IATH NEWS

UVA Press Celebrates New Faulkner Biography

March 4, 2020

Carl Rollyson and the UVA Press are celebrating the release of the first volume of his biography, The Life of William Faulkner: The Past is Never Past 1897-1934. Rollyson will be discussing his book and Faulkner's life and work on March 23 at 10am in the Dome Room of the Rotunda, with IATH Fellow and English Professor Emeritus Stephen Railton, Director of American Studies and Associate Professor Jennifer Greeson, and Creative Writing Professor Chris Tilghman.

This is the first of a two-part work (volume two will be published in the fall of 2020), and stops at Faulkner's introduction to Hollywood, looking ahead to the effect that screenwriting and film had on his writing and public persona. Why another biography of Faulkner? Rollyson's preface notes that while there are many biographies of Faulkner, "even the longest biographies have not told me what I want to know." His new work integrates new materials from the Carvel Collins archives at the University of Texas, and explores the network of Faulkner's writing and his life to find new and provocative connections between his personal history, the history of his family and friends, and his work. Rollyson's intense engagement with Faulkner's works, which springs from a life-long interest in the author and in critical thought about his works, led him to explore more recent scholarship and resources. For his research of Faulkner's working methods, he worked with the UVA Library's William Faulkner Collection and Stephen Railton's Digital Yoknapatawpha, a digital exploration of Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha stories and novels.

A book signing will follow the discussion. For more information, please contact Emily Grandstaff at the UVA Press (egrandstaff at virginia.edu).