By Jay Scott Kanes

KENSINGTON, PEI, Canada – Folks on Prince Edward Island devoted 2008 to celebrating (even more than usual) the fascinating life of their most famous fellow Islander. Never mind that she isn’t real and never was. The famous one had reached a milestone, her 100th birthday.

Except for sports star Wayne Gretzky, it’s tough to name a Canadian more widely adored than Anne Shirley, the high-spirited, red-headed heroine in Anne of Green Gables, a classic novel first published in 1908. With tens of millions of copies sold, this book by Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), towers among the world’s best read and most loved.

“Our whole province is very proud of Anne and Lucy Maud. No doubt about that,” said George Campbell, one of the author’s descendants. His grandfather and Montgomery were first-cousins.

“Supposedly, Lucy Maud’s the world’s fourth most-read author ever.” That places her behind J.K. Rowling (the Harry Potter books), J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) and J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye). “She’s more popular than Mark Twain and everyone else.”

Also from PEI, Montgomery, a schoolteacher, lived in Leaksdale, Ontario, for much of her writing career. “Certainly, she was brilliant,” Campbell said. “My father and my aunts remembered her well. They thought the world of her.”

Technically, Anne came “from away”. The classic tale opens with her arrival by train from a Nova Scotia orphanage to join Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, an aging brother and sister, on a PEI farm.

Often reprinted, Anne of Green Gables remains popular overseas, especially in Japan. “Anne’s part of the culture there too,” Campbell said. “Dozens of companies have printed Anne of Green Gables books in Japan alone. Maybe red hair fascinates the Japanese. Maybe their culture’s in tune with this orphan story.”

“Green gables” refers to a feature of the Cuthbert farmhouse. But it’s Anne’s struggle to adjust and find her place in the world that enthralls generations of readers. Evidently, her magic never dims.

“People are surprised because no ordinary book lasts nearly so long,” Campbell said. “Interest in the story keeps renewing.”

Montgomery wrote many memorable passages. As Anne tells Matthew: “Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive. It’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?”

Despite Anne’s shortcomings, she’s captivating. “By noon, Marilla had concluded that Anne was smart and obedient, willing to work and quick to learn; her most serious shortcoming seemed to be a tendency to fall into daydreams in the middle of a task and forget all about it until such time as she was sharply recalled to earth by a reprimand or a catastrophe.”

People claim to love Montgomery’s description of the rural setting. “Women have strong roles, and Anne succeeds by taking care of things in her own way on her own terms,” Campbell said. “Readers relate to that.”

Altogether, Montgomery wrote 21 books, eight about Anne. Others, like Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island and Emily of New Moon, are popular too.

Before the 100-Years-of-Anne celebrations, Montgomery’s descendents agreed for Nova Scotia author Budge Wilson to write Before Green Gables, a prequel novel that takes Anne from birth until her train ride to PEI.

“The world always wants more of Anne,” Campbell said. “Everyone seems to realize there’s no such thing as too much.”

Anne’s a pillar of PEI tourism. Dozens of girls have played her in musicals, at theme parks and in other shows. Popular attractions, sometimes even car license plates, celebrate Montgomery and the fictional child. “The Anne stories are a big industry on PEI and around the world,” said Campbell, who operates a museum on a family homestead where Montgomery lived at various times.

Each summer, an Anne of Green Gables musical resumes in Charlottetown, the provincial capital. Presented since 1965, this is Canada’s longest-running musical. Millions of spectators have attended.

So the centenary celebrations look justified. After all, Montgomery’s easily the most famous real-life Prince Edward Islander. And her red-headed heroine looms large in English literature.


Lucy Maud Montgomery's birthplace
appeals to summer visitors.


A stage version thrives as Canada's
longest running musical.


Even car license plates sometimes
celebrate the fictional child Anne.

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