Novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century, Edna Ferber is hailed on a new U.S. 83-cent stamp to be released this month.

Ferber is a Pulitzer Prize winner whose love for American life influenced her many novels and other writings. Her Pulitzer Prize in 1925 was for her novel “So Big.”

The new stamp features the work of artist Mark Summers who used a scratchboard technique design based on a portrait of Ferber taken in 1927. Along the left border vertically is “Edna Ferber.” At the right is “Author.” The denomination “USA 83” is in the center.

The 83-cent denomination is the 3-ounce rate which went into effect June 30.

Ferber was born in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Aug. 15, 1885. After an early start in journalism, she decided to earn her way writing fiction. Ferber published 13 novels, dozens of short stories and two autobiographies. Her first story, “The Homely Heroine,” was published in 1910. Her initial novel, “Dawn O’Hara: The Girl Who Laughed,” appeared a year later. She died in New York City on April 16, 1968.

The stamp is the fourth in the Distinguished Americans Series. The first three in the series were Joseph W. Stillwell in 2000, and Claude Pepper and Hattie W. Caraway in 2001.

First-day-of-issue postmarks are available by calling (800)-STAMP-24.