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Faulkner‘s 1st book set in his fictional Yoknapatawpha county MS. It sets the backdrop most of his other work going forward. His postage stamp. It was rejected by publishers for having no plot or character development.

And yet I enjoyed it. I took in these characters and I closed it with real affection - the myth of Colonel John Sartoris, his brother, son, great grandsons all a short paths to glamorous bad ends, or haunted by the prospect.

My past week. I finished Ammonites, started Faulkner‘s Flags in the Dust - which will take me most of March. Chaucer and How to Say Babylon continue. (I finished Sir Tropas in Canterbury Tales)

Started Faulkner‘s 3rd novel yesterday. The publisher felt it was too long, and only published it in a cut form in 1929. The full version wasn‘t released until 1973. There were corrections made in 2006.

A completely unknown author to me.
I pulled it out of my case on the train between Berlin and Prague and have read half already. It's a series of events which then narrate the character's younger life.

An interesting book about a couple who fled New York City to seek a simpler life in the Mississippi Delta. It wasn‘t that simple after all, and I found Grant‘s treatment of the issues in the area to be nuanced. I wish there was an update.

^^p245 Jackson MS “publicly, unapologetically Black,” 💜 marching band depiction (gleaming horns, left right precision) but some metaphors seem overlinked, askew (“musicians consistent as seasons of crops”).

P168 “‘Why didn‘t enough change?‘ one answer is this: domination is creative as well as consistent.”

P176 “Staying alive on the grounds of your ancestors‘ murder and abuse is no small matter. It requires a living witness to their alchemy.”

Centralizing South in American mythos. Black Belt, Appalachia, historical re-enactments, family, exile, personal history, “the myth of surface gentlemanliness,” “the wages of whiteness,” freedom fighters, florid Southern flora, monuments, Spanish moss, plantation beauty & brutality. Extended riff, essays insightful & playful if sometimes meandering. Writing sharp & engaging, weaving incantations. Evocative & provocative. 2022 National Book Award

#12booksin2022 this is my August pick. I have met a Pat Conroy book I haven‘t loved. I had not read this one yet, and it did not disappoint.

We haven‘t put up our tree yet, so here‘s a tree picture from a few winters ago.
#WinterReadathonDailyChallenge
#WinterReadathon

20 points

P.S. Great book!