Novelist David Ebershoff will provide film commentary following the screening of THE DANISH GIRL, May 5, 2017

Academy Award-nominated film based on Ebershoff's novel of the same name

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David Ebershoff, author of the novel "The Danish Girl" Photo credit: Peter Ross

ALBANY, NY (04/19/2017) (readMedia)-- The 2015 film THE DANISH GIRL, which was nominated for four Academy Awards, will be screened on Friday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m. [note early start time] in Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, on the UAlbany Downtown Campus. Immediately following the screening author David Ebershoff will provide commentary on the film, which is based on his novel of the same name. Free and open to the public the screening is sponsored by the New York State Writers Institute as part of its Classic Film Series.

David Ebershoff is the author of the bestselling novel, The Danish Girl (2000), which follows the lives of husband and wife Danish artists Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener as they struggle with Lili's groundbreaking gender transformation from a man to a woman. A national bestseller and New York Times Notable Book, The Danish Girl captured a Lambda Award for Transgender Fiction.

The book was adapted for film, directed by Tom Hooper (THE KING'S SPEECH), and starring Alicia Vikander as Gerda, and Eddie Redmayne as Einar/Lili. The film was nominated for four Oscars, winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Alicia Vikander's role as Gerda. Rex Reed of the New York Observer called the film "gorgeous, heartbreaking and unforgettable" and praised Redmayne's portrayal of the transgender protagonist as "an act of heroism...the performance of the year."

The Danish Girl, Ebershoff's debut novel, is loosely inspired by a true story. Blending fact and fiction into an original romantic vision Ebershoff eloquently portrays the unique intimacy that defines every marriage and the remarkable story of Lili Elbe, a pioneer in transgender history. Publishers Weekly called The Danish Girl "poignant and visionary" for its handling of "the delicate question of sexual identity." Esquire heralded the book as "A sophisticated and searching meditation on the nature of identity."

Ebershoff is also the author of the novels Pasadena (2002), and The 19th Wife (2008), a #1 bestseller that was adapted for a television movie, and the story collection The Rose City (2001). He is equally well-known as an editor, having worked with such notable authors as Adam Johnson, Imbolo Mbue, Gary Shteyngart, Billy Collins (all former guests of the New York State Writers Institute), and more. In 2013 he became the first person in history to serve as editor for both the Pulitzer Prize-winning book in fiction (The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson) and in history (Embers of War by Fredrik Logevall). Ebershoff's mark on the literary world is substantial, his achievements wide-ranging, and for that reason Out Magazine has twice named him to its annual list of the top 100 most influential LGBT people.

For additional information, contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or online at http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst.

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