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Edna Ferber

エドナ・ファーバー

Edna Ferber

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1885-08-15 （Kalamazoo, Michigan）
Died
1968-04-16 （New York City） age 82
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Kalamazoo, Michigan → Chicago, Illinois → Ottumwa, Iowa → Appleton, Wisconsin → New York City

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Playwright, Journalist
Active Years
1911-1968
Affiliations
Algonquin Round Table
Memberships
Algonquin Round Table

Education

Lawrence University
Period: 短期間在籍
Country: United States
Briefly attended after high school, but family could not afford college

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1925
Work: So Big
Organization: Columbia University
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

So Big

1924 Drama

A novel about a strong female protagonist who chooses a life of hard work over wealth. Pulitzer Prize winner.

Strong womenDiscriminationAmerican Dream
Adaptations
  • [Film] So Big (1924)
  • [Film] So Big (1932)
  • [Film] So Big (1953)

Show Boat

1926 Drama

A multi-generational story set on a Mississippi River show boat, addressing racial issues.

Racial discriminationFamilyAmerican culture
Adaptations
  • [Musical] Show Boat (1927)
  • [Film] Show Boat (1936)

Cimarron

1930 Drama

Depicts the settlement of Oklahoma land rush.

Frontier lifeRaceWomen
Adaptations
  • [Film] Cimarron (1931)

Giant

1952 Drama

Saga of a Texas ranching family and oil boom.

FamilyWealthRace
Adaptations
  • [Film] Giant / George Stevens (1956)
  • [Musical] Giant (2009)

Ice Palace

1958 Drama

Story of Alaska statehood and conflict between conservation and exploitation.

NatureDevelopmentAlaska
Adaptations
  • [Film] Ice Palace (1960)

Bibliography

  • Dawn O'Hara, The Girl Who Laughed (1911)
  • Fanny Herself (1917)
  • The Girls (1921)
  • So Big (1924)
  • Show Boat (1926)
  • Cimarron (1930)
  • American Beauty (1931)
  • Come and Get It (1935)
  • Saratoga Trunk (1941)
  • Great Son (1945)
  • Giant (1952)
  • Ice Palace (1958)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Strong female protagonistsRich diverse supporting charactersFocus on American subcultures
Recurring Motifs
Racial and ethnic discriminationJewish identityPioneering and social change

Health

  • Anemia
    1909年
    Temporarily halted journalism career, began writing during recovery
  • Stomach cancer
    晩年
    Died in 1968

Legacy

Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose works often adapted to film. Known for strong female characters and depictions of American diversity. Member of Algonquin Round Table.

Archives

  • Chapin Library, Williams College
  • Lawrence University Archives
  • Wisconsin Historical Society
  • Appleton Public Library

In Popular Culture

  • Portrayed by Lili Taylor in 1994 film Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
  • Featured on 2002 U.S. postage stamp
  • Edna Ferber Elementary School in Appleton
  • Protagonist in Ed Ifkovic's mystery novels

Trivia

  • Never married, no children
  • Member of Algonquin Round Table
  • Childhood antisemitism influenced her work
  • Famous witty exchange with Noël Coward