William Faulkner Books

This is one of those books to treasure in one's most prominent, permanent collection. Moving, thoughtful, exquisitely written, this title that will stand time's tests. Evelyn Jaffe Schreiber gives us a work of impressive depth and perception -- without any pendantry. The book, quite stunning in its originality, is anchored in fine academic research, both fulfills and transcends traditional "scholarly" categories. As a writer and reader, I heartily recommend this as a book-for-all-seasons.

Marcy Heidish

This book is now available in an edition that costs only a third of the now out of print scholarly imprint. Although this work was written for Faulkner scholars, anyone interested in this great writer can profit from this readable text, which is devoid of academic jargon but also engages Faulkner most important critics.

The cover art, "Wanted Poster No. 17" by Charles White, drew me again and again into the depths of this book. It shows a black woman with her hands on the shoulders of a small black boy. Beside them are the first names and ages of faceless persons as they might be shown on a list of slaves to be offered at an auction. The faces of the woman and boy are very human and sensitive as if they are about to speak of what they have seen and heard.

Philip M. Weinstein, Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English at Swarthmore College, begins with his own Southern upbringing by a black woman. The love felt for that black woman was not enough to lead him into some enlightened knowledge of her (or even a visit to her home)until 23 years after her death! Her sister said, when he entered her home, "I've been waiting 23 years for this visit."

When Faulkner writes about Dilsey in "The Sound and the Fury" he is drawing upon the experience he had of being raised by a black woman. Dilsey never expresses personal doubt or pain or need. For such was Faulkner's experience of Callie Walker who raised him. He had no concept of the other world in which she lived and moved and had her being.

Likewise, Morrison has her blind spots. When she seeks to render the white Bodwin in "Beloved" she gives a strong but limited portrait, "a limited but precious truth." As Bodwin is about to enter the house where he was born and has not been in 30 years he thinks merely about the unbearable heat, his toy soldiers and watchless chain. These are nearly his last thoughts in this life were it not for the abortive attempt on his life by the confused Sethe.

The limited portraits by Faulkner and Morrison remind us of both the important contributions they have made to our understanding of their experiences and the need for other pieces of the human puzzle. The last word is not said in having said so much that is gripping and true.

Weinstein calls us to a humility that says where we are without the arrogance of thinking we have said/watched (or heard/seen) it all.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed any of Faulkner's works or is interested in learning about Faulkner and his writings. My English teacher lent me his copy of this book, and I must say that it is very informative and interesting, at least in the parts I have read. I am waiting to read the sections concerning certain books that I have yet to read until I read them. Fundamentally, this book helps you get at the root of some of Faulkner's works that you may not be sure you understand as well as you'd like to or would like to know a bit about before you begin reading.

As another volume in the Overlook Illustrated Lives series of literary lions, Professor M. Thomas Inge has in this slim volume provided both the casual reader and the Faulkner scholar with a valuable overview of his life and works. As with others in the series, the book is lavishly illustrated with photographs, sketches, cartoons, book covers, and other items pertinent to Faulkner's life. The book is not intended to be a scholarly tome replete with endnotes and citations, but the author well-known for his research on Faulkner ably summarizes his subject and his literary output. The book would serve well as an introduction to those who know Faulkner only by name, a refresher to English majors whose Faulkner readings are in the distant past, and probably useful in the classroom as a way to better understand the author. Faulkner's weaknesses--his fondness for drink--are not ignored, and the mixed reaction to much of his fiction is noted. After all, Faulkner was not everyones cup of tea, and his convoluted syntax and multiple characters that populated his novels did not recommend his books as "beach reads." The author also points out the realistic portrayal of race relations, the complex relationships between whites and blacks, in the South of the first half of the twentieth century. This book should prove an enticement to those who have forgotten Faulkner and to those who are only dimly aware of his reputation to visit library or bookstore to sample his rich and complex fiction. An useful chronology and list of Faulkner's literary production is included.

This excellent book creates the world of Williams and Faulkner with power and passion, leaving no stone unturned. Within its pages, I discovered adventure, life poetry, compassion, complexity, and a splendid analysis of two lives, forever merged. If you love literature and, learning more about the challenges of the human heart, this is a book you must read. Its engaging style is also about the struggle of choice, inconvenience, and the collision of unknown forces. It's about life and how we try to navigate within the inevitable difficult moments to elevate our souls to another dimension. Enjoy!

An essential part of the Faulkner collection.

Anyone with a interest in Faulkner's works, should enjoy listening to this wonderful recording of the man himself. As close to Faulkner as you can get. A rare gem.

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This is one of the most original books of criticism ever to focus on William Faulkner. Baker interprets Faulkner's work in a completely fresh and untraditional way by paralleling the author's intentions and accomplishments with such other "traditional" post-colonial writers as Chinua Achebe, Sean O'Casey, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Salman Rushdie. While this work will prove useful for those academics looking to "read" and "teach" Faulkner from a new perspective, it will also prove useful to those readers located outside of academe since Baker provides a cogent overview of the dominant issues and themes of post-colonial theory.

Faulkner's Nobel address is generally considered one of the best, if not the best of all. His appeal to the eternal verities of the human heart, to sacrifice, compassion, and courage- his resistance to the idea of Doom for all of mankind- when he supposes there will always be human voice - is a wonderful example not only of the Faulknerian style and rhetoric but of that human capacity for poetry and exaltation through language which a great writer gives.