Jean Margaret Laurence was born on July 18, 1926, in Neepawa, Manitoba, Canada. She became one of the major figures in Canadian literature, working as both a novelist and short story writer. In addition to her literary career, Laurence was a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging Canada's writing community. She died on January 5, 1987, in Selwyn, Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada.