Mazo de la Roche

Mazo de la Roche (1879-01-15 – 1961-07-12), born Mazo Louise Roche in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, was the author of the Jalna series of novels, one of the most popular series of books of her time.

Biography

Early life

Mazo de la Roche was the only child of William Roche, a salesman, and Alberta (Lundy) Roche. She was a lonely child and the family moved frequently during her childhood due to the ill health of her mother and her father's many jobs. She became an avid reader and developed her own fictional world that she called "The Play" in which she created imaginary scenes and characters.

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At the age of seven, her parents adopted de la Roche's orphaned younger cousin Caroline Clement, who joined in her fantasy world game and would become her lifelong companion. She wrote her first short story at the age of nine.

Related Topics:
Adopt - Orphan - Cousin - Short story

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One of the family's moves meant some years on a farm owned by a wealthy man who farmed as a hobby. There de la Roche began to develop her fantasy world of rural aristocracy that would become Jalna.

Related Topics:
Rural - Aristocracy

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Early writing

De la Roche had her first story published in 1902 in Munsey's Magazine but did not begin her writing career in earnest until after the death of her father. Her first two novels, Possession in 1923 and Delight in 1926, were romantic novels and earned her little in income or recognition.

Related Topics:
1902 - Munsey's Magazine - 1923 - 1926 - Romantic novel

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Her third novel, Jalna, was submitted to the American magazine Atlantic Monthly, which was offering a $10 000 award for the best novel. Its victory and subsequent publication in 1927 brought de la Roche fame and fortune at the age of 48.

Related Topics:
Atlantic Monthly - 1927

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Jalna series

Her books became best-sellers and she wrote 16 novels in the series known as the Jalna series or the Whiteoak chronicles. The series tells the story of one hundred years of the Whiteoak family covering from 1854 to 1954. The novels were not written in sequential order, however, and each can be read as an independent story.

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It is interesting to note the similarities and differences in the experiences of the Whiteoaks family and de la Roche's. While the lives and successes of the Whiteoaks rise and fall, there remained for them the steadiness of the family manor, known as Jalna. De la Roche's family endured the illness of her mother, the perpetual job searches of her father, and the adoption of her orphaned cousin while being moved 17 times. Her family did work a farm for a few years for a wealthy man who owned the farm for a hobby. Several critics believe that Finch from Finch's Fortune is a reflection of de la Roche herself. The names of many of the characters were taken from gravestones in a Newmarket, Ontario cemetary.

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The Jalna series has sold more than eleven million copies in 193 English and 92 foreign editions. In 1935, the film Jalna, based on the novel, was released by RKO Radio Pictures and, in 1972, a CBC television series was produced based on the series.

Related Topics:
1935 - RKO Radio Pictures - 1972 - CBC

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Death and legacy

Mazo de la Roche is buried near the grave of Stephen Leacock at St. George's Anglican Church, at Sibbald Point, near Sutton, Ontario.

Related Topics:
Stephen Leacock - St. George's Anglican Church - Sibbald Point - Sutton, Ontario

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The Benares Historic House of Clarkson, Ontario (now, a suburb of Mississauga) is believed to be the inspiration for Jalna and is now maintained by the Ontario Museum Association. A nearby park is named Whiteoaks in honour of the series.

Related Topics:
Clarkson, Ontario - Mississauga - Ontario Museum Association

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