Bio Sketch: William Faulkner William Faulkner was born on September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi.

He was a novelist, short-story writer, and a screenwriter. He was the son of Murry Faulkner and Maud Butler, and was the first of four brothers. His great-grandfather, William C. Falkner, had many professions and was also a successful novelist. Faulkner was inspired by William to become a writer. The Faulkner family had interest in banking and in railroads. In 1902, Faulkner and his family moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where Faulkner lived most of his life. Faulkner didnt have a care in the world for education which led him to drop out of high school in only his second year. He was a very shy and quiet person. He had multiple jobs and worked as a clerk in his grandfathers bank. However, he had trouble keeping any job that was given to him. He was denied entry into the American Air Force because of his small height. He forged his way into the Royal Canadian Air Force right around the time World War I ended, but he never fought in battle. It was around this time when he switched his last name from Falker to Faulkner. In 1919, Faulkner was admitted to the University of Mississippi as a special student, but attended for only one year. In the same year his first poem was published. Faulkner moved to New York to briefly work at a bookstore before returning back home to Oxford, Mississippi, to work at a post office. Faulkner met his good friend Phil Stone in 1914. Stone helped Faulkners literary career take off. However, at the time Faulkner mainly wanted to be a poet. It wasnt until he met Sherwood Anderson, a fictional writer in his own right, who helped encourage

Faulkner to write fiction. Faulkners first book published, The Marble Faun, was a collection of poems. It wasnt until 1926 when Faulkners career as a writer had begun. Faulkner published his first novel, Soldiers Pay, in 1926, and shortly after in 1927, he published his second novel Mosquitoes. His first two novels went a bit unnoticed in the literary world. His third novel, originally known as Flags in the Dust, was rejected by the publishers of his first two books, and a lot of other publishers. Fina lly, Faulkners third novel, Sartoris, which was given the name after his original book was rejected, was published. It was the first novel set in Yoknapatawpha County. Many of his novels and short-stories took place in Yoknapatawpha County, a fictional place based in his home city of Mississippi. Faulkner married his childhood love, and recently divorced Estelle Oldham in 1929. Faulkner and Estelle had two children together: a boy who died just after birth, and a girl. In 1929, Faulkners fourth novel was published which many perceived to be his best piece of work. The Sound and the Fury gained a lot of respect to Faulkners work. In 1930, Faulkner published short novel, As I lay Dying, which was one of his most brilliant books. He saw a rise in book sales in the year 1931. In 1936, Faulkner went to Hollywood as a screenwriter to write movies. However, Faulkner continued to write novels and was acknowledged with awards for some of his brilliant work. Faulkner won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1949. Collected Stories, which was published in 1950, was the recipient of the National Book Award. In 1954, Faulkner won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for his novel A Fable. A Fable also won the National Book Award. It was his longest novel which he worked on for more than ten years.

Faulkner was a short-story expert. He used short-stories to develop his creation of Yoknapatawpha County. The Yoknapatawpha cycle ended with his novels The Town (1957), and The Mansion (1959). He used many of the same characters in both his novels and short-stories. His novels The Hamlet (1940), The Town (1957), and The Mansion (1959), are known as the Snopes Trilogy because they focus on main character Flem Snopes. The Snopes Trilogy was one of many of Faulkners major themes of his writing. After the Snopes Trilogy, Faulkner published his final novel in 1962, The Reivers. The novel took one last look at Yoknapatawpha County. In his later years, Faulkner traveled Europe and to some American colleges. In 1957, he was the writer in residence at the University of Virginia. On July 6, 1962, Faulkner died shortly after his final novel was published.

SOURCES Contemporary Literature Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale. From Literature Resource Center. Benets Readers Encyclopedia of American Literature. George B. Perkins, Barbara Perkins, and Philip Leininger. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. p321. From Literature Resource Center. American Screenwriters: Second Series. Ed. Randall Clark. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 44. Detroit: Gale Research, 1986. From Literary Resource Center.