Gertrude Tonkonogy Friedberg (17 March 1908 – September 17, 1989) was an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and writer.

Life and career

Gertrude Tonkonogy was born in New York in 1908 as one of 11 children. Her siblings included

Eugene Tonkonogy Eugene K. Tonkonogy (1905 – December 30, 2001) was an entrepreneur, lawyer, and owner of the island Marina Cay. Early life and education Tonkonogy was born in Brooklyn in 1905. His father was a lawyer and real-estate investor. He had nine sibli ...

;

George T. Delacorte, Jr. George T. Delacorte Jr. (20 June 1894 – 4 May 1991) was an American magazine publisher, born in New York City. He founded the Dell Publishing in 1921. His goal was to entertain readers who were not satisfied with the genteel publications ...

was a half-brother. After graduating from Barnard College with a B.A. in 1929, Tonkonogy made her first professional sale with the play ''Three Cornered Moon'' which was produced on Broadway (opening March 16, 1933) and starred Ruth Gordon and Brian Donlevy. It was almost immediately made into a film of the same name starring Claudette Colbert; the film opened in August 1933. Shortly after her success with the play, Tonkonogy married Charles K. Friedberg, a doctor. She was thereafter credited as Gertrude Friedberg. Her second play, ''Town House'', appeared in 1948. It was based on stories by

John Cheever John William Cheever (May 27, 1912 – June 18, 1982) was an American short story writer and novelist. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs". His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan; the Westchester suburbs; ...

, and directed by

George S. Kaufman George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889June 2, 1961) was an American playwright, theater director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and others. ...

. She wrote several short stories through the 1950s, publishing in the magazines '' New World Writing'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'', '' The Atlantic'', '' Story'' and '' The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction''. Friedberg's first—and only—collection was in 1959 in the new writer showcase ''Short Story 2''; this volume featured five of her stories, as well as stories from three other authors including

Michael Rumaker Michael Rumaker (March 5, 1932 - June 3, 2019) was an American author best known for his semi-autobiographical novels that document his life as a gay man in the 1950s and after. Rumaker was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from Black Mountain Co ...

. Between 1958 and 1972, Friedberg published three science fiction stories, and one science fiction novel, ''The Revolving Boy'' (1966). '' The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' characterizes the novel as a "minor classic in the field." It would be Friedberg's only novel. According to the back page of an edition of ''The Revolving Boy'' published in 1980, Friedberg lived in New York, where she taught mathematics. Friedberg had two children,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...

and Barbara. She died of cancer in her Manhattan home, aged 81.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Friedberg, Gertrude 1908 births 1989 deaths American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers Barnard College alumni