Elizabeth Gilbert
Born 1969 · Age 57
American journalist and author best known for the memoir Eat, Pray, Love; prolific essayist, novelist, and speaker.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Waterbury, Connecticut
Elizabeth Gilbert was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to John and Carole Gilbert.
Family bought a Christmas tree farm in Litchfield, CT
At age four her parents purchased and moved the family to a Christmas tree farm where she grew up without a TV or record player.
Began attending New York University (estimated)
Attended New York University; studied political science and continued writing short stories while a student.
Finished college and traveled / did early jobs (estimated)
After college she spent several years traveling and working in bars, diners, and ranches to gather experiences for her writing.
Esquire publishes short story 'Pilgrims'
Esquire published Gilbert's short story 'Pilgrims' under the headline 'The Debut of an American Writer' — she was the first unpublished short story writer to debut in Esquire since Norman Mailer.
Married Michael Cooper
Gilbert married Michael Cooper, whom she met while working at the Coyote Ugly Saloon.
Published Pilgrims (short story collection)
Debut book Pilgrims (Houghton Mifflin 1997), a collection of short stories.
Pilgrims: Pushcart Prize and PEN/Hemingway finalist
Pilgrims received the Pushcart Prize and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award.
GQ publishes 'The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon'
Memoir piece about bartending at the original Coyote Ugly; later became the basis for the film Coyote Ugly.
GQ publishes 'The Last American Man' article
Profile/memoir piece that she later expanded into a full biography of Eustace Conway.
Published Stern Men (novel)
Stern Men (Houghton Mifflin 2000), her first novel, selected by The New York Times as a 'Notable Book'.
GQ publishes 'The Ghost' (Hank Williams III profile)
'The Ghost' profile was published in GQ and later included in Best American Magazine Writing 2001.
Film 'Coyote Ugly' (adapted from Gilbert's GQ article) released
Feature film Coyote Ugly (2000) was based on Gilbert's 1997 GQ memoir piece about bartending.
GQ 'The Ghost' included in Best American Magazine Writing 2001
Gilbert's 2000 GQ profile of Hank Williams III, 'The Ghost', was selected for inclusion in Best American Magazine Writing 2001.
Published The Last American Man (book)
Expanded the GQ piece into The Last American Man (2002), the biography of Eustace Conway.
The Last American Man: National Book Award finalist
The Last American Man was nominated as a finalist for the National Book Award in Nonfiction and was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award (per her site).
Ended marriage with Michael Cooper
Gilbert left Michael Cooper in 2002; the marriage (1994–2002) ended.
Three-time finalist for National Magazine Award (career milestone)
By the early 2000s Gilbert had been a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award for her journalism work.
Published Eat, Pray, Love
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia was published by Viking in 2006.
Received $200,000 publisher's advance for Eat, Pray, Love
Gilbert financed the world travel chronicled in the book with a reported $200,000 advance.
Eat, Pray, Love appears on NYT Best Seller list
The memoir appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list of nonfiction in spring 2006.
Writer-in-residence at University of Tennessee (succeeded Jack Gilbert)
Gilbert succeeded poet Jack Gilbert as a writer-in-residence at the University of Tennessee.
Eat, Pray, Love optioned for film by Columbia Pictures (approx.)
The memoir was optioned (and later made) into a major studio film; the film released in 2010.
Eat, Pray, Love translated into 30+ languages (milestone reported)
Eat, Pray, Love was translated into over 30 languages (as reported by Wikipedia entry).
Eat, Pray, Love initial commercial success (sales milestone cited)
The memoir became an international bestseller; different sources cite varying cumulative sales figures (e.g., 'over 12 million' per one source and 'over 30 million' cited elsewhere).
Appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
Gilbert appeared on Oprah in 2007 and returned subsequently to discuss the book and film.
Married José Nunes
Gilbert married José Nunes in 2007; they lived in Frenchtown, New Jersey and ran an Asian import store called Two Buttons.
Named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People
Time magazine named Gilbert among the world's 100 most influential people (listed on Time's 2008/2009 Time 100 roster).
Eat, Pray, Love still #2 on NYT list 88 weeks after debut
The memoir remained at #2 on the New York Times nonfiction list 88 weeks after its initial appearance (Oct 2008).
Published Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
Follow-up memoir exploring marriage, published by Viking Press in January 2010.
Film release: Eat Pray Love
Columbia Pictures released the film adaptation of Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts.
Republished 'At Home on the Range' (great-grandmother's cookbook)
Gilbert republished a 1947 cookbook by her great-grandmother, Margaret Yardley Potter.
Published The Signature of All Things
Second novel (2013); a sprawling tale of 19th-century botanical exploration; was a New York Times Bestseller and named a Best Book of 2013 by multiple major outlets.
Published Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Self-help/creativity book offering guidance on overcoming fear and living creatively.
Fundraising for Syrian refugees – $1M raised in 31 hours
Gilbert and other authors participated in a fundraising drive that raised over $1,000,000 in 31 hours.
Sold Two Buttons Asian import store
Gilbert and José Nunes ran a large Asian import store called Two Buttons until they sold it in 2015.
Named to Oprah's SuperSoul 100
Gilbert was named to Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul 100 list of visionaries and influential leaders.
Launched Magic Lessons podcast (post-Big Magic)
Continued the work started in Big Magic with the Magic Lessons podcast, interviewing creatives about living creatively.
Karaoke fundraiser for BlinkNow
Shared a video singing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' to raise money for the BlinkNow Foundation.
Announced separation from José Nunes
On July 1, 2016 Gilbert announced on Facebook that she and José Nunes were separating amicably.
Announced relationship with Rayya Elias
Gilbert publicly announced she was in a relationship with writer Rayya Elias; the relationship was related to the breakup of her marriage.
Commitment ceremony with Rayya Elias
Gilbert and Rayya Elias held a non-legally-binding commitment ceremony with close family and friends on June 6, 2017.
Death of partner Rayya Elias
Rayya Elias died on January 4, 2018; a major personal loss for Gilbert.
Published City of Girls (novel)
Gilbert's novel City of Girls was released in 2019 and received positive reviews for its celebration of womanhood.
Announced relationship with Simon MacArthur
On March 25, 2019, Gilbert posted that she was in a relationship with UK-born photographer Simon MacArthur.
Reported breakup with Simon MacArthur
In a February 2020 interview Gilbert stated the relationship with MacArthur was 'short lived' and they were no longer together.
Halted publication of The Snow Forest
In June 2023 Gilbert halted publication of her forthcoming book The Snow Forest after backlash about the book's Russian setting.
All the Way to the River: planned memoir release (announced)
A new memoir, All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation, was reported as scheduled for Sept 9, 2025 (source: secondary profile).
Estimated net worth reported at $25M (secondary source)
A 2025 profile estimated Elizabeth Gilbert's net worth at approximately $25 million, derived from book sales, film/TV deals, and speaking engagements (secondary source).
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