garay

Personal Information

Full Name

Kathy Garay

Bio

Kathy Garay, an archivist at McMaster University and adjunct member of the Department of History, is currently teaching in the Arts and Science Programme. Recent books include two edited translations of medieval texts, The Life of Saint Douceline, Beguine of Provence. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell and Brewer, 2001 and The Distaff Gospels. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2006 (both with Madeleine Jeay) and
an edition of Marian Engel's selected correspondence: Marian Engel: A Life in Letters. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004 (with Christl Verduyn).

Affiliation

McMaster University

Country

Canada

Personal Statement About Topic

When I was being interviewed for a post doctoral exchange fellowship to research medieval Hungarian history I was asked what work of Canadian fiction I would recommend to Hungarians, keen to learn more about Canada. I have never forgotten the rolled eyes and stunned silence which followed my enthusiastic nomination of Marian Engel's controversial novel, Bear. Long an admirer of Engel's spectacular sentences, I was delighted to be asked to arrange and describe the various accruals of her papers at McMaster and it was this work which brought me into contact with Christl Verduyn, Canada's foremost Engel authority. Our shared enthusiasm resulted in an edited collection of Engel's letters, the establishment of a biennial conference, the Archives in Canada Conference Series, and a lifelong friendship.

Case studies by Kathy Garay

Case study :

Marian Engel: A Life in Writing

Marian Engel (1933-85), never doubted that she would become a writer; informed by her mother at the age of 10 that the profession was “very hard,” she had responded, “I don’t care.” Her dedication to her craft was tested during a career that spanned 32 years, from her first published short story in a teen magazine in 1953 to her untimely death in 1985. In her substantial archives at McMaster University, there are very few letters that do not touch in some way on her writing life: as well as correspondence with her family, Hugh MacLennan (her mentor), and with other writers who became close friends, such as Margaret Laurence, Timothy Findley, Alice Munro, and Austin Clarke, Engel’s feisty exchanges with publishers provide ample testimony of just how hard the profession was, especially in Canada during the 1960s and 70s.