Edna Ferber

Edna Ferber (1885–1968) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and raised in Iowa and Wisconsin, she began her career as a newspaper reporter before turning to fiction. Ferber gained early popularity with stories featuring the character Emma McChesney, and she became a prominent voice in American letters in the early 20th century. Her novel *So Big* won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1925. She also collaborated with George S. Kaufman on successful Broadway plays, including *Show Boat*, later adapted into a landmark musical. Her novel *Giant* was published in 1952.