Who is Anne Shirley?

Anne Shirley is a character first introduced to the world in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. When we first meet Anne, she is an eleven-year-old girl with a vivid imagination, talkative disposition, and bewitching personality.

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are surprised by Anne's arrival in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. The Cuthbert siblings had planned to adopt a young boy to help Matthew with the farm at Green Gables, but mistakenly they are sent a girl. Fortunately, Anne wins both Matthew and Marilla over, and the Cuthberts adopt Anne giving her a home at Green Gables.

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Anne of Green Gables book cover featuring artwork by Ben Stahl.

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Created July 15, 1999. Last updated March 8, 2021.
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The Anne of Green Gables Devotional

The Anne of Green Gables Devotional: A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion for Kindred Spirits by Rachel Dodge was published by Barbour Books in 2020. The book includes 40 days of devotions and prayers that explore God’s love and how to cope with life's challenges with examples from L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Rachel Dodge has written several day-by-day devotionals for readers of classic stories, including The Little Women Devotional, The Secret Garden Devotional, and Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen.

Here is the description of the book from the publisher:

The Anne of Green Gables Devotional offers lovely inspiration that explores the theme of God’s love and faithfulness through the pages of the classic L. M. Montgomery novel, cherished by generations of readers. Each reading corresponds with a chapter from the book and invites you to embrace God’s redemptive plans for your life as His very own adopted daughter in Christ.

This beautiful 40-day devotional includes original artwork throughout, and each reading includes examples from the novel, scripture, life application, prayers, and discussion questions perfect for groups, book clubs, or personal reflection. It’s perfect as a personal read or gift for a bosom friend!

ISBN-13: 978-1643526164

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Book cover of The Anne of Green Gables Devotional.

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Created November 20, 2020. Last updated December 28, 2024.
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Manga Classics: Anne of Green Gables

Manga Classics: Anne of Green Gables is an adaptation of L.M. Montgomery's classic novel by Crystal S. Chan with artwork by Kuma Chan. The 308-page book was first published in September 2020 as part of the Manga Classics series. This series adapts classic literary stories, including Romeo and Juliet, Dracula, Jane Eyre, The Jungle Book, and The Count of Monte Cristo.

Re-told in the traditional manga format, the story is read from right to left, and the panels have black and white line art. This adaptation is faithful to the novel's details, and the back matter includes illustrations and notes on Green Gables.

Here is the description of the book from Manga Classics:

Siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert were planning to adopt an orphaned boy to help out around their farm, Green Gables -- instead, they got Anne Shirley. A plucky redheaded girl with a vibrant imagination, Anne turns first Green Gables and then the rest of Prince Edward Island on its ear. Manga Classics® is proud to be the only authorized manga adaption of Anne of Green Gables by the Heirs of L.M. Montgomery. This trade paperback volume presents a faithful recreation of this classic kids novel, from the Lake of Shining Waters to the Dryad's Bubble!

Reviews

"The familiar story is enhanced by the exciting new format and lush illustrations."
— Kirkus Reviews

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Book cover of Anne of Green Gables from the Manga Classics series.

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Created September 9, 2020. Last updated October 6, 2024.
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If I Couldn't Be Anne

If I Couldn't Be Anne is a children's book by Kallie George with creative illustrations by Geneviève Godbout that was inspired by L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. It is a story about the wonders of the imagination and introduces young readers to Anne Shirley. The 40-page long picture book is written for children aged 3 to 7 and was published by Tundra Books, a division of Penguin Random House Canada in May 2020.

Here is the description of the book from Penguin Random House Canada:

A beautiful read-aloud picture book about the power of the imagination, inspired by the best-selling Anne of Green Gables.

In this whimsical and magical picture book, Anne’s boundless imagination takes flight! She imagines being all the things she loves so dearly. If I Couldn’t Be Anne, Anne with an e, what would I be . . . Anne wonders what it would be like to be the wind dancing round the treetops. A tightrope walker, breathless and brave. A princess in a palace made of apple blossoms. A magical frost fairy or a plain little wood elf. . . . But even as Anne’s imagination soars far and wide, she comes back down to earth, recognizing that some things – like friendship! – are even better than the imagination.

With adorable illustrations, and a heartfelt message, this picture book is a perfect read-aloud introduction to L.M. Montgomery’s beloved Anne and will delight her brand-new fans and lifelong readers alike.

ISBN-13: 9781770499287

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Book cover of If I Couldn't Be Anne.

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Created June 20, 2020. Last updated October 29, 2024.
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Pandemic Ends 55-Year Run of Anne of Green Gables — The Musical

The 2020 Charlottetown Festival has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the 55-year run of Anne of Green Gables — The Musical. The musical has been featured as part of the Charlottetown Festival at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in PEI every year since it premiered in 1965. Its long run was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest running annual musical theatre production.

The Confederation Centre of the Arts CEO Steve Bellamy explained the cancellation stating, "Unfortunately, with the necessary restrictions on large gatherings and the need for social distancing remaining in place for some time, our ability is limited, not only to host audiences, but to prepare with rehearsals and construction in the months ahead of our performances."


Image credit:
Photograph of Anne of Green Gables — The Musical from the 2017 Charlottetown Festival by Louise Vessey.

Reference:
Yarr, Kevin. (April 24, 2021). Charlottetown Festival cancelled for 2020: Record-breaking run of Anne musical ends. CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-charlottetown-festival-cancelled-1.5543692.

Created April 28, 2020.
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Anne with an E (2017-2019)

Anne with an E (2017–2019) is a compelling Canadian television series that adapted L.M. Montgomery's classic story Anne of Green Gables for the screen. Starring Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley, the series was created by Moira Walley-Beckett, known for her Emmy-winning work on Breaking Bad. Walley-Beckett's adaptation brought a fresh and bold perspective to the classic tale. Anne with an E premiered in March 2017 on CBC in Canada, where it was initially titled Anne, before expanding its reach globally through Netflix.

The series is a coming-of-age story about a spirited young orphan named Anne Shirley, who dreams of finding love, acceptance, and her place in the world. Over the course of its three seasons and 27 episodes, Anne with an E captivated audiences with its exploration of socially relevant issues, such as racism, classism, and gender inequity—giving the period drama a modern twist. The production aimed for a documentary-like feel and sense of realism, adding depth to the storytelling.

The cast featured Geraldine James as the stern but loving Marilla Cuthbert, R.H. Thomson as the gentle Matthew Cuthbert, Dalila Bela as Anne's true friend Diana Barry, Lucas Jade Zumann as Gilbert Blythe, and Miranda McKeon as Josie Pye. The show's executive producers were Moira Walley-Beckett and Miranda de Pencier. Notably, de Pencier played Josie Pye in Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables back in 1985. The series was mainly filmed in Southern Ontario with some filming on Prince Edward Island.

Anne with an E garnered critical acclaim, winning the Canadian Screen Award for Best Dramatic Series in 2017 and 2018. Amybeth McNulty's portrayal of Anne Shirley earned her the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2019 and an ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance–Female that same year. Despite this acclaim and the show's passionate fanbase, the series was cancelled in 2019, sparking an outcry from its devoted fans who launched campaigns in hopes of saving the show.


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Image of Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley from Anne with an E. © CBC and Netflix.

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Created January 15, 2020. Last updated October 24, 2024.
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Anne of Green Gables Coloring Book

The Anne of Green Gables Coloring Book is a hardcover, premium edition volume featuring drawings from the anime Anne of Green Gables (Akage no An, 1979), which was produced as part of Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater series.



The book is 96 pages long and was published in Korea. Full color drawings from the anime series are placed alongside black and white drawings that you can color yourself.

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Cover of Anne of Green Gables Coloring Book.

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Created December 15, 2019.
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Anne of Green Gables: The Original Manuscript

Anne of Green Gables: The Original Manuscript by L.M. Montgomery and edited by Carolyn Strom Collins was released by Nimbus Publishing in July 2019. L.M. Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gables by hand over the course of eight months. From her handwritten text, Montgomery then typed the novel out. She sent her typed copy to publishers, and held onto her handwritten manuscript for her entire life. The handwritten manuscript is currently housed in the archives at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown. Prince Edward Island.

Carolyn Strom Collins worked with the archivists at the Confederation Centre of the Arts to examine, photograph, and transcribe L.M. Montgomery's original 844-page text. Her book Anne of Green Gables: The Original Manuscript includes her full transcription of L.M. Montgomery's handwritten text along with Montgomery's edits and notes. The book provides insight into Montgomery's writing and creative process. As one example, L.M. Montgomery initially called Diana Barry by the name Laura, and then changed the character's name to Gertrude, before she decided to call her Diana.

In an interview with CBC News, Strom Collins talked about how special the experience was to spend time with Montgomery's text, saying, "It gives you a little chill in a way, a little thrill because you know that was her pride and joy. She touched those pages, she wrote with pen and ink, she dipped the pen in ink every few lines." Anne of Green Gables: The Original Manuscript includes a wonderful introduction by Carolyn Strom Collins that provides a wealth of information about the original manuscript, the first published edition of Anne of Green Gables, and the transcribed text. Carolyn Strom Collins also presents quotes from Montgomery's journals and letters about writing Anne and about her inspiration for the novel.


Here is the description of the book from Nimbus Publishing:

This fascinating book presents the original text of Montgomery’s most famous manuscript, including where the author scribbled notes, made additions and deletions, and other editorial details. L. M. Montgomery scholar Carolyn Strom Collins offers a rare look into Montgomery’s creative process, providing a never-before-published version of the worldwide phenomenon.

This book differs from previous versions of Anne in that it provides a transcription of the text and notes from Montgomery’s original manuscript, and shows how they were integrated to form the full novel. The culmination of years of research, Anne of Green Gables: the Original Manuscript is a necessary addition to any Montgomery lover’s collection. This volume features scans of the first page of each chapter from the original archived document (showing editorial notes in Montgomery’s handwriting) and an appendix of rare foreign-language covers.

Review

“"Here's one for devoted Anne fans and anyone curious about the creative process."
―Halifax Magazine

Image credit:
Book cover of Anne of Green Gables: The Original Manuscript.

Reference:
New book offers fans a look at handwritten manuscript of Anne of Green Gables. (2019, July 30). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-new-book-looks-at-original-manuscript-of-anne-green-gables-1.5230806

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Created August 25, 2019. Last updated September 3, 2024.
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L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1930-1933

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1930–1933 edited by Jen Rubio was published by Rock's Mill Press in 2019. The unabridged editions of L.M. Montgomery's journals paint a fuller, darker picture of her inner thoughts and moods, her passions, and her literary ambitions. In this seventh volume of L.M. Montgomery's complete journals, Montgomery gives a compelling account of painful difficulties, mysterious secrets, and deep disappointments.


Here is the description of the volume from the Rock's Mill Press:

L.M. Montgomery’s journals speak of simple pleasures and deep joy, dogged worries and profound disappointments. The story of her life from 1930 to 1933 is as gripping as the earlier volumes published by Rock’s Mills Press. This volume is different from earlier ones in a surprising way, however: “It has happened. It is too cruel and hideous and unexpected to write about. I have spent two days in hell. I cannot see how I am to go on living. . . . And I have had to keep up a face to the world when something in my soul was bleeding to death” (February 5, 1933). The truth of this “cruel and hideous” event is, for a time, too diffcult to commit to her journals; it casts a shadow of shame on Montgomery’s life for months. When she finally explains, it is page-turning material that gives a fascinating look into the hidden side of life in Ontario almost a century ago. Montgomery also recounts other difficult situations facing her in those years, including attempts to help a slippery young man facing embezzlement charges and a younger woman’s obsessive crush on her. Over 100 of Montgomery’s own photographs are included, many never before published. This edition also includes an introduction, extensive notes, and an index of photography, all original to this edition.

2019
Paperback, 386 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1-77244-175-8

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Book cover of L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1930–1933.

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Created June 1, 2018. Last updated August 23, 2024.
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Anne's Kindred Spirits (An Anne Chapter Book)

Anne's Kindred Spirits by Kallie George is the second book in the Anne Chapter Book series, which was inspired by L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. The children's book series features charming illustrations by Abigail Halpin. In Anne's Kindred Spirits, Kallie George retells the story of Anne Shirley's new friendship with Diana Barry. Geared toward early readers, the 72-page long picture book was published by Tundra Books, a division of Penguin Random House in May 2019.

Here is the description of the book from Penguin Random House:

The sweet and funny second book in a new early-reader series, starring the spirited and outspoken Anne Shirley as she makes friends and settles into life at Green Gables — with a few hijinks along the way, of course!

Anne is nervous and excited to meet Diana, a neighbor girl who she just knows will be a kindred spirit. She’s even more excited when she learns that she’s invited to her very first picnic! Until Marilla’s precious brooch goes missing and it looks like it’s Anne’s fault. That is, Marilla is upset and Anne’s picnic adventure is now in jeopardy. Ultimately, the misunderstanding with the brooch is resolved and Anne is able to go to the picnic. Anne and Diana’s friendship blossoms and Anne’s bond with Matthew and Marilla grows stronger.

Lovingly adapted by Kallie George with beautiful nostalgic illustrations by Abigail Halpin, this series is perfect for fans of Anne, new and old.

ISBN-13: 978-1770499324

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Book cover of Anne's Kindred Spirits.

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Created June 3, 2019. Last updated November 19, 2024.
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A World of Songs: Selected Poems, 1894-1921

A World of Songs: Selected Poems, 1894-1921 by L.M. Montgomery and edited by Benjamin Lefebvre was published by University of Toronto Press in January 2019. A part of "The L.M. Montgomery Library," this book reprints a collection 50 poems by L.M. Montgomery that were published over a period of 25 years.


Here is the description of the volume from University of Toronto Press:

Celebrated as a novelist and made famous by her novel Anne of Green Gables and its sequels, L.M. Montgomery (1874–1942) is far less known for also writing and publishing hundreds of poems over a period of half a century. Although this output included a chapbook and a full-length collection in which she presented herself primarily as a nature poet, most of her poems appeared in periodicals, including women’s magazines, farm papers, faith-based periodicals, daily and weekly newspapers, and magazines for children. As a shrewd businesswoman, she learned to find the balance between literary quality and commercial saleability and continued to publish poetry even though it paid less than short fiction.

A World of Songs: Selected Poems, 1894–1921, the second volume in The L.M. Montgomery Library, gathers a selection of fifty poems originally published across a twenty-five-year period. Benjamin Lefebvre organizes this work within the context of Montgomery’s life and career, claiming her not only as a nature poet but also as the author of a wider range of "songs": of place, of memory, of lamentation, of war, of land and sea, of death, and of love. Many of these poems echo motifs that readers of Montgomery’s novels will recognize, and many more explore surprising perspectives through the use of male speakers. These poems offer today’s readers a new facet of the career of Canada’s most enduringly popular author.

This book collects a sample of fifty poems by L.M. Montgomery originally published in periodicals across a quarter of a century. It discusses this work in the context of early Canadian poetry and North American periodical culture of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

Reviews

"The collection of fifty poems published over a twenty-five-year period, beginning in 1894 with the first, is not only the second volume in The L.M. Montgomery Library but a step in a major reconsideration of her poetry."
—Anne Burke, Prairie Journal

"L.M. Montgomery’s verse has considerably more merit than that of many popular versifiers and yet has been unduly neglected, even by Montgomery scholars. A World of Songs expands the current limited horizon of Montgomery’s verse and possesses biographical/historical interest, including insights into publishing verse in the late Romantic period."
—Kevin McCabe, co-editor of The Poetry of Lucy Maud Montgomery

The book includes the following contents:

Acknowledgments
A Note on the Author
Abbreviations
Preface

OVERTURE
The Gable Window

PRELUDE
The Poet’s Thought

SONGS OF PLACE
In Lovers’ Lane
The Fir Lane
In an Old Garden
The Old Home Calls
The Exile
The Summons

SONGS OF MEMORY
Three Days
Companioned
Do You Remember?
Memory Pictures

INTERLUDE
The Singer

SONGS OF LAMENTATION
Irrevocable
I Would Be Well
Night Watches
If I Had Known
The Book
Longing
The Mother

SONGS OF WAR
The Last Prayer
The Three Songs
We Who Wait
Our Women

INTERLUDE
One of the Shepherds

SONGS OF LAND AND SEA
When the Fishing Boats Go Out
When the Fishing Boats Come In
Rain in the Woods
My Pictures
The Wind in the Poplars
The Sea-Shell
Before Storm
A Shore Picture
The Sea to the Shore

SONGS OF DEATH
Too Late
I Have Buried My Dead
Omega
An Old Man’s Grave
The Treasures

SONGS OF LOVE
If Love Should Come
Assurance
The Gray Silk Gown
On the Bridge
Gratitude
With Tears They Buried You To-day
Forever
To One Hated
The Lover’s Catechism

POSTLUDE
The Poet

CODA
What I Would Ask of Life

Afterword

Notes
Bibliography
Index by Title
Index by Date
Index by First Line

ISBN: 9781487505097


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Book cover of A World of Songs: Selected Poems, 1894-1921.

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Created February 10, 2019. Last updated May 6, 2024.
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A Name for Herself: Selected Writings, 1891–1917

A Name for Herself: Selected Writings, 1891–1917 by L.M. Montgomery and edited by Benjamin Lefebvre was published by University of Toronto Press in November 2018. A part of "The L.M. Montgomery Library," this book reprints a collection of L.M. Montgomery's early writings, which were originally published in periodicals, as well as her memoir The Alpine Path.


Here is the description of the volume from University of Toronto Press:

Years before she published her internationally celebrated first novel, Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery (1874–1942) started contributing short works to periodicals across North America. While these works consisted primarily of poems and short stories, she also experimented with a wider range of forms, particularly during the early years of her career, at which point she tested out several authorial identities before settling on the professional moniker "L.M. Montgomery."

A Name for Herself: Selected Writings, 1891–1917 is the first in a series of volumes collecting Montgomery’s extensive contributions to periodicals. Leading Montgomery scholar Benjamin Lefebvre discusses these so-called miscellaneous pieces in relation to the works of English-speaking women writers who preceded her and the strategies they used to succeed, including the decision to publish under gender-neutral signatures. Among the highlights of the volume are Montgomery’s contributions to student periodicals, a weekly newspaper column entitled "Around the Table," a long-lost story narrated first by a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage and then by the man she wishes she had married instead, and a new edition of her 1917 celebrity memoir, "The Alpine Path." Drawing fascinating links to Montgomery’s life writing, career, and fiction, this volume will offer scholars and readers alike an intriguing new look at the work of Canada’s most enduringly popular author.

This book collects a majority of Montgomery’s early and non-fiction publications across a variety of forms and places them in the context of her career and the narrative strategies of women authors in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Reviews

"In this first volume of ‘The L.M. Montgomery Library,’ Benjamin Lefebvre collects and expertly annotates Montgomery’s non-fiction periodical writing, presenting it as a record of her literary apprenticeship … The thirty-five instalments of her column ‘Around the Table,’ signed ‘Cynthia,’ are enthralling,...and A Name for Herself is worth the cover price for these pieces alone."
—Faye Hammill, Times Literary Supplement

"In this rich volume, Lefebvre’s selections reveal Montgomery as a professional writer who deserves a strong and enduring presence in Canadian letters."
—Rita Bode, Trent University in University of Toronto Quarterly: Letters in Canada 2018

The book includes the following contents:

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
A Note on the Author
Abbreviations
Preface
A Note on the Text

PART 1 EARLY AND STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
The Wreck of the "Marco Polo"
A Western Eden
From Prince Albert to P.E. Island
The Usual Way
Extracts from the Diary of a Second Class Mouse
High School Life in Saskatchewan
Valedictory
"Portia" – A Study
"Which Has the Most Patience under the Ordinary Cares and Trials of Life – Man or Woman?"
Crooked Answers
The Bad Boy of Blanktown School
James Henry, Truant
A Girl’s Place at Dalhousie College
To the Editor

Part 2 MAUD MONTGOMERY, NEWSPAPER WOMAN
A Half-Hour in an Old Cemetery
Around the Table
Half an Hour with Canadian Mothers
Christmas Shopping in Halifax Stores
Many Admiring Glances Bestowed upon Graduates
Netted Doily
Innocent Irreverence

Part 3 THE UPWARD CLIMB TO HEIGHTS SUBLIME
Two Sides of a Life Story
The Alpine Path: The Story of My Career

Afterword

Notes
Bibliography
Index

ISBN: 9781487504038


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Book cover of A Name for Herself: Selected Writings, 1891–1917.

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Created December 6, 2018. Last updated May 6, 2024.
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