Ferber, Edna, 1885-1968

Edna Ferber (1885–1968) was an American writer. Public information about her life and education is limited, but the eleven works held in this collection show the main outlines of her writing. Her work combines a light, humorous tone of urban life with close observation of ordinary people's circumstances. Representative titles such as One Basket, Cheerful—By Request, Half Portions and Buttered Side Down: Stories are mostly short stories and sketches that present warmth and irony in everyday life. Her Emma McChesney series, including Roast Beef, Medium, Emma McChesney and Co. and Personality Plus, follows a woman making her way in business and her family, and was notably fresh for its time. Overall, her writing is brisk and her characters vivid, leaving a lively record of early twentieth-century American popular literature.