Polytechnic School: Movie Based on David Ebershoff ’87 Novel Hits Theaters Thursday
The film adaptation of David Ebershoff ’87’s first novel and international best seller, The Danish Girl (2000), opens on the big screen Thanksgiving Day. Focus Features is releasing the major motion picture starring Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and directed by the Oscar-winning director of The King’s Speech and Les Miserables, Tom Hooper.
Adapted for the screen by Lucinda Coxon, Ebershoff’s The Danish Girl is based on the true story of Lili Elbe, one of the first people to undergo gender confirmation surgery. Ebershoff’s powerful portrayal of the transgender pioneer earned him the Lamdba Literary Award, and the film has already generated significant Oscar buzz. In a red carpet interview at Saturday’s premiere of The Danish Girl, Ebershoff expressed his gratitude and delight at the strong performances by Redmayne and co-star, Alicia Vikander, as well as his hope that the film will inspire viewers to “be true to [themselves]; a false life is no life at all.”
In addition to his own acclaimed works, Ebershoff has been widely recognized for his editing prowess. This past Wednesday night, Adam Johnson’s Fortune Smiles, edited by Ebershoff, won the National Book Award for fiction. Ebershoff had previously edited Johnson’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Orphan Master’s Son. A second book edited by Ebershoff, Fredrik Logevall’s Embers of War, also won a 2013 Pulitzer Prize for History, making Ebershoff the first editor to have two of his authors win a Pulitzer Prize in the same year. Wednesday’s National Book Award win is a strong ending to a long-running editing career for Ebershoff, who recently retired from Random House after 20 years to focus on his writing.
Polytechnic School, 1030 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 396-6300 or visit www.polytechnic.org.