Emily Carr - Focus Shift and Late Life

Focus Shift and Late Life

Carr suffered a heart-attack in 1937, and another in 1939, forcing her to move in with her sister Alice to convalesce. In 1940 Carr suffered a serious stroke, and in 1942 she had another heart attack. With her ability to travel curtailed, Carr's focus shifted from her painting to her writing. The assistance of Carr's friend Ira Dilworth, principal of Victoria High School, enabled Carr to see her own first book, Klee Wyck, published in 1941. Carr was awarded the Governor-General's Award for non-fiction the following year for the work.

Emily Carr suffered her last heart attack and died on March 2, 1945, in the James Bay Inn in her hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, shortly before she was to have been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of British Columbia.

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