On this day in history, a true American “Great” was born.
Under the beating Southern sun in 1897, William Faulkner was born in Oxford, Mississippi, where he would live and die.
Faulkner’s family was not quite part of the cotton aristocracy, but comfortable enough to provide him with a good education. He spent his youth listening to the oral traditions of the South—stories of family history, slavery, the Civil War, racial injustice, and the heritage of Mississippi. These early impressions would be integral to Faulkner’s growth as an author, with his work centered on the racial climate of the South and the often-overlooked brilliance of “simpler” folk.
After dropping out of the University of Mississippi in 1920, he was determined to cement himself as an author, using the style and content of British Romanticism to influence his early work. His first novel to receive acclaim was The Sound and the Fury, which Faulkner wrote after the poor reception of his previous three novels.
For the book, Faulkner dug deep into his familial history and decaying “Old South,” telling the story of one Mississippi family’s journey with the changing identity of the 20th century, all filtered through Faulkner’s unique nihilistic perspective. With its pioneering stream-of-consciousness style and unflinching dissection of family dynamics, The Sound and the Fury is unanimously hailed as a masterpiece by modern critics. It helped cement Faulkner as not only a literary heavyweight but also played a role in his receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949.
Other works of Faulkner that are regarded as pinnacles of American literature include As I Lay Dying, Absalom, Absalom!, and Go Down, Moses. Faulkner died in 1962 of a heart attack following a fall from his horse.
Today, William Faulkner endures as one of the most influential authors in American history, with many even calling him the greatest writer in all of Southern literature. His novels are beating hearts of the South, bleeding with every tragic, proud and eternal element of the region. His dedication to his heritage and literary craft serves as a testament to aspiring writers and regular readers alike— the greatest work shares the same roots as you.
“The past is never dead,” said Faulkner. “It’s not even past.”
