(one of a series of story collections; Macmillan dj, 1st ed. dj–dj design by Jack Ribik , signed to friends Doyle and Bill Klyn)
(letter to Bill after journalist-friend Doyle died)
(envelope for above letter from Gallant’s Paris home)
Born in Montreal where she was also educated, Mavis (Leslie de Trafford) Gallant (1922-2014), worked with NFB and the Montreal Standard, then moved to Paris in 1950, preferring its freedoms, and never came back to Canada. She was a storywriter and novelist who wrote about exiles and expatriates; her work was published 116 times in The New Yorker magazine, and she was highly regarded much like Munro, Cheever, Richler, and Updike.
In all, the talented Gallant published 14 memorable collections of well-crafted stories, winning many awards in the process. She was ignored for a long time in Canada until the ’80s, and was later appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. The PQ government also awarded her the Prix Athanase-David.