Ferber, Edna (1885-1968), an American novelist and playwright, wrote many books about the colorful American life of the 1800’s. She won the 1925 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her first best-selling novel, So Big (1924). She also wrote Show Boat (1926), Cimarron (1930), Saratoga Trunk (1941), Giant (1952), and Ice Palace (1958). Show Boat was made into a popular musical comedy, and all of these books became successful motion pictures. She said that she intended her books to be social criticism as well as good stories. She often wrote about strong women characters. Ferber’s other novels include Dawn O’Hara (1911), her first book; The Girls (1921); and Come and Get It (1935). Roast Beef, Medium (1913) is a collection of stories. She had considerable success with the plays she wrote with George S. Kaufman. The best known of these are The Royal Family (1927), Dinner at Eight (1932), and Stage Door (1936).
Ferber was born on Aug. 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but she grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin. Ferber’s first ambition was to become an actress. However, at the age of 17, when her father went blind, she took a newspaper job with the Appleton Daily Crescent. Ferber told her life story in two books, A Peculiar Treasure (1939) and A Kind of Magic (1963). She died on April 16, 1968.
See also Show Boat.
