An internationally renowned author, Duncan was raised in the adjacent house and educated locally. She taught school briefly, but then determinedly turned to journalism, gaining notice for her distinctive and witty writing style. In l890 Duncan published her first book, A Social Departure, based on dispatches produced during a trip around the world. Following her marriage, the next year, she took up residence in India where she continued to pursue a literary career. A prolific writer, Duncan published over twenty books, only one of which, The Imperialist (1904), had a Canadian setting. In this penetrating study of life in Elgin (Brantford) in the late l9th century, Duncan integrated shrewd political commentary with minute social observation, thereby gaining for herself a distinctive place in Canadian Literature.

Location

In front of her former home, 66 West Street, Brantford

Themes

• Arts and culture
• People
• Women's history