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 wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

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 The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, 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 () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

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 A slum is a highly populated Urban area, urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are p ...

, during the Depression. It was published in abridged form in 1950, and in an expanded edition in 1968. ''The Intruders'', a sequel depicting the

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

of the neighbourhood, was published in 1976. Later in his career, he concentrated on 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 emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

) 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 an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

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 awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

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

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

, and died in 1979 of alcohol-related illness. A

housing cooperative A housing cooperative, or housing co-op, is a legal entity which owns real estate consisting of one or more residential buildings. The entity is usually a cooperative or a corporation and constitutes a form of housing tenure. Typically hou ...

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 Novelists from Toronto Governor General's Award–winning fiction writers Toronto in fiction International Brigades personnel Canadian anti-fascists Canadian people of the Spanish Civil War Alcohol-related deaths in Canada 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian short story writers