''Before Green Gables'' is the title of a prequel to the

Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince Ed ...

series.Penguin Books ltd., Press Release: December 14, 2007. The book was published in 2008 by Puffin, a division of

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince Ed ...

's centennial anniversary, which sees the Anne Shirley series re-released to commemorate the event. The first book in the

series was '' Anne of Green Gables'', which was published in 1908. The author of the prequel is Canadian children's author Budge Wilson. In the official press release, Budge Wilson wrote: "I will, of course, try to be true to the astonishing character that

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with ''Anne of Green Gables''. She ...

created… But I would not – in fact, could not – presume to tell my part of Anne's history in Montgomery's voice. I will do this in my own voice, hoping that she would approve of the project if she were alive today."

Synopsis

This book describes Anne's difficult pre-Green-Gables childhood. That time includes the deaths of her parents, her subsequent life with the Thomas and later the Hammond families, and her time in an orphanage.

Publisher

Three editions are available from different publishers: * Canada: Viking Canada (AHC), * US: Putnam Pub Group, * UK: Penguin Books,

Translation

''Before Green Gables'' was translated into Japanese as a title of ''Kon'nichiwa Anne'' (meaning "Hello, Anne") and sold by

Shinchosha is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in Yaraichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award. Books * Haruki Murakami: '' Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (19 ...

and Polish as ''Droga do Zielonego Wzgórza'' (meaning "Road/Way to Green Gables"), published by

Wydawnictwo Literackie Wydawnictwo Literackie (abbreviated WL, lit. "Literary Press") is a Kraków-based Polish publishing house, which has been referred to as one of Poland's "most respected". Company history Since its foundation in 1953, Wydawnictwo Literackie has ...

. The book was also translated in French with the title ''Anne... : Avant la maison aux pignons verts'' (meaning "Anne : Before Green Gables..."), published by Trécarré.

Criticism

Benjamin Lefebvre, co-chairman of the L.M. Montgomery Research Group wrote an article about this book.

Adaptations

The series was adapted into an

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

, '' Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables'', the latest entry in

Nippon Animation is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City. Nippon Animation is known for producing numerous anime series based on works of ...

's ''

World Masterpiece Theater was a Japanese TV anime staple that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story each year from 19:30 to 20:00 on Sunday on Fuji TV. It originally aired from 1969 to 1997 and from 2007 to 2009. Commonly abbreviated to ...

'' series. It aired in Japan from April 5, 2009 to December 27, 2009.

External links

L.M. Montgomery Online
This scholarly site includes a blog, an extensive bibliography of reference materials, and a complete filmography of all adaptations of Montgomery texts. See, in particular, the page devoted t
''Before Green Gables''

References

{{Anne of Green Gables Anne of Green Gables books Prequel novels Novels set in Nova Scotia 2008 Canadian novels Canadian children's novels 2008 children's books Children's books set in Nova Scotia Children's books set in orphanages