Garner was born on February 22, 1913, in Batley, Yorkshire, England. He came to Canada in 1919 with his parents, and was raised in

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where he attended Danforth Technical High School.Stuewe, Paul. 1988. ''The Storms Below: The Turbulent Life and Times of Hugh Garner.'' Toronto: James Lorimer. . During the Great Depression, he rode the rails in both Canada and the United States, and then joined the International Brigades in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he served in the

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Career

Following the war, Garner concentrated on his writing. He published his first novel, ''Storm Below'', in 1949. Garner's most famous novel, ''Cabbagetown'', depicted life in the Toronto neighbourhood of Cabbagetown, then Canada's most famous slum, during the Depression. It was published in abridged form in 1950, and in an expanded edition in 1968. ''The Intruders'', a sequel depicting the

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of the neighbourhood, was published in 1976. Later in his career, he concentrated on

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

novels, including ''Death in Don Mills'' (1975) and ''Murder Has Your Number'' (1978). His background (poor, urban,

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

) is rare for a Canadian writer of his time. It is nevertheless, the foundation for his writing. His theme is working-class Ontario; the realistic novel his preferred genre. ''Cabbagetown'' is the best-known example of his style. His focus on the victimization of the worker reflects his

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

roots.Hugh Garner
,

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. In 1963, he won the

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual List of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. Th ...

for his collection of short stories entitled ''Hugh Garner's Best Stories.'' Garner struggled much of his life with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

, and died in 1979 of alcohol-related illness. A housing cooperative in Cabbagetown is named in his memory.

Death

He died on June 30, 1979.

Works

Novels

*''Storm Below'' (1949) *''Waste No Tears'' (1950) (as "Jarvis Warwick") *''Cabbagetown'' (first published in abridged form in 1950; restored version published in 1968) *''Present Reckoning'' (1951) *''The Silence On The Shore'' (1962) *''The Sin Sniper'' (1970) *''A Nice Place to Visit'' (1970) *''Death in Don Mills'' (1975) *''The Intruders'' (1976; something of a sequel to ''Cabbagetown'') *''Murder Has Your Number'' (1978) *''Don't Deal Five Deuces'' (1992; novel completed by Paul Steuwe after Garner's death)

Short fiction

''The Yellow Sweater'' (1952)
''Hugh Garner's Best Stories'' (1963; winner of the 1963

)
''Men and Women'' (1966)
''Violation of the Virgins'' (1971)
''One Mile of Ice''
''The Moose and the Sparrow'' (1966)
''The Father'' (1958)

Prose

''Author, Author!'' (1964; essays)
''One Damned Thing After Another!'' (1973; memoir)

Biographical Works

Steuwe, Paul, 1988.''The Storms Below: The Turbulent Life and Times of Hugh Garner.'' Toronto: James Lorimer.

References

External links

Hugh Garner fonds
a
Queen's University Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garner, Hugh 1913 births 1979 deaths Canadian Anglicans Canadian mystery writers Canadian male novelists Canadian male short story writers British emigrants to Canada People from Batley Writers from Toronto Governor General's Award-winning fiction writers Toronto in fiction International Brigades personnel Canadian people of the Spanish Civil War Alcohol-related deaths in Canada 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian short story writers