Margaret Gibson (June 4, 1948 – February 25, 2006) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer who lived in Toronto, Ontario.
Early life
Born and raised in the Toronto suburb of
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
, the middle child of Audrey and Dane Gibson, Margaret Gibson began writing in the early 1970s to document her struggle with mental illness.
["Demons drove gifted writer's career; Toronto author Margaret Gibson, 57 Burst on scene with The Butterfly Ward". '']Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', April 10, 2006. Initially diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. ...
, she learned only during her divorce from her first husband that she had been misdiagnosed and was in fact
bipolar.
["Author's `tortured life' turned into two-hour TV special". '']Ottawa Citizen
The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
History
Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...
'', February 24, 1994.
Gibson was married in the early 1970s to Stuart Gilboord, with whom she had one son, Aaron. Following her divorce from Gilboord, Gibson moved in with her longtime friend, actor and
drag performer
Craig Russell.
Gibson and Gilboord's custody battle for Aaron was portrayed in the 1994 television film ''
For the Love of Aaron
''For the Love of Aaron'' is a Canadian television film, directed by John Kent Harrison and released in 1994."A daring, honest look at mental illness". ''Toronto Star'', February 25, 1994. Based on the true story of Margaret Gibson, a noted Canad ...
'', in which Gibson was portrayed by actress
Meredith Baxter
Meredith Ann Baxter (born June 21, 1947) is an American actress and Film producer, producer. She is known for her roles on the CBS sitcom ''Bridget Loves Bernie'' (1972–73), American Broadcasting Company, ABC drama series ''Family (1976 TV ser ...
.
[
]
Writing career
Gibson published ''The Butterfly Ward'', her debut short story collection, in 1976. The book included the story "Making It", based on her experiences living with Russell, which was later made into the feature film ''Outrageous!
''Outrageous!'' is a 1977 Canadian comedy drama film written and directed by Richard Benner. The film stars Craig Russell as female impersonator Robin Turner, and Hollis McLaren as Turner's schizophrenic roommate Liza Conners. The plot begins i ...
'' by director Richard Benner. Hollis McLaren
Hollis McLaren (born February 5, 1956) is a Canadian film and television actress.
Early life and education
McLaren was born in Toronto in 1956. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Windsor and studied drama at RADA in Lon ...
played Liza Conners, the fictionalized version of Gibson, in that film. Benner also wrote and directed the sequel ''Too Outrageous!
''Too Outrageous!'' is a 1987 Canadian comedy film directed and written by Richard Benner and starring Craig Russell as Robin Turner, a drag queen. It is based on a story by Margaret Gibson.
Synopsis
A sequel to the 1977 film ''Outrageous!'', ' ...
'' 10 years later.
"Ada", another story in the collection, was the basis of a CBC Television movie directed by Claude Jutra
Claude Jutra (; March 11, 1930 – November 5, 1986) was a Canadian actor, film director, and screenwriter. for the drama anthology series '' For the Record''. It was Jutra's first English-language film production.
''The Butterfly Ward'' was a winner of the City of Toronto Book Award in 1977, shared with Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
's novel ''Lady Oracle
''Lady Oracle'' is a novel by Margaret Atwood that parodies Gothic romances and fairy tales. It was first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1976.
Plot summary
The novel's protagonist, Joan Foster, is a romance novelist who has spent her ...
''.
Gibson's other short story collections include ''Considering Her Condition'' (1978), ''Sweet Poison'' (1993) and ''The Fear Room and Other Stories'' (1996).Jane Urquhart
Jane Urquhart, LL.D (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian novelist and poet. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry and numerous short stories. As a novelist, Urquhart is well known for her e ...
, "Brilliant fictions for the stout-hearted: Margaret Gibson's joyous and celebratory love of children and animals shines through the darker, more excruciating regions of her luminous first novel". ''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', April 26, 1997.
She published releasing her first and only novel ''Opium Dreams'' in 1997.[ ''Opium Dreams'' was a winner of the ]Books in Canada First Novel Award
The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a Canadian literary award, co-presented by Amazon.ca and ''The Walrus'' to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of ...
, and Gibson published her final short story collection ''Desert Thirst'' in 1998.
Later years
In later years, Gibson lived with Juris Rasa, her second husband.[ She died in 2006 of breast cancer at age 57."MARGARET GIBSON, WRITER: 1948–2006"]
''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', March 15, 2006.
Works about Margaret Gibson
Her friend Stephen Jon Postal and his wife Guia Dino Postal chronicled Gibson's teenage life in the novel ''Of Margaret and Madness: A Novel Inspired by True Events'' ().
In 2011, Vassar College's Powerhouse Theater produced David Solomon's play ''Margaret and Craig'' in workshop. The play was based on the writing of Craig Russell and Margaret Gibson.
Bibliography
*''The Butterfly Ward'', 1976
*''Considering Her Condition'', 1978
*''Sweet Poison'',1993
*''The Fear Room and Other Stories'', 1996
*''Opium Dreams'', 1997
*''Desert Thirst'', 1998
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Margaret
1948 births
2006 deaths
Canadian women novelists
Canadian women short story writers
Writers from Scarborough, Toronto
Deaths from cancer in Ontario
Deaths from breast cancer
People with bipolar disorder
20th-century Canadian novelists
20th-century Canadian women writers
20th-century Canadian short story writers
Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners