Before Green Gables
Encyclopedia
Before Green Gables is the title of a prequel to the Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead...

 series. The book was published in 2008 by Puffin, a division of Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...

, as part of Puffin's celebration of Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead...

's centennial anniversary, which will also see the Anne Shirley series re-released to commemorate the event. The first book in the Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead...

 series was Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...

, which was published in 1908.

The author of the prequel is Canadian children's author Budge Wilson
Budge Wilson
Budge Wilson is a highly acclaimed Canadian author who was born and raised in Nova Scotia. She graduated from Dalhousie University with a B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology...

. In the official press release, Budge Wilson wrote: "I will, of course, try to be true to the astonishing character that Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE , called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success...

 created… But I would not – in fact, could not – presume to tell my part of Anne’s history in Montgomery’s voice. I will do this in my own voice, hoping that she would approve of the project if she were alive today."

Synopsis

This book describes Anne's difficult pre-Green-Gables childhood, including the deaths of her parents.

Publisher

Three editions are available from different publishers:
  • Canada: Viking Canada (AHC), ISBN 9780670067213
  • US: Putnam Pub Group, ISBN 9780399154683
  • UK: Penguin Books, ISBN 9780141384122

Translation

Before Green Gables was translated into Japanese as a title of Kon'nichiwa Anne (meaning "Hello, Anne") and sold by Shinchosha
Shinchosha
is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in Yaraichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award.-Monthly:* ENGINE* Foresight* nicola*Shinchō-External links:*...

 and Polish as Droga do Zielonego Wzgórza (meaning "Road/Way to Green Gables"), published by Wydawnictwo Literackie
Wydawnictwo Literackie
Wydawnictwo Literackie is a Kraków-based Polish publishing house. Since its foundation in 1953, Wydawnictwo Literackie has been focused on publishing modern prose and poetry by both renown and emerging authors, both Polish and foreign...

. The book was also translated in French as a title of Anne... : Avant la maison aux pignons verts (meaning "Anne : Before Green Gables..."), published by Trécarré.

Criticism

Benjamin Lefebvre, co-chairman of the L.M. Montgomery Research Group wrote an article about this book.

Adaptations

The series is being adapted into an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

, Kon'nichiwa Anne 〜 Before Green Gables, the latest series in Nippon Animation
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....

's World Masterpiece Theater
World Masterpiece Theater
is a Japanese TV anime staple that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story each year on 7:30p.m. on Sunday. It originally aired from 1969 to 1997 then resumed in 2007....

staple. It will air in Japan from April 5, 2009.
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