Biography of William Faulkner

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Faulkner was indeed recognized for his great intellect in creating the literary works he has, and his readers continue to realize just how deep and meaning full what he wrote could symbolize. As noted by Skei, in 1949 Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature from King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden He used the platform to address social and political matters through characters in his books and following his award, Faulkner was offered invitations from around the country to speak on his works. Faulkner published his first book in Boston 1924, “The Mable Faun”, with financial help from his mentor Young. He published his first Novel, “Soldiers’ Pay” on 25 February 1926. Faulkner had struggled financially, as before he ignored the demands of the marketplace and wrote only for himself, and could not sell enough stories to the best-paying magazines like “The Saturday Evening Post” that was popular at the time. In 1932 he moved to Hollywood where he secured a steady monthly income. One of his most influential works is said to be “The Sound and the Fury” which was published on 7 October 1929 with 1789 copies printed. No other copies where made of this first batch until 18 months later. This book as described by Faulkner was to be “the most horrific tale I could imagine”, he did this with sole purpose for selling more copies for to appeal to the market and make money. Another classic literary work of Faulkner’s, which really surprised his readers, was his book “As I Lay Dying” which was published on 6 October 1930. This novel centered around the Bundren family’s fifty mile journey from their rural home town to the city of Jefferson to transport Addie their dead wife and mother to be buried with her people. The character of the story reappeared in his other works.

Towards the end of Faulkner’s life he was suffering from injuries he sustained during horseback riding, but he eventually died at the age of sixty four from a heart attack on his great-grandfathers birthday, 6 July 1962. He left all his major manuscripts to the William Faulkner Foundation, which is now based out of the University of Virginia where he accepted a position as Writer-in-Residence in 1957. His literary works have captured an era for his readers to experience the American South’s dark past and its aspects of prosperity.

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Works Cited

Skei, Hans H. "William Faulkner (25 September 1897-6 July 1962)." Nobel Prize Laureates in Literature, Part 2. Vol. 330. Detroit: Gale, 2007. 3-19. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 330.