Newswise — A significant addition to the William Faulkner Collection at the University of Mississippi was announced Wednesday evening on the grounds of the Nobel laureate's home, Rowan Oak, during the 35th annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference.
The acquisition comprises letters that resulted from a meeting in the summer of 1943 when Faulkner sat down with Hollywood filmmakers William Bacher and Henry Hathaway to discuss a story plot based on an Unknown Soldier character portrayed as Christ returning to save the world. But rather than a movie script, the discussions spawned the novel "A Fable," which would win the Pulitzer Prize.
Faulknerians consider the nine letters, including seven written by the novelist and two by Bacher, to be a valuable addition to the university's extensive Faulkner Collection.
"The acquisition of the William Bacher/William Faulkner Correspondence Collection is one that will provide Faulkner scholars, and literature and film scholars in general, with a great deal of food for thought, said Donald Kartiganer, UM's Howry Chair in Faulkner Studies.
"To begin with, the letters illustrate the kind of communication that can go on between a film producer and a novelist. They also give us fresh insight into Faulkner's character, particularly his sense of personal loyalty " especially when it comes into conflict with what he wants to write " and always his deep commitment to the need for quality in his art, a standard he refuses to violate."
At the time, Faulkner needed financial security and was made an attractive offer. Bacher advanced the writer $1,000 and Faulkner returned to Oxford to work on the script, although he was under contract with another film company. However, by January 1944, he had finished a 10,000-word first draft of the intended script. The draft soon turned into the novel project. AA Fable" was published in August 1954 and won the Pulitzer Prize in May 1955. Meanwhile, correspondence and the idea to turn the story into a screenplay continued. Bacher kept in contact with Faulkner and the two exchanged letters for almost a decade. The correspondence, which had been owned by the Bacher family, was purchased by the university with private funds. The letters, dated from 1953 to 1962, are to become part of the Faulkner Collection, housed in the J.D. Williams Library's Department of Archives and Special Collections. For details about the collection, go to http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/general_library/files/archives/guides/faulknerlink/faulklink.html.
"We are delighted to be adding the Bacher/Faulkner letters to our Archives and Special Collections," said Julia Rholes, dean of University Libraries. "We are especially pleased to have worked with the Rowan Oak Society on this important acquisition."
Funding for the purchase involved donors from both the library and the Rowan Oak Society, supporters of Faulkner's home, which is owned by UM and managed by the University Museum.
The letters also help bridge the library's holdings and Rowan Oak, which the writer bought in 1930. Faulkner outlined the novel on the walls of his small office at Rowan Oak, and the lines are viewed by the many visitors who come there year-round to learn about the famed writer.
"The correspondence provides insight into the origins of 'A Fable' and how Faulkner dealt with a commitment that was supposed to last briefly but stretched from the mid-1940s to the last year of his life," said Albert Sperath, director of University Museum. "He was determined to give Bacher $1,000 worth of his talent, which he did."
The letters are expected to be of interest not only to Faulkner enthusiasts and scholars but also to the general public, said Jennifer Ford, director of Archives and Special Collections. The library will have copies available for research, and copies will be displayed at Rowan Oak.
RSS