Author Julie Gilbert Discusses & Signs 'Giant Love' at the Kravis Center

Pulitzer Prize-nominated biographer, novelist, playwright and founder of The Writers’ Academy at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Julie Gilbert is inviting the public to celebrate the launch of her latest book, Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Bestselling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film on Wednesday, February 19 from 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Now in its 20th year, the Kravis Center’s The Writers’ Academy continues to inspire aspiring authors under Gilbert’s leadership.

Theater and film critic, Hap Erstein, will join Gilbert at her book launch for a conversation to discuss the inspiration to write Giant Love, about Edna Ferber, whose work was made into many Academy Award-winning movies, the writing of her controversial novel about Texas and the making of director George Stevens’ Academy Award-winning epic 1956 film of the same name, Giant, starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and Dennis Hopper.

Giant was Dean’s final film before his tragic death in a car wreck at age 24, before the movie has finished filming.

Along with Giant, published in 1952, Ferber wrote numerous books and plays, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926), which was made into a popular musical, and Cimarron (1930), among many others.

After the talk, Gilbert, who is Edna Ferber’s great-niece and published her biography in 1976, will be on hand to sign copies of her book, which was praised by The New York Times reviewer Alexandra Jacobs as “a tender and patient homage to a titan of American letters.” The book also received 4.6 stars from readers on Amazon.com.

This free event will take place at the Khoury FamilyDance Rehearsal Hall in the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach.

For more information about the Kravis Center, visit kravis.org.