events

Mazo de la Roche Plaque

This month a plaque was erected in honour of Canadian author Mazo de la Roche, commemorating her “national historic significance.” The monument was unveiled at a ceremony on April 12, 2008, at Benares Historic House, which is speculated to be the inspiration for the house described in her Jalna series. The Benares Historic House is located at 1507 Clarkson Road North in Mississauga. This is the first national historical plaque erected in Mississauga, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.

Mississauga Museums manager, Annemarie Hagan, said de la Roche deserves the plaque “because of her accomplishments as a writer, as a woman and for the path that she carved for herself. She captured people’s imaginations with her Jalna books. There has not been a lot of recognition of this groundbreaking author whose books were best-sellers all over the world.”

A provincial plaque already honours de la Roche near her birthplace, in Newmarket.

Books currently available in the Jalna series:

  
   

Back in print for the first time in English:

The Building of Jalna and Mary Wakefield

Available February 2009

© 2008 Defining Canada.