Alice Munro91裸聊视频檚 alma mater says it91裸聊视频檚 considering how to move forward after the Nobel laureate91裸聊视频檚 daughter revealed she was sexually abused by her stepfather and Munro chose to stay with him.
Western University has long touted its ties to the short story writer and since 2018 has employed an Alice Munro Chair in Creativity to 91裸聊视频渓ead the creative culture91裸聊视频� of the arts and humanities faculty.
Acting dean Ileana Paul says in a statement the faculty is now considering how the revelations from Andrea Robin Skinner, Munro91裸聊视频檚 youngest daughter, will affect the way the London, Ont., school celebrates the author91裸聊视频檚 legacy.
In a first-person piece published Sunday in the Toronto Star, Skinner wrote that she was sexually abused by Munro91裸聊视频檚 second husband Gerald Fremlin, starting when she was nine years old.
When Munro learned of the abuse years later, Skinner wrote, she focused more on herself than her daughter and ultimately chose to stay with Fremlin.
Fremlin was convicted of indecent assault in 2005, at age 80, and even still, Munro stayed.
Skinner wrote in the piece that she wanted her experience to be a part of the story people told about Munro when they reflect on her legacy, rather than the hero worship that had become common.
The revelation has left many fans, writers and academics grappling with their feelings about Munro, with some saying it would fundamentally shift how 91裸聊视频� and whether 91裸聊视频� they read her work.
Munro died in May at age 92.
For the mayor of the municipality where Munro spent much of her adult life, the monument honouring her outside the local library should be left unchanged 91裸聊视频� an affirmation that for Clinton, Ont., the Nobel laureate will always be considered a cherished member of the community.
But Jim Ginn, the mayor of Central Huron, conceded that he would consider amending the installation if public outcry mounted following recent stunning revelations that Munro chose to remain married to her second husband after learning he had sexually abused her daughter.
91裸聊视频淚t was shocking,91裸聊视频� said Ginn.
Munro and Fremlin lived together in Clinton until Fremlin91裸聊视频檚 death in 2013, the same year Munro won the Nobel Prize in literature, the only Canadian writer to ever earn the award.
91裸聊视频淚 think her legacy is always going to be her unique ability to write stories,91裸聊视频� Ginn said, adding that 91裸聊视频渋n the end that is how we will remember her.91裸聊视频�
The two-piece monument outside the library in Clinton includes a metal bench acknowledging Munro91裸聊视频檚 Nobel win and a coffee table with four of her book titles stacked on top.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Ginn said he couldn91裸聊视频檛 foresee making changes to the structure in light of the recent revelations, because Munro will always remain 91裸聊视频渁 Nobel Prize winner.91裸聊视频�
But if faced with growing calls for a change after what has now been made public, 91裸聊视频渢hen we would consider it,91裸聊视频� he said.
The mayor also praised Skinner for speaking out but hoped the revelations would not tarnish Munro91裸聊视频檚 literary achievements.
91裸聊视频淚 hope she is able to heal from those wounds of the past,91裸聊视频� he said of Skinner. 91裸聊视频淎nd I hope Alice maintains her legacy and her high esteem in the literary world.91裸聊视频�
Munro spent her final years away from Clinton. Ginn said there were times, before her departure, that passing her on the street could stir excitement.
91裸聊视频淒isbelief, you know, that someone from a small town of 3,000 people could be a Nobel Prize winner, and walk the street and say hi to you,91裸聊视频� he said.
Days after Skinner91裸聊视频檚 story became public, few people in Clinton were prepared to discuss Munro. Some said they had read the revelations made public by Skinner, but declined to comment on them.
That included Jim Wallace, the blacksmith who made the monument honouring Munro in Clinton.
He described himself as a friend of the family and was not comfortable speaking about the abuse detailed by Skinner, out of respect for Munro.
91裸聊视频淚 remember Alice as being a very creative person, a very loving person, so I can91裸聊视频檛 talk about those allegations,91裸聊视频� he said in an interview, while noting that his monument to her 91裸聊视频渟hould last for quite a while,91裸聊视频� as it consists of galvanized, coated steel.
Karen Philips, a longtime Clinton resident, said she would often see Munro walking on the street but that she rarely interacted with others.
91裸聊视频淪he was a very nice lady, very well dressed, very confident in herself, and you see her going in the stores, and not acting like she is somebody special, just a normal person,91裸聊视频� she said.
For Philips, Munro91裸聊视频檚 legacy remains intact.
91裸聊视频淚t must have been awful for (Skinner) but that is all I can say,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 think anything less of (Munro).91裸聊视频�
Munro was born 35 km away from Clinton in Wingham, Ont., where a memorial garden honouring her opened in 2002. The tiled garden includes the sculpture of a girl, her nose buried in a book.
Passing by on Tuesday, Brenda Johnston-Hanna recalled reading Munro91裸聊视频檚 stories while attending high school in Wingham.
She said the abuse revelations 91裸聊视频渨ill have an effect with Alice91裸聊视频檚 reputation,91裸聊视频� but she did not support any changes to the town91裸聊视频檚 monument.
91裸聊视频淭hey put up the memorial mostly because of her writing,91裸聊视频� she said.
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