Earth and High Heaven

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Earth and High Heaven
J. B. Lippincott (US)
Publication date
1944
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages228 pp (first edition, hardcover)

Earth and High Heaven was a 1944 novel by Gwethalyn Graham. It was the first Canadian novel to reach number one on The New York Times bestseller list[1] and stayed on the list for 37 weeks,[2] selling 125 000 copies in the United States[3] that year.

Set in

anti-Semitism
of their society in their quest to form a lasting relationship.

Literary significance & criticism

Originally published by Jonathan Cape and Thomas Nelson & Sons (Canada),[4] the most recent edition of the novel was published by Toronto's Cormorant Books in 2004.

Awards and nominations

Earth and High Heaven won the

ninth bestselling book
of 1945 in the United States.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Producer Samuel Goldwyn bought the movie rights to Earth and High Heaven for $100 000, intending for Katharine Hepburn to play Erica Drake. He initially hired Ring Lardner Jr. to adapt the screenplay.

Goldwyn was, however, dissatisfied with the results, telling Lardner that he "betrayed [him] by writing too much like a Jew.".[6] Goldwyn subsequently hired a succession of other writers to develop the script, and remained dissatisfied with the final product.

After Elia Kazan released the similarly themed Gentleman's Agreement in 1947, Goldwyn abandoned Earth and High Heaven rather than risk having it labeled by critics as a copy of Kazan's film.

References

  1. ^ "Gwethalyn Graham: Two fiction awards won by Montrealer". The Globe and Mail, November 26, 1965.
  2. ^ "AECB – Title Detail – Earth and High Heaven". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  3. ^ "The Year in Books". Time. 1944-12-18. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  4. ^ Cumulative List of Winners of the Governor General's Literary Awards[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Literary Prizes Are Announced". North Bay Nugget, April 2, 1945.
  6. .

External links