Barbara Gelb

Barbara Gelb (; February 6, 1926 – February 9, 2017) was an American author, playwright, and journalist. She, along with her husband Arthur, wrote three biographies of the Nobel laureate playwright Eugene O'Neill.

Background Barbara Stone was born in 1926 in Manhattan, New York. Her father was heir to a prosperous chain of five-and-dime stores; her mother was a Russian immigrant and sister of the violinist Jascha Heifetz. When she was nine, her parents divorced; her mother married S. N. Behrman, a journalist, screenwriter, and playwright. Stone was sent to boarding school, in order not to disturb Behrman's writing. At 16, she entered Swarthmore College but became preoccupied with theatrical and literary activities and dropped out to work as a copygirl for The New York Times editorial board. It was there that she met a copyboy and future husband, whom she would marry in 1946.

Writing career Gelb became a freelance journalist, after losing the job at The Times to a returning World War II veteran. She wrote profiles on literary and entertainment figures, book reviews, and travel and lifestyle articles, mostly for The Times and its magazine. (Barbara wrote the novels; Arthur edited them.) She completed it for publishing in 2016.

Personal life The Gelbs married at the Behrman's apartment in June 1946 and lived with Arthur's parents for six months, due to a postwar housing shortage. They had two sons: Peter, who is General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, and Michael.

Death Gelb died in Manhattan, on February 9, 2017, just days after her 91st birthday.