The Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference: Fifty Years of Achievement and Innovation

This year marks several anniversaries related to the life and work of Nobel Prize laureate and Oxford, MS native, William Cuthbert Faulkner (1897-1962). These include the centennial year of the author’s first published volume, The Marble Faun; the seventy-fifth anniversary of the publication of Knight’s Gambit; the fiftieth anniversary of Joseph Blotner’s seminal two-volume biography; as well as the fiftieth year of the longest continually running conference devoted to an American author, The Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference, held on the University of Mississippi campus.

Dr. Evans Harrington (late Professor of English, University of Mississippi), one of the initial organizers of the 1974 Conference, described its genesis as one which, “attempted to meet the interest in Faulkner on an organized basis,” especially as countless Faulkner “enthusiasts” advocated for such a gathering through the years. Other key faculty involved in the creation of the event included Dr. James Webb (who initially proposed the idea), Dr. Ann Abadie, among many other tireless supporters across campus. The inaugural year witnessed papers from several renowned Faulkner specialists, such as Joseph Blotner and Malcolm Cowley. However, the event included more than academic papers: there were group activities, panel discussions by local Faulkner contemporaries, performances, and regional tours, among other activities

Under the leadership of Dr. Jay Watson, the Conference continues to explore ground breaking themes in Faulkner studies, including: Faulkner’s Modernisms, Faulkner and Slavery, Queer Faulkner, Faulkner and Print Culture, in addition to countless others over the years.

This display highlights a few primary source materials from the University Libraries’ Department of Archives & Special Collections, which document the history of this significant annual event.

• Link to the schedule for the 2024 Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference
• See the schedules for previous conferences (1974-2023)

Faulkner and Publishing: 2024 Anniversaries

One hundred years ago, the Four Seas publishing house agreed to print Faulkner’s book of verse, The Marble Faun, for four hundred dollars. The author would receive royalties, and the company would cover costs for any subsequent printings. Although contemporary responses were generally critical, the book became a collector’s item over time, especially copies still retaining a dust jacket. Featured in this case is a facsimile of one of these scarce dust-jacketed editions, a part of the rare book collection in the Department of Archives & Special Collections.

In addition to the anniversary of The Marble Faun, this year marks the seventy-fifth anniversary the publication of Knight’s Gambit. This work is a compilation of five short stories of crime and mystery, which initially appeared in periodicals. Faulkner often contributed short stories to national magazines. The benefit was two-fold: his columns generated revenue between major projects, and his literary submissions could be reworked later into novels or compiled into thematic anthologies.

The New York Times once described Joseph Blotner’s featured two-volume 1974 work, Faulkner: A Biography as, “a definitive source…[which] drew on the full access to Faulkner’s papers and letters that the writer’s family…granted to Mr. Blotner.” Other outlets described this work as “magnificent” and “indispensable.” Published fifty years ago this year, Blotner’s research remains an important source about the author’s life and work.

“I am a Coming Man, So Take Warning”: Faulkner and The Saturday Evening Post

Over the course of a thirty-year period (1930-1962), William Faulkner published eighteen stories and novel excerpts in the pages of The Saturday Evening Post. Scholars have noted that this extraordinary number of contributions was not a coincidence, as the Post offered larger payments for the Mississippi author’s short stories, from five hundred dollars up to three thousand dollars at various times during his career. Surviving correspondence between the Post’s editors and Faulkner is unfortunately limited. However, the remaining letters indicate a complex working relationship, especially with George Horace Lorimer. These few letters also showcase a duality in Faulkner’s approach with the publication. He vacillated between asserting his own literary dominance, such as in a 1927 letter cautioning the publication to recognize he was “a coming man,” and in other instances appearing to capitulate to editorial demands.

Several Faulkner publications for the Post are showcased in this display, with a special focus on those relating to the 2024 Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference Library Speaker’s research.

Dr. Theresa M. Towner: 2024 Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference Library Speaker

Dr. Theresa M. Towner of the University of Texas at Dallas, is the 2024 Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference Library Event Speaker. Her talk entitled, “William Faulkner’s Wars with The Saturday Evening Post,” will take place on July 24th in the Department of Archives & Special Collections, Third Floor of the J.D. Williams Library. Although Dr. Towner will explore the editorial relationships between Faulkner and the Post, it is the author’s, “career-long interest in representing the domestic face of war,” within many of these short stories, which will be the primary focus of the discussion.

For more information please call 662-915-1595 or email archivesdept@olemiss.edu