Author Margaret Mitchell published the American classic novel “Gone with the Wind” on this day in history, June 30, 1936.
The 1,000-page novel, set in Georgia during the Civil War and in the Reconstruction era, told the tale of Scarlett O’Hara, a southern belle from a wealthy family who lost nearly everything during the war.
The book was a smashing success: It was the bestselling fiction book in the United States in both 1936 and 1937.
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“Gone with the Wind” won the 1936 National Book Award for “Most Distinguished Novel” as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937, multiple sources note.
Mitchell, who was born and raised in Atlanta, died a tragic death in 1949 at the age of 48. She was hit by a taxi while crossing the street.
“Gone with the Wind” was her only published novel during her lifetime.
Nearly 90 years after its publication, “Gone with the Wind” remains popular in the United States, although it has come under recent controversy.
In 2020, the movie was removed from HBO Max (now called “Max”) in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in 2020.
WarnerMedia chief Bob Greenblatt said at the time that a disclaimer would be added regarding “racist depictions” throughout the film.
A 2022 edition of the book also came with a lengthy warning about the contents — namely, the depiction of slavery and other stereotypes.
“‘Gone with the Wind’ is a novel which includes problematic elements including the romanticization of a shocking era in our history and the horrors of slavery. The novel includes the representation of unacceptable practices, racist and stereotypical depictions and troubling themes, characterization, language and imagery,” publisher Pan Macmillan wrote.
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The text of the novel, however, “remains true to the original in every way and is reflective of the language and period in which it was originally written,” said the publisher.
In May 2014, the polling firm Harris found that while the Bible was “America’s favorite book,” the No. 2 choice was “Gone with the Wind” — followed by the much more recent Harry Potter series.
A second Harris poll, conducted in December 2014, found that “Gone with the Wind” was America’s favorite movie.
On Dec. 15, 1939, less than 3½ years after the book was published, the film adaptation of “Gone with the Wind” was released in movie theaters.
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The book won eight Academy Awards at the 1940 Oscars, including Best Picture.
“Gone with the Wind” was the first color picture to win Best Picture, said the Academy’s website.
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Actress Hattie McDaniel, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy, was the first African American to win an Oscar, notes the Academy.
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The Academy Awards were presented in the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in The Ambassador Hotel, a Whites-only establishment, said The Hollywood Reporter.
McDaniel was not permitted to sit with the rest of the cast of the movie — and the film’s producer had to request a special favor that she even be allowed to attend the ceremony, noted the publication.
