Julie Powell
Powell in May 2011
Powell in May 2011
Born (1973-04-20) April 20, 1973 (age 51)
Austin, Texas, US
OccupationWriter
NationalityAmerican
Alma materAmherst College
Period2002–present
GenreMemoir, Adult-nonfiction
Notable worksJulie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
SpouseEric Powell

Julie Powell, née Foster (born April 20, 1973) is an American author best known for her book Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, and a subsequent movie.[1]

Biography

Powell was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She graduated from Amherst College in 1995 with a double major in theater and creative writing.[2] She later married Eric Powell, an editor for the magazine Archaeology.[3]

Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

While working for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in August 2002, Powell began the Julie/Julia Project, a blog chronicling her attempt to cook all the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.[1][4] The blog quickly gained a large following, and Powell signed a book deal with Little, Brown and Company. The resulting book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, was published in 2005.[5] The paperback edition was retitled Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously.

Child was reported to have been unimpressed with Powell's blog, believing her determination to cook every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year to be a stunt. Child's editor, Judith Jones, said in an interview:

Flinging around four-letter words when cooking isn't attractive, to me or Julia. She didn't want to endorse it. What came through on the blog was somebody who was doing it almost for the sake of a stunt. She would never really describe the end results, how delicious it was, and what she learned. Julia didn't like what she called 'the flimsies.' She didn't suffer fools, if you know what I mean.[6]

In 2009, Powell was awarded an honorary diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, the same cooking school from which Child graduated in 1951.[7]

Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession

Powell's second book, Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession, which details the effects on her marriage of an affair she had after the first book's publication, as well as her experiences learning the butcher trade, was published November 30, 2009.[8][9]

Film

A film adaptation of the book, directed by Nora Ephron and titled Julie & Julia, was released August 7, 2009. The film was based on both Julie Powell's book and Julia Child's autobiography My Life in France. Amy Adams starred as Julie Powell and Meryl Streep as Julia Child. Julie's husband, Eric, was portrayed by Chris Messina. Julia's husband Paul Cushing Child was played by Stanley Tucci.

References

  1. ^ a b "Julie Powell: Biography". Bio. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  2. ^ "Julie Powell". Hachette Book Group. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010. ((cite web)): Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Carol Memmott, "Julie Powell's revelations in 'Cleaving' cut to the bone," USA Today, November 26, 2009. ("She and Eric, 36, an editor at Archaeology magazine, are still together.")
  4. ^ "The Julie/Julia Project". Archived from the original on October 13, 2002. Begins August 25, 2002; navigable from that page.
  5. ^ Blythe Camenson (2007). Careers in Writing. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 170. ISBN 0-07-148212-1.
  6. ^ Andriani, Lynn (July 20, 2009). "Mastering the Art of French Cooking Reaches Young Readers Again". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on October 9, 2009.
  7. ^ "Le Cordon Bleu welcomed Julie Powell!". Le Cordon Bleu. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  8. ^ Long, Camilla (August 9, 2009). "Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession by Julie Powell review". The Sunday Times. London, UK. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  9. ^ Leith, William (September 12, 2009). "Gut instincts". The Spectator. 311 (9446). UK: 37. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011. ((cite journal)): Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)


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