6 interesting things you should know about author of 'Anne of Green Gables'

Google is paying tribute to the author of Anne of Green Gables series Lucy Maud Montgomery, on what would have been her 141st birthday.

Montgomery was born on Nov. 30, 1874, on Prince Edward Island, a tiny province on the east coast of Canada.

Montgomery went on to publish 20 books, 530 short stories, 500 poems and 30 essays, making her one of Canada’s most celebrated writers.

In addition, her books have been translated into more than 20 languages and sold over 50 million copies.

She died on April 24, 1942, at the age of 67 in Toronto, but Anne of Green Gables,translated into about 20 languages, remains a staple of children’s and young-adult fiction.

Google marked Montgomery’s birthday with a Doodle featuring her most beloved character, orphan Anne Shirley

Here are 6 other things you should know about her:

1. She felt like an orphan

When Lucy Maud Montgomery was a baby, her mother died of tuberculosis. Her father, Hugh John Montgomery, left her with her maternal grandparents, the Macneills, on a farm in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

The elderly couple was strict and formal with Montgomery and didn’t understand her sensitive personality. She often felt unwanted, and sought comfort in reading books, writing, and her imagination.

2. She was a flirt

As a young woman, Montgomery had many romances. She turned down two proposals before getting engaged to her second cousin, Edwin Simpson. Soon, however, she realized she didn't love Simpson and couldn’t marry him. Instead of rejecting him, she strung him along. Meanwhile, she fell in love with Herman Leard, a farmer’s son. Though Montgomery felt strongly about Leard, he didn’t have the intelligence she wanted in a mate. It all came to a head when both men visited her at the same time.

She wrote in her journal: “There I was under the same roof with two men, one of whom I loved and could never marry, the other whom I had promised to marry, but could never love!” Needless to say, neither affair lasted.

3. She was a successful writer despite lack of support from her relatives

Montgomery’s family considered writing to be a waste of time, especially for a woman. So she worked in secret, even going so far as to smuggle candles to her room so she could write at night.

As she said in The Alpine Path: “I struggled on alone, in secrecy and silence. I never told my ambitions and efforts and failures to any one. Down, deep down, under all discouragement and rebuff, I knew I would 'arrive' some day.”

4. ‘Anne of Green Gables’ Was Rejected Numerous Times By Publishers

In 1906, four publishers rejected the novel and a distraught Montgomery hid the manuscript in a hatbox and continued to write poetry. Two years later, a Boston publisher, L.C. Page Co., came into possession of a copy of the manuscript and agreed to publish it.

The Anne Shirley books were an immediate hit, from the time of the publication of Anne of Green Gables in 1908.

The popularity of the stories continues to this day.

5. She was Canada's literary sweetheart

Montgomery published 20 novels, over 500 short stories, 30 essays, an autobiography, and a book of poetry. Anne of Green Gables has been translated into 25 languages and has been made into movies, plays, musicals, cartoons, miniseries, and radio shows.

Fame quickly followed for Montgomery. She became Canada’s literary sweetheart, breaking records as the first Canadian woman to be named a member of the British Royal Society of Arts. She was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

6. She put up a happy facade to hide her depression

On the surface, Montgomery seemed like a happy person. Her relatives describe her as comical and jolly. In reality, she was increasingly depressed. Her husband’s mental illness, legal battles with her publisher, problems with her son Chester, increasing dependence on barbiturates, and the looming world war took their toll.

In 1940, Montgomery had a nervous breakdown. By the end of her life, she lost the ability to write—the one thing she could always depend on.

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Recently, her granddaughter Kate Macdonald Butler revealed that Montgomery took her own life. She died of a drug overdose at age 67. She’s buried in the Cavendish cemetery on Prince Edward Island.