With only a minimal education, Faulkner initially worked for the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. in New Haven, before volunteering as a cadet in the Canadian Royal Air Force. At only 5 feet 6 inches in height, he had earlier been rejected by the US armed forces. It was at this time that he added a "u" to his surname, in order to make it sound more British. The First World War ended before he finished his training and he returned to Oxford, Mississippi and enrolled at the University of Mississippi. In August, 1919, he published his first poem, L'Apres-Midi d'un Faune in the New Republic. He dropped out of school in 1920 and began working for the Mississippian, contributing poems, short stories and articles. He moved to New York City in 1921 and held a variety of jobs including postmaster and bookshop assistant. In 1924, he published The Marble Faun, a collection of poetry. He moved to New Orleans in 1925 and became acquainted with Sherwood Anderson, who encouraged him in his writing. In 1926, he published his first novel, Soldier's Pay, and travelled to Europe for some months. Returning to New Orleans, he worked on the novel, Flags in the Dust, which was eventually published as Sartoris in 1929. Faulkner's use of the Mississippi and Deep South backdrop in his stories became a trademark of his work. He returned to Mississippi in 1930 and purchased an antebellum house which he named Rowan Oak. In 1931, he published Sanctuary which, although the subject matter of rape and kidnapping shocked his readers, was an enormous success. In 1932, Faulkner also became involved in screenwriting for Hollywood and would go on to write a number of films including The Road to Glory (1936) and Slave Ship (1937). In 1939, he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters and in 1950 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Faulkner contributed numerous short stories to periodicals such as The Saturday Evening Post and Harper's and also worked on many TV scripts. His other works include Mosquitoes (1927), The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), The Unvanquished (1938), The Wild Palms (1939), Go Down, Moses (1942), Knight's Gambit (1949), Requiem for a Nun (1951), A Fable (1954), The Town (1957) and The Mansion. |
Chrysoma Associates Limited
