‘So Big’ is author Edna Ferber’s breakout, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of life on an American farm and features one of the most iconic characters in 20th century fiction, the hardscrabble schoolteacher-turned-truck-farmer Selina Peake De Jong. A sensation when it was first published, ‘So Big’ tells the story of young Selina, who moves to the tiny farming town of High Prairie to become a schoolteacher and winds up marrying local farmer, Purvis De Jong. After Purvis dies, leaving Selina in charge of both the farm and her young son Dirk, Selina is forced to run the farm all by herself and do all she can to pave the way for Dirk to become a success. Apart from the compelling, heart-wrenching and inspiring tale of life on a 19th century farm, ‘So Big’ also offers a fascinating glimpse of industrial-era Chicago, from the burgeoning Gold Coast to the rough-and-tumble Haymarket. ’So Big’ is an early triumph of Edna Ferber’s, who would later go on to write dozens of books, plays and short stories and become one of the 20th century’s most beloved and successful authors.
Sobre el autor
Edna Ferber (1885-1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Revered during her lifetime as one of the most talented and prolific writers of her era, many of Ferber’s best-known works have been adapted numerous times for the stage and screen.Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Jewish-American parents (her father was a Hungarian emigre), Ferber’s family was forced to move a great deal during her childhood and she often faced anti-semitic ridicule from both adults and children while she was still a child. Ultimately, Ferber’s parents settled in Appleton, Wisconsin where she graduated high school and attended (briefly) Lawrence University.Ferber initially wanted to become a performer, but she stumbled instead into a career in journalism. A bout of anemia forced her to stay close to home and her isolation led Ferber to begin writing short fiction and getting published in a number of magazines.Her success in short story writing eventually led to Ferber publishing both novels and short story collections and her fame began to grow. In 1925, she won the Pulitzer Prize for the book ‘So Big’ (which was adapted to the screen in 1953). Her subsequent novels, which included ‘Cimarron, ‘ ‘Show Boat’ and ‘Giant’ were even more successful and also became highly popular stage and screen adaptations.Ferber was a member of the legendary Algonquin Round Table – along with Dorothy Parker, George S. Kaufman, Harpo Marx and Ferber’s personal nemesis, Alexander Woolcott. She and Kaufman would eventually collaborate on a number of plays, including the wildly successful shows The Royal Family, Dinner at Eight and Stage Door.Edna Ferber – easily one of the 20th centuries most talented and admired writers – died of stomach cancer in New York City at the age of 82.
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