In an interview with The Associated Press, Sam Lazarevic said Monroe was furious and defended her second husband, and that she was “completely surprised” by the reaction. He recalled asking her, “She’s your daughter. Aren’t you defending your daughter?”
In an article published last Sunday in the Canadian newspaper “Toronto Star”, Alice Munro’s daughter condemned the fact that she was sexually abused as a child by her stepfather and that her mother remained with him even after learning of the crimes her husband had committed.
The long-awaited secret was revealed two months after the author’s death by Andrea Robin Skinner, Alice Munro’s daughter.
According to Andrea Robin Skinner, her stepfather, geographer Gerald Fremlin, began sexually abusing her in 1976, when she was 9 years old and he was 52.
At age 80, Fremlin pleaded guilty to indecent exposure and received a suspended sentence.
The Toronto Star’s news surprised and saddened the literary world. As a result, Western University announced Friday that it was suspending its Alice Munro Professorship. “At this time, we are suspending (…) while we carefully consider Munro’s legacy and connections to the West,” a brief statement on the university’s website read.
Alice Munro was a source of pride in her native Canada, where the author’s legacy is being analyzed. “This clearly tarnishes his legacy,” Detective Lazarewicz said.
