Eudora Welty Books

This book has a certain sweetness to it. So sweet that diabetics can only read it when fastened to an insulin pump. It is laden with vegetable metaphors, comparing things to flowers, trees, leaves. Involving an adorable southern family, an adorable county in rural Mississippi and little towns so adorable that they make your saliva curdle, after one hundred pages you get this great urge to commit adorable mayhem. No racism, no clans, after 150 pages, nary an African American.I notice that you can buy it used for a penny. Purchase it only if you intend to recycle it to Kimberly Clark.

You can never go wrong with Eudora Welty, she IS the South!

This novel is hideously overlong and completely unfunny. Eudora certainly knows how to create an atmosphere, that much is true, but this is an atmosphere I was eager to be done with, featuring the most miserable family reunion and godforsaken little town I've ever heard of. Don't waste your time.

What's wrong with me? I love Eudora Welty's short stories. But this novel was exasperating. The story opens at a family reunion in backwoods Mississippi, where the author "overhears" endless conversations about nothing carried on by the Renfros and their kin. For hours, they debate whether the family antihero,, Jack Renfro, will appear at the reunion (after several years in the penitentiary).

For 60 pages, I waded through trivial dialogue as family members eagerly awaited Jack's appearance. I gather from other reviewers' comments that the family bad boy did show up eventually, but by that time I'd left the party. I'd closed the book and drifted off to sleep.

If you want plot action, this is not the book for you. I'd suggest you pick up Carson McCullers, Flannery O'Connor or even William Faulkner.

Eudora Welty truly shows her Southern heratige in the novel, "Losing Battles." Three generations of Granny Vaughn's family come to celebrate her nineteth birthday. The family is also celebrating her grandson, Jack's, return home from prison. Welty writes this novel almost entirely in dialouge. At first it is very hard to keep up with all of the aunts, uncles, grandchildren, etc. talking, but as the novel progresses, it gets easier to read and you learn about each individual character. Even though this technique gets easier as the plot unfolds, it gets very tiring. It takes away a certain zest by not telling how the characters are feeling and thinking. Welty shows the great value of small towns. This novel brings about the closeness that communities should have. Take for example the fact that Jack ends up helping the judge who sentenced him to prison. The Banner community is very welcoming to other people, like Jack's new wife. The jargon used by Welty also creates a sense of closeness you feel toward the audience. "Losing Battles" reveals the importance of your roots and the people in which you come in contact with. On the day of the reunion a teacher who had taught three generations of Banner inhabitants passed away, giving the family more reasons to reminence about the old days. This part of the story created a twist and it allowed the novel to become more closer to heart. The laughter and the tears associated with the novel make it a 'losing battle' if you try to put it down. Even though it isn't my favorite novel in the world, it is well-written and one worth reading. So pick up a copy soon so you will be lost in the Southern heraitge that shined once again!

This lovely novella introduced Eudora Welty to the world. Now it can introduce you to Eudora Welty. A raucous, genre-bending mixture of historical fiction, romance novel, and tall tale -- all shot through with the compassion and psychological subtlety for which Welty would become famous -- _The Robber Bridegroom_ still holds a place of honor in Southern literature.

Eudora Welty's second book, "The Robber Bridegroom," is an inspired synthesis of traditional American and European folktale recast in the deep south at the start of the 19th century. That this book handles such a challenge without sounding strained, pretentious, or self conscious is remarkable; that the prose is at once lush and fueled by a fast-paced narrative is even better. As with her other fiction, Welty's humor here never condescends, though it often exposes a darker, more violent reality than readers of "A Curtain of Green" might expect. The story is rife with familial betrayals, incidents of physical and sexual violence, and overt expressions of racism among the early settlers. Miraculously, these issues never burden the pace and joy of the narrative. Like Voltaire's "Candide," Welty's "The Robber Bridegroom" is a gentle satire that touches upon the more disturbing aspects of humanity while celebrating the same characters it satirizes. A one-of-a-kind book, and a must read for serious readers of American literature and world mythology.

In her first piece of full-length fiction (more of a novella than a novel), Eudora Welty has taken a Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same title, set it along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi, added a couple of legendary Southern outlaws (including the notorious Harp Brothers, one of whom is represented only by his severed head), and stirred in a good measure of Southern humor. The result is a wickedly funny (if slight) adult fantasy, complete with the usual cast: a beautiful young girl, a stepmother, and a good number of Disneyesque dimwits. There are no hidden meanings or surprise plot twists--this is just a fanciful yarn cleverly told with great wit and style.

Welty's first published novel is a retelling of Psyche and Cupid, with a decidedly American twist. Instead of turning the Greek myth into a fairy tale, she's created a delightfully unbelievable, far-fetched and bizarre "tall tale".

Many of the elements of a fairy tale are there--the wicked stepmother, the beautiful heroine, the naive and loving father, the handsome hero--but these are overshadowed by tall tale traits such as the superb stretching-of-the-truth skills by nearly everyone encountered from the mail rider who was swallowed by a crocodile to our heroine, Rosamond, who can't tell a truth to save her life.

The story takes place along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi with "Red Indians", robbers and a few famous American tall tale characters filling up the bad guy roster--with the hero, Jamie, switching sides regularly. Rosamond's father Clement Musgrove is a wealthy planter who meets Jamie at an inn and unwittingly brings his disruptive presence into Musgrove family.

Many deaths, lies, misunderstandings and berry stains later, Rosamond and Jamie do live happily ever after. . . and Rosamond even starts telling the truth. . . well mostly the truth, "it was all true but the blue canopy".

This fanciful tale is a well-executed, superbly written, pleasant read and it's only afterwards that one realizes that Welty added a bit of acid to this pleasurable brew.

Eudora Welty borrowed from the old Brothers Grimm fairy tale 'The Robber Bridegroom' to create this story that is part fairy tale, part historical fantasy, and very strange. Instead of old Europe, the action takes place in the southern United States. The old characters are all there: the innocent daughter, the merchant father, the irascible thief who becomes the 'bridegroom', and some new people have been added. A wicked stepmother, a boy named Goat, and an Indian tribe are just a few of the extras.

Apparently some of the characters, like Mike Fink and the Harp brothers, were real people, or at least were part of American folklore. Welty combines old world and new world fairy tales to create something completely unique. If you know the story of the Robber Bridgroom, you'll see how Welty has slyly snuck in very subtle similarities (the bird in the cage), and you'll be astonished at how much the ending was changed from the original story.

The book moves with rapid speed through larger than life situations. The Indians cooked and ate the merchant's family and he and his daughter escaped, THEN he married the evil Salome, THEN some guy tried to kill him while he slept with his bag of gold, THEN Lockhart carried his daughter away naked, THEN... It becomes almost too frantic, and you might need to go back a few pages now and again to make sure you didn't miss something. It's probably not the best introduction to Welty, but it's one of her most colorful works. For an elegantly written, surrealist fairy tale, you can't do much better than this.

i tried listening to this at work the other day, and it just did not work. ms welty is reading soooo fast on this recording that i had a hard time following her. my attention would blink for a moment, and there she is 6 paragraphs down the road, leaving me in the dust. i don't know how much coffee she drank before this reading, but apparently it was too much. i cannot recommend this recording. it's just a very poorly done highstrung performance.

Nothing beats hearing Welty read, especially "Why I Live at the P.O." I heard a recording years ago and tried to find a copy. This CD is it and it's rapid pace and portrayal of characters is wonderful.

I have loved, adored and admired Miss Eudora Welty's magnificent writing since I read "Why I Live at the P. O." in high school. Stella-Rondo and Sister's fights just tickled my funny bone to the max, especially because I have two sisters and we were always fighting about something, so I related, totally.

The characters of Mama, Papa-Daddy, Sister, Stella-Rondo and Uncle Rondo are like no other characters you will ever encounter in literature, I can promise you. There has never, ever been another writer like Miss Welty with her unique, quintessential Mississippi outlook on life. When Uncle Rondo puts on Stella-Rondo's flesh-colored kimono (after drinking a bottle of a prescription---which he does every 4th of July), and saunters around the back yard, I was in stitches.

But to find this CD of her reading her own work (ALL of my favorites!) was like finding a hidden treasure. I've just about worn the poor CD out from playing it.

If you're a fan of Miss Welty, this is a must have. If you haven't read her stories yet, DO IT NOW! To misuse a quote by Faulkner, Miss Welty's 'Why I Live at the P. O.' is worth any number of old men. LOL!

Here's what I wish I'd known before I spent money on this (and I'm assuming any other HarperAudio CD): The CD is called "Unabridged." Because of the cover photo, I assumed it was the same material as was on the cassette set entitled "Eudora Welty Reads" (2 copies of which I've worn through). Obviously, this was my mistake since the two stories missing ("A Memory" and "A Worn Path") that are on the cassette set are not listed; but others may make the same assumption I did because of the identical cover picture.

But there's more -- much more -- to complain about here: Not only do you only get 3 of the 5 available short stories, but the CD includes a lecture from actress Cherry Jones about how we should read to our children and buy more CDs from HarperAudio to do so.

Besides considering any recording of Welty reading a treasure, I listen because her voice puts me into a deep state of peace -- which was destroyed by the opening intro by a saleswoman and then a lecture about reading to children on a CD that is clearly for adults. Because it is a CD, this means you have to hear this garbage everytime you listen unless you are quick to the "skip" button.

I'm assuming, since the advertising is so inappropriate, that it is tacked onto every HarperAudio CD. I went to the website to complain, but there is no address for complaints. So I wrote to the "corrections" dept and asked for a response. I never received one.

This CD is not unabridged and you are paying to listen to advertisements that are nowhere listed in the materials. I don't know how long the Cherry Jones thing went on because I turned off the CD in disgust.

For many years, Caedmon offered a cassette set of Miss Welty reading her own work. I loved it so much I wore one out and bought another one!

I just bought this CD and was quite disappointed to find that only about half of the cassette is represented here. Why? Some of my favorites are not on here. Same recordings as the cassette, so where's the beef?

This is good so far as it goes, but for any other Welty fans out there who already have Caedmon's cassette album of this same work, roughly half of it is missing from here. I hope they will correct this error.

This book with its poor selection of no names who offer their limited or non-existent wisdom on Welty should have never been published. It is further proof of the poor quality of USC Press Books these days.

Miss Welty deserves more than this edited (if you can call it that) volume by this European who obviously believes that being able to wipe barbecue off on his sleeve means he understands the South and Southern writing. PLEASE.

This book is a must for any Welty scholar. It is one of those rare books that I wish I could read again and again. It accomplishes much more than its modest title would suggest. Gretlund has long been one of the most erudite critics of southern lit. Teaching both in Europe and at Ole Miss, he is more objective yet has an insider's knowledge. This achievement reaffirms his place at the top of literary critics not just in Europe or America but in the world.
Darryl Hattenhauer
Associate Professor of English
Arizona State University West
Phoenix, AZ 85069

Gretlund has really done all Welty readers a huge favour by writing this book. And for all those of you out there not yet familiar with the writings of Eudora Welty...read this book.

Gretlund wrote EUDORA WELTY'S AESTHETICS OF PLACE, and it is a fine book. It is not an edited volume, as the Mississippi reviewer states in his attack. I suggest putting away the bourbon bottle and getting the facts correct before reviewing any more books.

This HBJ anthology presents 13 stories whose publication dates cover a span of 25 years, selected and introduced by Ruth Van de Kieff. Except for the last one, placed in the UK on a boat train, these tales reflect Welty's penchant for Mississippi-especially along the Natchez Trace. Her subjects range from a morbid fascination with freaks, to a glorious depiction of the role of Nature. Touching upon crime, poverty, the subtleties of Marriage, and the Black experience she portrays the intricacies of human condition with suave sensitivity.

Welty's themes are more subtle: tragedy narrowly averted, male paranoia, female jealousy and affectations. Quietly seeking the" the mystery of inner life" she deftly plumbs the depth of the human heart, depicting events and experiences which seem both abnormal, yet perfectly natural. For this author Place is everything-permeating the external life of her characters, subtly shaping their internal thoughts, dreams and ultimately, their behavior. A few stories reveal her outright humor and stage-worthy dialogue, yet the action of most of these tales is painstakingly slow, deftly blending literary Chiaroscuro in a
Southern milieu. Vintage Welty to tantalyze and invite thoughtful readers to further exploration.

This is a representative collection of the late Eudora Welty's short stories. While Welty wrote several novels, including the entertaining Robber Bridegroom, her reputation rests mainly on her short stories. This collection contains many of her most famous stories and shows well the range of her writing. Welty was an extremely skilful writer who could vary her writing style from the lyrical to the concise. Welty's work seems to inspire dichotomous reactions; either rapture or dislike. I find her work interesting but not compelling. This book is an excellent means to decide whether or not you wish to invest the a significant amount of time in reading Welty.

Do not read this book unless you like short stories or are required to do so. Each story is like reading the exposition of a novel, which is the most uninteresting part. Here are some of what the stories are about: 1) A woman who lives at the post office and has male relatives who wear dresses 2) A man who's wife said she drowned herself because he came home late, so the man went to look for here body in the river AND 3) Two mentally challenged people who want to get married and one is a xylophone player If these sound interesting to you get the book. They certainly weren't for me. Yet everyone's taste is different.

I know that Welty has several editions out of her stories. I know that these stories have been anthologized a lot ("A Worn Path," "A Wide Net," and "The Hitch-Hikers"). So it doesn't matter to me what edition of her stories that you buy, as long as you read them.

This edition is my first exposure to her collected stories (after I first read her autobiographical book, "One Writer's Beginnings") and I must admit that I am fascinated. She includes an incredible about in the settings, in the agile characterizations, and in her own unique, point of view. She is a master storyteller.

My personal favorites include "A Wide Net," "A Worn Path," and "Why I Sleep At The P.O."

Interpretations of books may differ, but most readers agree that an author's lot in life is to unlock diaries, tell secrets, and share the intimate thoughts of their characters. But when it comes to sharing their lives, some authors are more willing to bare their pasts and share their inspiration than others. Eudora Welty did not embrace the notion of her life populating pages of a biography, yet Ann Waldron portrays the author in EUDORA: A Writer's Life in a way that will surely prompt a renewed interest in her works.

Waldron employs a stark style of writing that is at times dry, listing dates and events with little commentary, but her simplicity allows the richness of her content to shine. A book that promises to enthrall readers whose literary interests have led to Welty's novels, EUDORA: A Writer's Life will undoubtedly serve as a useful reference.

Those whose interest in Welty precedes her novels should be prepared for a sneak peek into the author's development of characters and the personal experiences that may have molded them in her mind. Using quotes from interviews and snippets from correspondence, Waldron is able to project Welty's voice in a way that allows readers to hear Welty as though she were in the same room. Writers will especially appreciate one quote from Welty, in which she explains the way she discovered one character's role in several short stories. "All I had to do was put two and two together, him and my little group, and I had him by the tail," she said.

While Waldron shares some of Welty's inner thoughts, as documented in letters and such, she does not presume to analyze the meaning behind Welty's stories or the motivation of her characters, a practice that Welty openly disparaged. In one chapter, Welty comments on letters she received from readers wanting to know whether a character's choice of an apple in "A Visit of Charity" is a reference to the Garden of Eden. Welty, whose impatience resonates in her quote said of the question, "The things some people teach! She was just eating that [an apple] the way you would a Hershey bar --- or anything else you'd saved for a reward after an ordeal. I used to visit the old ladies. They scared me. I couldn't wait to leave."

This quote and others help to draw a picture of Welty, often called "Eudo" by family and friends and loved unilaterally by colleagues, friends, family, and audiences around the world. She was not, however, a woman who enjoyed the social life of the times. Her looks are described by some as ugly, off-putting, and odd; but such descriptions are always followed by praise of her character, her zest for life, and her talent as a writer. Welty's looks may have prevented a slightly less creative girl from achieving similar heights, but she seemed to channel both the negative and the positives of her life into her work. She was able to transcend the superficiality of the times, which put a staggering amount of importance on looks, and is remembered by colleagues as a woman before her time.

The book, which spans 340 pages, also delves into the network of literary giants that Welty cultivated. From her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi to New York City and abroad Welty toured, spoke, and nurtured a growing base of loyal friends and fans. She was called approachable by students who attended her lectures and lovable by friends who shared intimate moments and memories with her. Well respected and revered by writers, editors, and publishers, Welty was a multifaceted woman who first tested creative waters as a photographer who was known to walk into less fortunate neighborhoods and take pictures of people from all walks of life.

Welty identified her dream to be a writer in the early 20s and her determination led her from the society pages of a daily Mississippi newspaper to becoming junior publicist for the Works Progress Administration; and, later, a novelist whose life is of interest to readers around the world.

After reading about her life, I find myself recalling characters that at one point or another find themselves in similar circumstances or places that Eudora experienced, and have already put her autobiography titled ONE WRITER'S BEGINNINGS on my literary wish list.

--- Reviewed by Heather Grimshaw

I spent most of the weekend immersed in this book--and becoming enchanted with Eudora Welty. Monday I was at the library getting several of her works. I wanted to start at the beginning, so I read her first short story--Death of a Traveling Salesman. It was as gripping and powerful as I had hoped. This biography is respectful and insightful. It provides you with a strong sense of a gentle, talented southern lady who was absolutely true to herself and the world in which she spent her life and nurtured her talents. I am looking forward to reading everything Eudora Welty wrote and getting to know her. And it all began with this biography.

This is a terrible, mean-spirited attack against our greatest living writer, attacking her looks, her private life, etc. Eudora Welty has said throughout her life that she didn't want a biography written about her. This woman obviously does not respect her or she would respect her wishes. And why do such a book at this late date, with Miss Welty about to turn 90?? The author coyly pretends to be an admirer and then makes endless lurid allusions to a lady who basically has devoted her whole life to cultivating her art. Our most gifted writer is dismissed as a homely, unwanted "fag hag." (Judging by the photo of the dust jacket, Miss Waldron is no Hedy Lamarr herself). What would Edna Earle say about such a woman!! Don't buy this garbage. Buy another copy of one of Miss Eudora's books instead. You'll love it and it won't upset your stomach. To think some poor trees had to be slaughtered for this trash!! By the way, Happy 90th Birthday to Miss Eudora Welty who will certainly survive such a infantile attack as this. And someday an HONORABLE biography about her no will doubt be written.

All I want to say is this book is so boring. All I wanted to do when I was reading it was shoot myself in the mouth with a pistol to end the constant eternal boredom. I think all it was trying to do was impress a few academic kooks who live in an academic bubble. Yeah well its boring.

...American Dreams in Mississippi is cultural (not economic) history. It is not about the reasons for poverty, but rather what it MEANS to live in a state that is perpetually impoverished while also living in a nation that bills itself as the Land of Opportunity. In this book, Ownby seeks to redefine the very concept of the American Dream. As his title suggests, there are in fact many dreams. Young and old, men and women, blacks and whites, rural and city folk all experience these dreams differently, and Ownby gives a voice to them all. With all due respect to the late C. Vann Woodword (who I am certain Dr. Ownby has the highest regard for) American Dreams in Mississippi goes beyond the boundaries of conventional history, asking questions historians have never asked about the South and using new kinds of sources like clothing, furniture, cars, and song lyrics as well as literature, general store ledgers, and obscure state documents to break new ground. The chapter "Men Buying Cloth" reveals the important discovery that Mississippi women, contrary to the national stereotype, were historically not consumers. The section on slave purchases is, to my knowledge, the only study of its kind, and the discussions of blues culture and Civil Rights boycotts add a fresh perspective to those topics.

If some parts of this book require a little effort on the reader's part, it is only because Ownby's research and documentation are so thorough that he provides not just one but many examples to back up each point. As Ownby lays out in his first chapter, the book is also grounded in solid theory. More works of history should be so "dry." I urge all readers of this book -- especially graduate students in history looking for an excellent example of their craft -- to stick with it. It is well worth the journey.

Dr. Ted Ownby of the University of Mississippi has attempted to explain the social patterns of Mississippi from 1830-1995. In doing this, he has focussed on the buying patterns of the state's public. Through analyzing extensive sources and census records, Dr. Ownby has attempted to show that the buying power of poor Mississippians and the state's econommic caste system led to political differences between black, poor white, and wealthy white Mississippians. In analyzing buying power, Dr. Ownby has failed to take into account C. Vann Winwards famous essay on Race and Economics (1956). In Winwards address he stated that the caste system was much more racial than class. The buying power of black Mississippians was not effective because they were poor, but rather they were poor because they were black. Dr. Cecil M. Cooper's 1989 groundbreaking analysis : Dollar's and Cents Segregation : Black and Green in Rural Mississippi, speaks along the same lines. Dr. Cooper has stated that Black Mississipians and poor white Mississippians had little access to wealth. However, poor white Mississippians had more access to credit. Credit was denied to African-Americans for the most part. If not denied black credit was used agaisnt black poilitcal efforts. Although Dr. Ownby's work attempts to tackle a very important issue, race and economics, he fails to give a coherrant documentation on buying power froom 1830 -1990's. His reasons for choosing those dates are also unclear. It is one in a long line of academic books that fails to drive at the real reason for race division: social class. More research and documentaion are needed for this book to successfully overcome its deficiencies.

I reviewed Bloom's 1999 Research Guide on Welty, not this 1986 Critical Views on Welty.

The idea for this collection of excerpts is commendable, as an introduction to Welty for, perhaps, high school students; but a hardback at this price is too costly for that purpose, and the scholarship is too flawed for any use. Even a quick glance reveals (1) outdated information about the Welty scholars quoted and (2) errors in the bibliography. Ruth VandeKieft (not "Kieft") is deceased, Pollack is not at Sweetbriar, Prenshaw is no longer at Southern Mississippi, nor I at Oral Roberts University. Barbara Fialkowski did not write A Still Moment but, rather, one essay in it. This collection of excerpts looks as if it were put together quickly not by Bloom, who should know better, but by someone who does not know Welty or Welty criticism. Although my own book, excerpted in the text, is not listed in "Books About Welty," ten that are listed are general works I consulted but that are not themselves about Welty at all (including Frank, Kestner, Frye, Kayser, Fleenor, Gilligan, Weisenfarth). If the editor had consulted the excerpted authors, this could have been a better book.