Wilson, Ethel (1888?-1980), was a Canadian author. Most of her novels and short stories are gentle, sympathetic treatments of people from humble backgrounds. Most of her novels are set in or around Vancouver, British Columbia. She described the city, its people, and the surrounding wilderness landscape with wit and understanding. Her first novel was Hetty Dorval (1947). Her other novels include The Innocent Traveller (1949), The Equations of Love (1952), and Love and Salt Water (1956). Wilson’s best-known novel, Swamp Angel (1954), tells the story of a middle-aged woman escaping a monotonous marriage to seek renewed contact with nature.
Wilson was born on January 20 in 1888 or 1890, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and was raised in England and Vancouver. In 1937, she began to write short stories, which were collected in Mrs. Golightly and Other Stories (1961) and in Ethel Wilson: Stories, Essays and Letters (1987). She died on Dec. 22, 1980.
