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1949-2018 (Creation)
- Creator
- Huggan, Isabel
Physical description area
Physical description
5.8 m of textual records, ca. 350 postcards, 108 photographs : col, 66 photographs : b&w, 36 photographs : reproductions, 35 photographs : b&w negative; 35 mm, 32 drawings : col, 31 drawings : b&w, 12 scrapbooks, 2 computer diskettes ; 9x9 cm, 1 slide
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Biographical history
Isabel Huggan (nee Howey) was born in Kitchener, Ontario on September 21, 1943, to Catherine Innis MacLennan and Cecil Ronald Howey. Huggan was one of two children, including a younger sister, Ruth. Shortly before Isabel was born, her father changed the spelling of the family name from Hooey to Howey. After completing her primary and secondary education in Elmira, Ontario, Huggan studied English and Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. Following graduation, she moved to Toronto where she worked for the Macmillan Publishing Company, leaving after a year to travel Europe. Returning to Canada in 1967, Huggan began teaching English, Creative Writing and Theatre in Ontario High Schools (Oakville, Timmins, Clarkson, and Scarborough).
On December 31, 1970, she married journalist Robert David Huggan. In 1972, they moved to Bellville, Ontario, where she worked as a reporter and photographer for the local newspaper for three years. It was after the birth of her daughter, Abbey, in 1977, that Huggan decided focus on her writing career. By this point, she had already published various poems and short stories in Canadian literary magazines, and her short story "Celia Behind Me" won first prize in a National Film Board contest for women scriptwriters in 1976. Following the success of "Celia Behind Me", Huggan wrote more stories about its main character, Elizabeth Kessler. The Elizabeth Stories, published in 1984 by Oberon Press, chronicled the upbringing of Elizabeth over a ten-year period.
Moving to Ottawa in 1980, Huggan taught for several years at the University of Ottawa and for the Ottawa High School Board until Robert was offered a position in Kenya, which saw them move from Canada in 1987. That position lasted three years and led to postings in France (1990-1993) and the Philippines (1993-1998). The family returned to France in 1998 following the end of Robert's position in the Philippines.
While living abroad, Huggan held positions as editor, writer, and teacher at a variety of organizations; using her skills for writing in a monthly column for the Ottawa Citizen, facilitating writing workshops, and participating in speaking engagements. In 1993, Huggan published her second collection of stories entitled, "You Never Know". However, it was her third collection that caused the most buzz, with "Belonging: Home Away From Home" (2003), a book Huggan describes as a ‘memoir and fiction,’ winning the Charles Taylor Literary Non-Fiction Prize in 2004.
Custodial history
Donated by Isabel Huggan in 2016 and 2018.
Scope and content
This fonds consists of records relating to Huggan’s academic, writing, and professional activities, as well as her personal life between 1949-2018. Included are manuscripts and drafts; research materials; notes and correspondence related to her short stories, poems, and workshop participation; records related to her graduate studies at the University of Western Ontario and teaching career; financial records and royalty statements; records relating to her travels throughout Europe, Canada, and Asia; and personal records and correspondence. These records are arranged chronologically.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Donated by Isabel Huggan in November 2016 and December 2018.
Arrangement
Series 1 Short Stories
Subseries The Elizabeth Stories
Subseries You Never Know
Subseries Belonging: Home Away From Home
Subseries Other Short Story Works
Series 2 Newspaper Articles
Series 3 Correspondence
Subseries Personal
Subseries Professional
Series 4 Teaching Records
Series 5 Work and Travel Related Records
Series 6 Personal Records
Series 7 Publicity, Interviews, and Related Material
Series 8 Financial Records
Series 9 Poetry
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script note
The material is predominantly in English, though some of the newspaper clippings and correspondence is in French and Tagalog. Royalty papers from Huggan's sales in Spain are in Spanish.
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Access to certain records is restricted. Requests for access must be made by submitting a Research Access Request.
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Further accruals are expected
General note
Correspondence from Isabel Huggan can be found in accession A14-010. Bertha Thompson donated records relating to correspondence between herself and Huggan from 1990 until 2013. A third accrual, A19-003 was received January 2019.
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Created January 26, 2021