de la Roche, Mazo

born Jan. 15, 1879, Newmarket, Ont., Can.

died July 12, 1961, Toronto

Canadian author.

She is best known for a series of novels centred on the Whiteoak family of Jalna, an estate in her native Ontario. These sagas of the family's history, more popular in the U.S. and Europe than in Canada, were the basis of a film, Jalna (1935), and a play, Whiteoaks (1936). She also wrote children's stories, travel books, drama, and an autobiography.

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▪ Canadian author

born Jan. 15, 1879, Newmarket, Ont., Can.

died July 12, 1961, Toronto

      Canadian author whose series of novels about the Whiteoak family of Jalna (the name of their estate) made her one of the most popular “family saga” novelists of the period between 1925 and 1950.

      De la Roche's first success, Jalna (1927), ended with the 100th birthday of Grandmother Adeline Whiteoak, a lusty character later celebrated in a long-run play, Whiteoaks (1936), and a film, Jalna (1935). Though not written in chronological order, the saga continues with 15 other books, covering 100 years of Whiteoak family history. Although the locale of Jalna is Ontario, the story was more popular in the United States and Europe than in Canada. Many Canadian readers, hoping for a faithful account of life in Canada, were disappointed, for the Whiteoaks really dwell in the timeless realm of romance. De la Roche's other works included children's stories, travel books, drama, and an autobiography, Ringing the Changes (1957).

Additional Reading

Joan Givner, Mazo de la Roche: The Hidden Life (1989); Daniel L. Bratton, Thirty-two Short Views of Mazo de la Roche (1996).

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