Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel

Margaret Mitchell in her early 20s, circa her debutante-flapper phase.

Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta History Center

Examine the seminal events in the life of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind. Margaret Mitchell was no ordinary writer. The one book she published in her lifetime – Gone With the Wind – sold millions of copies at the height of the Great Depression in America and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937, 75 years ago. With more than 30 million copies sold to date, it is one of the world’s bestselling novels. Equally impressive, the film adaptation of Gone With the Wind broke all box office records when it premiered in 1939, and received 10 Academy Awards.  But who was the creator behind two of the world’s greatest lovers – Scarlett and Rhett – and the tumultuous romance that left book readers and film viewers wondering about their final fate together in one of storytelling’s most talked about cliffhangers? She was certainly no ordinary woman either. Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel, airing Monday, March 11, 2013 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on WXXI World (DT21.2/cable 524), explores the author’s extraordinary life.

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Please note that the broadcast date and time presented in this preview differ from the local broadcast schedule.