Edna Ferber (1885-1968) Episodes
Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and receiving a midwestern upbringing, Edna Ferber first became a reporter, covered elections, then turned to writing, where she hit success early, with two of her stories becoming blockbuster movies (Giant and Showboat). Her short stories usually involve strong female protagonists and small-town characters who either had to overcome discrimination or had a lot going against them. She won a Pulitzer Prize for So Big.
Her characters are always well-described and her short story plots are terrific. She was true to mid-west values and experiences in all her stories.
Her characters are always well-described and her short story plots are terrific. She was true to mid-west values and experiences in all her stories.
July 8, 2026
SUN DRIED by EDNA FERBER (NEW)
1001 STORIES FROM THE GILDED AGE There’s a particular kind of sunlight that belongs only to the Gilded Age — a hard, honest light that falls across small towns and big ambitions, revealing people exactly as they are. Few writers understood that light better than Edna Ferber, whose stories captured everyday Americans with a clarity that was both affectionate and unflinching. Ferber had a gift for finding drama in the ordinary: a shopkeeper’s pride, a young woman’s stubborn hope, the quiet batt...
July 5, 2026
THE FROG AND THE PUDDLE by EDNA FERBER (NEW)
🎙️ 1001 Stories From the Gilded Age Show Notes – The Frog and the Puddle by Edna Ferber Episode Summary In The Frog and the Puddle, Edna Ferber delivers one of her signature portraits of early‑20th‑century American life — a story filled with sharp observation, humor, and the quiet emotional truths that defined her best work. Set against the backdrop of bustling city streets and the shifting social landscape of the era, Ferber introduces us to characters who are navigating ambition, identity, and...
Feb. 22, 2026
THAT HOMETOWN FEELING by EDNA FERBER
Jon is back narrating 3 episodes per week, some old,some new- all great stories! Check out the answer to the question "Who coined the term "Gilded Age" below.... THAT HOMETOWN FEELING (FROM THE COLLECTION "BUTTERED SIDE DOWN" Published in the 1912 collection Buttered Side Down, this story captures the tension between the allure of the big city and the persistent pull of one's roots. The Summary: The story centers on characters who have moved away from their small towns to find success in the ...
May 18, 2025
LONG DISTANCE and A BUSH LEAGUE HERO EDNA FERBER
Two great short stories from Edna Ferber for your enjoyment. When you listen to her writing style you begin tom appreciate how much she says with a minimum of words- yet we know her characters and learn her story completely. Few people now recollect Edna Ferber, once a best-selling novelist. Nevertheless she numbered among her champions Somerset Maugham, who in 1948 told playwright Garson Kanin: "I admire Edna Ferber. She's a true professional." To Kanin's inquiry, "What sort of writer would yo...
April 6, 2025
THE MAN WHO CAME BACK by EDNA FERBER
A man makes a vow to take care of his three sisters and life is changed
March 2, 2025
WHAT SHE WORE by EDNA FERBER
A young man from a prairie town comes to the Big City and finds a job in a discount shoe store where works a young woman who has been working for starving wages. They become working friends to the point where , when he screws up enough courage,...
Dec. 22, 2024
THE WOMAN WHO TRIED TO BE GOOD by EDNA FERNER
An unknown narrator relates the story of a woman who lived alone in their town who dressed richly and acted differently, often attracting the attention of single men. False suspicions and dislike grew in her wake, and sensing this, the woman changed...
May 22, 2022
THAT'S MARRIAGE (PT 2) by EDNA FERBER
1001 Greatest Love Stories Stories by Edna Ferber