Reviews for William Faulkner and Joan Williams: The Romance of Two Writers

The average rating for William Faulkner and Joan Williams: The Romance of Two Writers based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-10-17 00:00:00 John D Phelps Lisa Hickman's remarkable book about the relationship between the gifted writer Joan Williams and her mentor and tormentor the genius William Faulkner reveals a story that none of Faulkner's biographers has fully accessed. That access is available to you now: Hickman tells of Faulkner's creative process as he revealed his struggle with both the work, depression and reliance on alcohol, a difficult marriage that somehow served him and the way he both gave access to Williams to his agent, editors, a first story in the Atlantic Monthly, entreé into the world of the literati with all their influences. But at the same time, Faulkner both pressured Williams for a sexual relationship and never fully gave her the mandate of his approval for her work. This talented writer was nominated for the National Book Award for her first book but, still, as Richard Bausch eloquently and simply describes, sought late in life a teacher. The mentor and his subject is ultimately at the heart of this lovely, troubling and well-researched book'all done with remarkable access given by Joan Williams to Lisa Hickman into William's correspondence with Faulkner and into her thoughts on her own work and on his. I recommend this book to readers of Faulkner, to women writers, to those who write and want to read, as Faulkner told us we should in his Nobel Laureate speach, about the human heart in conflict with itself. This seemingly academic book goes to the heart of the matter in this relationship that meant so much to Faulkner: Williams, always slightly out of reach, remained his muse. Faulkner, ever in pursuit and yet not giving where she needed the gift the most, stood large for Williams: a shadow that engulfed her. And then, too, we get writing advice from Faulkner that I've not read elsewhere. Here's an example: "You have got to be capable of anything, everything, accepting them I mean, not as experiments, clinical, to see what it does to the mind, like with drugs or dead outside things, but because the heart and body are big enough to accept all the world, all human agony and passion." (p.124) This is a book that uncovers more than a relationship: it goes to the heart of the creative mind and the power and cruelty of the mentor. Read it!

Review # 2 was written on 2014-05-03 00:00:00 William Geary The foundations of pomo poetry were dropped in these ten volumes. Collectibles. I found myself a complete set in NC, and the set is invaluable to me.