November 26, 2019. Madison, Mississippi. William Faulkner.

I spent two delightful hours in the presence of William Faulkner. At least I felt that I was with him. For 30 minutes, PBS showed a tour of the Faulkner family home in Oxford, the one owned and lived in by Maud, the grandmother. The home is still owned and lived in by relatives so it is not open to the public. Lots of original furniture is still in the house along with all the paintings. The show was filmed recently so it was up to date. Next up was a ninety minutes biography filmed in 1979, giving the life story or William. He may be the most famous writer from Mississippi but it was not until late in his life that he was able to make a decent living. And the good folks of Oxford did not think he was wonderful until he died. He was actually more famous in France than in the US and certainly Oxford. His writing is dense and you must keep a dictionary beside you when reading Faulkner. He once was complimenting Hemingways's writing and commented that when you read Hemingway you do not need a dictionary. Talk about damning with faint praise. He wrote in Hollywood whenever he needed money. Finally, although he was under contract, he came back home to Oxford. Ever since his death, his reputation has grown. Anyone studying Souther writers will study Faulkner. The same for American literature. I am just reading an essay about John Ruskin. During his life time, he was famous and had great notoriety. Now most of his books are out of print and almost no one reads him. William Faulkner was not a bit famous during his life but now people flock to tour his home, Rowanoak, in Oxford. And even though reading him requires effort, his books are worth the effort. I keep urging myself to read more Faulkner. My reading speed has decreased so perhaps reading him will be easier. But I know that for two hours last week I seemed to be in the presence of William Faulkner. I loved every minute, thanks to PBS.