Who is William Faulkner?

Throughout this semester we have read the works of several gifted authors. But I found myself especially drawn to the style of William Faulkner. While yes, his work “A Rose for Emily” is rather unsettling. I enjoyed how the story was broken down into several different pieces, giving the reader a better understanding of the stories main and disturbing character, Emily Grierson.

William Cuthbert Faulkner was born on September 25th 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi to Murry Falkner and Maud Butler. He was born to an upper middle class southern family.

In 1915, William, who was not fond of school dropped out of school and went to work as a clerk at his grandfather's bank. It was here that he began to write poetry and draw for the University of Mississippi's yearbooks. (Even though he was not a student).

During World War One, William Falkner tried to enlist in the military but was rejected due to his small physique. With the drive to fight in the war William faked his way into the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is at this time, that he chose to add the "U" to his last name. Despite his intentions the war ended before he saw any combat.

When William returned home, he attended the University of Mississippi. While attending college, William began to write poetry again. On August 6th, 1919 that his poem "L'Apres-midi d'un faune" was published in The New Republic. Later that same year, his short story "Landing Luck" was published in the Mississippian.

It was William's dream to become a poet, and even though he had sever poems and short stories in publication, he was still a starving artist. It was through the encouragement of his friend Sherwood Anderson, an accomplished author; who suggested that he enter the world of fiction.

It appeared as though this idea was going to thwarted when in 1929 Faulkner could not get a publisher for his book "Sartoris". With this apparent failure he decided to just write for himself. However from this revelation he brought the world "The Sound and The Fury" one of his most famous works.

Soon to follow was the story we are familiar with; "A Rose for Emily" was published in Forum on April 30th. This short story is what helped stem his career as an acclaimed author.

After this he published several novels "As I Lay Dying" in 1930, "Light in August" and "Sanctuary" in 1931, "Absalom, Absalom!" in 1936, "The Unvanquished" in 1938 and " The Wild Palms" In 1939.

In 1940 he published "The Hamlet" which was followed by two novels, "The Town" in 1957 and "The Mansion" in 1959. Theses works became known as the "Snopes Trilogy" named after the main character Flem Snopes.

But alas, still with all of these publications under his belt, Faulkner was still missing his audience. However when Malcolm Cowley edited "The Portable Faulkner" in 1946, his work became accessible to a wider audience. It was with this that Faulkner finally gained the notoriety.

In 1948 William was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This was a spring board for his Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949.

With all of this success, he soon became one of the most respected authors in America. He was rather sought after for lectures at colleges. It seemed as thought he had achieved all he desired. His work was published and he was a respected man in the eyes of the American reader.

However stories of his personal life would tell you different. William Faulkner married Estelle Oldham in June of 1929. They purchased a home together in Rowan Oak. However the life was all sunshine and rainbows. William Faulkner had several extramarital affairs along with a sever drinking problem. His drinking, did not damper his writing, for he would not succumb to his addiction while writing, he would binge after a work was completed.

However we do not look back and think about authors and their personal struggles. We reflect on the work they produced and how it influences the world around us. One thing is for certain, despite his death on July 6th 1962, the world is still aware of William Faulkner's thoughts.


*** I'd like to add, that William Faulkner had several other publications in his time, I just mentioned the big ones he is known for. If you are interested in a complete list, I would be more than happy so supply you with one. I felt as though it would be rather grueling to read title after title after title...