Presented here is Volume III of our Feminist Literary Classics series, featuring three of the most important feminist novels ever written: Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, O Pioneers! by Willa Cather and So Big by Edna Ferber.
The first book in this collection is Orlando: A Biography, a groundbreaking English novel by Virginia Woolf that explores English history, gender roles and sexual politics in a way few books have before or since. The story follows the life of an aristocratic nobleman who changes sex from man to woman and goes on to live for centuries, meeting all of the most influential and powerful figures in English history.
Next, we have O Pioneers! by Willa Cather, the first book of the ‘Prairie Trilogy’ and one of the most powerful, moving books about life as a farmer in early 20th century America ever written. O Pioneers! solidified Willa Cather as a major literary force and she swiftly became the voice of the Midwest.
And finally, we present So Big, 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.
Each of these books is presented in its original and unabridged format.
लेखक के बारे में
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.