What do you think?
Rate this book
Every Day by the Sun: A Memoir of the Faulkners of Mississippi
In Every Day by the Sun, Dean Faulkner Wells recounts the story of the Faulkners of Mississippi, whose legacy includes pioneers, noble and ignoble war veterans, three never-convicted murderers, the builder of the first railroad in north Mississippi, the founding president of a bank, an FBI agent, four pilots (all brothers), and a Nobel Prize winner, arguably the most important American novelist of the twentieth century. She also reveals wonderfully entertaining and intimate stories and anecdotes about her family—in particular her uncle William, or “Pappy,” with whom she shared colorful, sometimes utterly frank, sometimes whimsical, conversations and experiences.
This deeply felt memoir explores the close relationship between Dean’s uncle and her father, Dean Swift Faulkner, a barnstormer killed at age twenty-eight during an air show four months before she was born. It was William who gave his youngest brother an airplane, and after Dean’s tragic death, William helped to raise his niece. He paid for her education, gave her away when she was married, and maintained a unique relationship with her throughout his life.
From the 1920s to the early civil rights era, from Faulkner’s winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature to his death in 1962, Every Day by the Sun explores the changing culture and society of Oxford, Mississippi, while offering a rare glimpse of a notoriously private family and an indelible portrait of a national treasure.
This deeply felt memoir explores the close relationship between Dean’s uncle and her father, Dean Swift Faulkner, a barnstormer killed at age twenty-eight during an air show four months before she was born. It was William who gave his youngest brother an airplane, and after Dean’s tragic death, William helped to raise his niece. He paid for her education, gave her away when she was married, and maintained a unique relationship with her throughout his life.
From the 1920s to the early civil rights era, from Faulkner’s winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature to his death in 1962, Every Day by the Sun explores the changing culture and society of Oxford, Mississippi, while offering a rare glimpse of a notoriously private family and an indelible portrait of a national treasure.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
19 people are currently reading
1778 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
January 7, 2024
Not a scholarly in-depth biography, but a memoir of the Faulkner family. Dean was the niece of William Faulkner, the daughter of his youngest brother who was killed in a place crash 5 months before she was born. "Pappy" as the family called him, was the closest thing she had to a father, and she adored him. He assumed responsibility for her and her mother, even after her mother remarried. The Faulkners stuck together and took care of their own. Her personal reminiscences of growing up at Rowan Oak near her grandmother and cousins take into account William's growing fame. She talks about his affairs and his drinking, fully realizing his faults, but also gives us fascinating tidbits of information about his marriage to Estelle, his daughter, and his relationships with his other brothers.
I really enjoyed this. I've yet to read a straight biography of Faulkner and his writing, but I feel like this was a good start as a background. Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed this. I've yet to read a straight biography of Faulkner and his writing, but I feel like this was a good start as a background. Highly recommended.
July 3, 2011
Dean Faulkner Wells offers a unique and personal view into the private world of William Faulkner. The daughter of youngest Faulkner brother Dean, who died in a plane crash prior to her birth, spent a great deal of time in the company of Nobel Laureate William Faulkner. As a child, she did not recognize the importance of the man who generously undertook raising her following her father's death. To his niece, the writer was simply known as "Pappy."
William Faulkner took on the responsibility without reservation, as a natural obligation to his youngest brother whom he deeply loved. Dean was the baby brother. Wells' title is taken from the Faulkner family's remembrance that Dean never owned a watch. He lived every day by the sun.
Dean Faulkner was ten years younger than William. William paid for his flying lessons. He gave him a Waco-C cabin cruiser. It was the plane in which Dean Faulkner died. William blamed himself for his brother's death. That event contributed to the bouts of depression he fought periodically over the course of his life.
Wells presents Faulkner on a level of intimacy that reveals a man completely different from the image he showed to the rest of the world. It is for this that "Every Day by the Sun" should be read. There is no deep literary analysis here. Nor is there any deep exploration of Faulkner's feelings towards race. Wells reveals Faulkner's warmth, humor and wit that he reserved for family and intimate friends.
Wells does not varnish over Faulkner's marriage to Estelle or his romances he pursued outside his marriage. However, she clearly understands that she was able to accept his behavior because she was a niece and not a daughter. Wells also portrays Estelle in a more favorable light than previous authors. She offers no insight regarding the underlying reasons for the Faulkner's distant marriage. She was offered no explanation, so she does not speculate on William and Estelle's disaffection for one another.
The Faulkners' alcoholism is a subject for open discussion. William binged. Estelle drank every day. But Estelle joined AA and maintained her sobriety. She returned to her painting which she abandoned for years and was an avid fisher-woman.
Dean Faulkner Wells also provides us with a view of Oxford that is rapidly vanishing as the town has become a popular retirement community today. The beloved "Square" that surrounds the old courthouse is changing. Old Faulkner haunts are disappearing. Condominiums, apartments and garden homes crowd in on the square today. "New" Mississippians bray into their cell phones as they cruise the shops, boutiques and restaurants that have replaced the familiar locations frequented by William Faulkner. It is a bustling commercial success that Faulkner would have despised.
The reader may still find Faulkner in the rooms of Rowan Oak and in the pages of Wells' engaging memoir. Faulkner's niece has written a book that shows her obvious love for William Faulkner. However, she never sinks into sentimentalism. Her view is fresh, objective and unblinking. Read it.
William Faulkner took on the responsibility without reservation, as a natural obligation to his youngest brother whom he deeply loved. Dean was the baby brother. Wells' title is taken from the Faulkner family's remembrance that Dean never owned a watch. He lived every day by the sun.
Dean Faulkner was ten years younger than William. William paid for his flying lessons. He gave him a Waco-C cabin cruiser. It was the plane in which Dean Faulkner died. William blamed himself for his brother's death. That event contributed to the bouts of depression he fought periodically over the course of his life.
Wells presents Faulkner on a level of intimacy that reveals a man completely different from the image he showed to the rest of the world. It is for this that "Every Day by the Sun" should be read. There is no deep literary analysis here. Nor is there any deep exploration of Faulkner's feelings towards race. Wells reveals Faulkner's warmth, humor and wit that he reserved for family and intimate friends.
Wells does not varnish over Faulkner's marriage to Estelle or his romances he pursued outside his marriage. However, she clearly understands that she was able to accept his behavior because she was a niece and not a daughter. Wells also portrays Estelle in a more favorable light than previous authors. She offers no insight regarding the underlying reasons for the Faulkner's distant marriage. She was offered no explanation, so she does not speculate on William and Estelle's disaffection for one another.
The Faulkners' alcoholism is a subject for open discussion. William binged. Estelle drank every day. But Estelle joined AA and maintained her sobriety. She returned to her painting which she abandoned for years and was an avid fisher-woman.
Dean Faulkner Wells also provides us with a view of Oxford that is rapidly vanishing as the town has become a popular retirement community today. The beloved "Square" that surrounds the old courthouse is changing. Old Faulkner haunts are disappearing. Condominiums, apartments and garden homes crowd in on the square today. "New" Mississippians bray into their cell phones as they cruise the shops, boutiques and restaurants that have replaced the familiar locations frequented by William Faulkner. It is a bustling commercial success that Faulkner would have despised.
The reader may still find Faulkner in the rooms of Rowan Oak and in the pages of Wells' engaging memoir. Faulkner's niece has written a book that shows her obvious love for William Faulkner. However, she never sinks into sentimentalism. Her view is fresh, objective and unblinking. Read it.
September 19, 2011
Many years ago I read Joseph Blotner’s massive (and massively numbing) biography on William Faulkner. In fairness to Blotner, I thought he did a good job with the younger Faulkner, but it was with his account of the older writer that I sort of lost interest. But maybe it was just a page count thing. With Dean Faulkner Wells’ Every Day by the Sun, I think I’ve found a good account of the author in his later years. However, what’s missing throughout is any real literary analysis. What Wells’ provides is a portrait of her uncle – who she clearly loved, that in its own way transcends a literary biography.
Those coming to look for something more in-depth in Wells’ book may be disappointed. Still, the book is hard to put down. You are going to like Wells’ voice a great deal. The book does have a lot of William Faulkner in it, but it is Dean Faulkner Wells’ story. And it is an interesting story. Dean’s father, was William Faulkner’s brother Dean. His daughter never knew her father, since he was killed in a plane crash before she was born. According to Dean, William was haunted (it was his plane his brother crashed in) by this event for the rest of his life. The back story to all of this would seem to make for some genuine context for Faulkner’s air show novel, Pylon, but I can’t say for sure, since I’ve not read it.
To make up for this tragedy, Faulkner was always a dutiful uncle to her, and helpful brother-in-law to her mother. As a result, Dean spent a great deal of her growing-up –years at Rowan Oaks. The Faulkner that emerges is a paradox: a modernist writer who is also deeply rooted in the traditions of his past heritage. Other than airplanes, Faulkner had little use for radios, television, and phones. His evenings often found him reading Shakespeare or the Bible.
But there is a dark side to Faulkner as well, and Wells, while not dwelling on it, doesn’t ignore it either. On his drinking, she says that she never saw him drunk. But she knows he drank – a great deal (primarily as a binge drinker). So much so that he would often have to be hospitalized in order to dry out. The fact that this happened more than once had me feeling that Wells is just representing the tip of an alcoholic iceberg, which I feel definitely, in his later years, impacted his writing.
Then there’s Faulkner’s womanizing – which seemed pretty weird as he entered his fifties. He liked them young (early twenties). Wells’ insists that Faulkner enjoyed their minds. Whatever. Nevertheless, I felt her account an honest one. At one point she tells of watching Faulkner’s daughter, Jill, on television recounting life with dad. Jill told the interviewer that Faulkner didn’t care for anyone but himself. Hearing this, Dean found herself screaming at the TV, but in the next paragraph acknowledges that she really didn’t know what it was like to really live with “Pappy.”
If you’re into Faulkner, this is a good read, but one that skates quickly over the events of his life. I would instead recommend reading this book with Dean’s story foremost in mind, which is that of a young woman (with a famous literary uncle) growing up in a fast-changing South. Sadly, as I was reading this book, I found out that Dean Faulkner Wells passed away this summer.
Those coming to look for something more in-depth in Wells’ book may be disappointed. Still, the book is hard to put down. You are going to like Wells’ voice a great deal. The book does have a lot of William Faulkner in it, but it is Dean Faulkner Wells’ story. And it is an interesting story. Dean’s father, was William Faulkner’s brother Dean. His daughter never knew her father, since he was killed in a plane crash before she was born. According to Dean, William was haunted (it was his plane his brother crashed in) by this event for the rest of his life. The back story to all of this would seem to make for some genuine context for Faulkner’s air show novel, Pylon, but I can’t say for sure, since I’ve not read it.
To make up for this tragedy, Faulkner was always a dutiful uncle to her, and helpful brother-in-law to her mother. As a result, Dean spent a great deal of her growing-up –years at Rowan Oaks. The Faulkner that emerges is a paradox: a modernist writer who is also deeply rooted in the traditions of his past heritage. Other than airplanes, Faulkner had little use for radios, television, and phones. His evenings often found him reading Shakespeare or the Bible.
But there is a dark side to Faulkner as well, and Wells, while not dwelling on it, doesn’t ignore it either. On his drinking, she says that she never saw him drunk. But she knows he drank – a great deal (primarily as a binge drinker). So much so that he would often have to be hospitalized in order to dry out. The fact that this happened more than once had me feeling that Wells is just representing the tip of an alcoholic iceberg, which I feel definitely, in his later years, impacted his writing.
Then there’s Faulkner’s womanizing – which seemed pretty weird as he entered his fifties. He liked them young (early twenties). Wells’ insists that Faulkner enjoyed their minds. Whatever. Nevertheless, I felt her account an honest one. At one point she tells of watching Faulkner’s daughter, Jill, on television recounting life with dad. Jill told the interviewer that Faulkner didn’t care for anyone but himself. Hearing this, Dean found herself screaming at the TV, but in the next paragraph acknowledges that she really didn’t know what it was like to really live with “Pappy.”
If you’re into Faulkner, this is a good read, but one that skates quickly over the events of his life. I would instead recommend reading this book with Dean’s story foremost in mind, which is that of a young woman (with a famous literary uncle) growing up in a fast-changing South. Sadly, as I was reading this book, I found out that Dean Faulkner Wells passed away this summer.
April 17, 2015
Lovely and witty memoir enmeshed within the Mississippi of her ancestors. I don't think I've enjoyed a memoir this much in years, and I read a goodly number. Dean Faulkner Wells has the subtle, outrageous, and poignant eyes of her home place. Telling the context of her days as a girl, her youth, her Pappy and her word gift- it was not only a joy to read but filled with minutia information both intriguing and core to the culture. The Oxford farmstead "bells", the choice of smoking or wine, not both (oh, I could see those bottom side up turned over glasses)and the heat. I can picture him too, with the white hair, small ears, elegant profile and grace of arrogance. Next time I go South on a drive, I don't want to skip Oxford.
September 14, 2025
Ignore the dates - I didn’t finish this in one day. I started it months ago, put at down, and just came back to finish it. It’s a lovely account of Faulkner’s relationship with his niece (the author) after his brother (her dad) dies in a plane accident. Beautifully written and a touching tribute to William Faulkner
April 20, 2012
This is a must-read for any Faulkner fan. A well-told and researched tale by William Faulkner's niece. Her father, Faulkner's youngest brother, was killed in an airplane accident scant weeks before she was born, and so the famous author assumed responsibility for her upbringing. Her experience of him is much different that many others - she never saw him drunk, for instance - but nonetheless, her story is an interesting an insightful look into Faulkner's life from the perspective of an adoring young woman. I have just returned from a trip to Oxford, Mississippi - my Mother's home - and have visited the Faulkner home, Rowan Oaks, many times. My mother also counts people who knew him personally among her friends, so this book was especially interesting to me.
June 25, 2012
Loved this book, especially since I started reading it in Oxford, MS during Books on the Nightstand's 2012 Booktopia, and we'd just toured Faulkner's home. Written by Faulkner's niece, the only living Faulkner (Dean died 3 months after publication), I loved that I recognized much of the Oxford she spoke of. I appreciate the honesty of this book, and am more and more intrigued with William Faulkner.
July 11, 2019
Excellent. Haunting.
Read
October 8, 2013This book has been like learning about a new friends family over coffee in a Mississippi town square. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The tone and descriptions were familiar to me, having a family rooted in the south and "southern ways" for generations. The question of love and deep respect never entered my mind, each person mentioned in this book was a heartfelt part of her family; "her people". I smiled at some of Faulkner's family tales and felt sincere empathy over others. I remembered many of my own family stories while reading and I have promised myself the next time I am up in Oxford I will run by "the big place" just to take a long look.
August 24, 2013
A memoir by the niece of William Faulkner. Lots of new information for me. The first of Faulkner's books that I attempted to read was THE SOUND AND FURY. It was my first experience with 'stream of consciousness.' I was surprised at the number of Faulkner books that I have read.
The book was an easy read and quite interesting.
The book was an easy read and quite interesting.
November 25, 2013
I very much enjoyed reading about Faulkner from his niece's point of view and learning a little more about my new hometown. I am more convinced than ever that Oxford's cultural reputation owes a great deal to Wm Faulkner.
April 27, 2011
Charming author and book. Who knew Faulkner read Dear Abby first thing every day ?
January 19, 2023
Every Day by the Sun was a most informative and enjoyable read. I realized how little that I knew about the great William Faulkner other than that he is considered a literary giant. The late Ms. Wells told the personal story of her beloved uncle who became her guardian after her father Dean Swift Faulkner was killed in a plane crash four months before her birth. William Faulkner, her father's older brother became her substitute father in place of the one she never knew. In this memoir, Ms. Wells has shared the story of the Faulkner family bringing this incredible, somewhat eccentric family to life as only her first hand account can do. In spite of many tragedies in her life, it was a life that I envy as I'm sure many others might. Through her Uncle William who she always called Pappy, she was introduced a whole world of interesting people and places. Imagine rubbing elbows with all of the great literary figures such as Upton Sinclair, Willie Morris, Shelby Foote and Barry Hannah! Ms. Wells led a full and colorful life and in this book she shares it with us who can only dream of having such an adventure. We also learn so much about her beloved Pappy and his kindness to those less fortunate people in his life.
May 12, 2025
I purchased this memoir at the Faulkner Book Shop on Pirate's Alley in New Orleans. I have always been a fan of southern authors but have never read anything by William Faulkner. This was a totally engrossing memoir. One learns so much about the history of the Faulkners....their dreams, ambitions, loves, losses, and true southern life. The reader gets a vivid, personal view of this extraordinary family. I have become a fan through this memoir and my next purchase will be a book by the legendary William Faulkner.
November 17, 2018
I found this memoir by the niece of William Faulkner so very delightful. The personal insights into this globally-recognized author have enticed me to read his novels (I never have!) and to visit his home and stomping grounds in Oxford, MS. Once again, I am appreciate the effort of all those who write memoirs that include stories of older generations so we can remember the value of history, family and place.
November 18, 2018
Interesting but not really.
As I knew nothing about William Faulkner or his family when I began this book, I vastly increased my knowledge of him/them, but I just never really got sucked in to it.
Well written and I loved the fact that she didn't make it seem like she was a bigger part of his story than she was. Truly the book was more about the entire family than just the most famous of them.
As I knew nothing about William Faulkner or his family when I began this book, I vastly increased my knowledge of him/them, but I just never really got sucked in to it.
Well written and I loved the fact that she didn't make it seem like she was a bigger part of his story than she was. Truly the book was more about the entire family than just the most famous of them.
November 15, 2021
Be sure to follow your literary tour through Rowan Oak in Oxford, Mississippi with this memoir written by Faulkner's niece Dean. The book sheds light on Faulkner's work, his home life, Southern culture, Southern women, and the weird chemistry of male/female relationships in Faulkner's time. The memoir will help you organize your list of William Faulkner books and stories it the order that you will want to read them. Dean Faulkner Wells' memoir will likely make you cringe.
July 28, 2023
I wasn’t sure I would like this book as I am usually a fiction buff, but this one is a warts and all tale of the author’s uncle, William Faulkner, the much heralded writer out of Oxford, Mississippi. Theirs were lives of drama, adventure, birth and death. William Faulkner was certainly a man of strong opinions and long held beliefs.
November 19, 2018
This is the best book ABOUT Faulkner I have ever read. It's because of the charm and humor of the author, the great man's niece, a talent her own self. Find you a copy, I mean it.
Highest recommendation.
Highest recommendation.
November 9, 2017
A really good read
September 17, 2018
A great story of a well known family of the south. They had a fair amount of tragedy in the family. The authors own father died in a plane crash. Very good read if you are in history.
October 26, 2019
Fascinating memoir about the family of the great American writer, William Faulkner.
April 15, 2021
Better than Faulkners actual books.
February 13, 2020
This memoir is about Dean Faulkner Wells's memories of and relationship to her famous father-figure William Faulkner. A loving portrait of a man who lost his youngest brother too soon but fulfilled a promise to look after his family. No literary insights but some interesting moments into the man and surrogate father William Faulkner tried to be for his niece. Her memoir is an act of gratitude for his kindness towards her.
February 22, 2021
I found this memoir by the niece of William Faulkner so very delightful. The personal insights into this globally-recognized author have enticed me to read his novels (I never have!) and to visit his home and stomping grounds in Oxford, MS. Once again, I am appreciative of the effort of all those who write memoirs that include stories of older generations so we can remember the value of history, family and place.
Read
September 21, 2012 Review
"Nobody could have written this book except Dean Faulkner Wells. It is not only charming, poignant and witty, it is a priceless contribution to America's rich literary history."—Winston Groom, author, _Forrest Gump
_"Dean Faulkner Wells has written a memorable family story, full of the intimacies of place and cherished connections, that not incidentally sheds unexpected, humanizing light on her august uncle, William Faulkner."--Thomas McGuane
"A funny, extremely readable, incredibly likable memoir of what it was like to grow up with the great man....A wonderful book."--Mark Childress, author of Crazy in Alabama
"_Read Every Day by the Sun_, then read Go Down Moses, The Hamlet, The Town, The Mansion, and you will feel you have been on an archaeological dig with a master. Dean Faulkner Wells knows where the gold is buried, where the heart strings sang, where the understanding and love were engendered....Burn the deconstructionists’ texts. Every day By The Sun is all you need."—Ellen Gilchrist
"I can't recall the last time I enjoyed a book as much as Every Day By The Sun. Dean Faulkner Wells has performed a miracle: She’s brought a great man back to life, and in doing so she’s summoned a time and a place that now seem too far gone. I love her clean, sharp, unpretentious prose, the well-hewn stories piled one on top of the other, the intimate revelations about a family that belongs to all of us but belonged to her first. William Faulkner is a fascinating character indeed, but it is Wells herself whom I found most captivating. She’s somebody to fall in love with and never get over."--John Ed Bradley, author, Tupelo Nights
"A fresh, affectionate view of 'Pappy,' the great and difficult writer."--Roy Blount, Jr.
"Part biography, part memoir, Wells' work does much to humanize the man who is often remembered only for his words. A must-read for Faulkner-philes."--_Kirkus _
"Marvelously evocative, intimate, and deeply moving."
--John Berendt
In Every Day by the Sun, Dean Faulkner Wells recounts the story of the Faulkners of Mississippi, whose legacy includes pioneers, noble and ignoble war veterans, three never-convicted murderers, the builder of the first railroad in north Mississippi, the founding president of a bank, an FBI agent, four pilots (all brothers), and a Nobel Prize winner, arguably the most important American novelist of the twentieth century. She also reveals wonderfully entertaining and intimate stories and anecdotes about her family—in particular her uncle William, or “Pappy,” with whom she shared colorful, sometimes utterly frank, sometimes whimsical, conversations and experiences.
This deeply felt memoir explores the close relationship between Dean’s uncle and her father, Dean Swift Faulkner, a barnstormer killed at age twenty-eight during an air show four months before she was born. It was William who gave his youngest brother an airplane, and after Dean’s tragic death, William helped to raise his niece. He paid for her education, gave her away when she was married, and maintained a unique relationship with her throughout his life.
From the 1920s to the early civil rights era, from Faulkner’s winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature to his death in 1962, Every Day by the Sun explores the changing culture and society of Oxford, Mississippi, while offering a rare glimpse of a notoriously private family and an indelible portrait of a national treasure.
May 31, 2011
A surprisingly candid memoir of the Faulkner family, written by William’s niece, Dean Wells. Nobel Prize and two time Pulitzer Prize winner William Faulkner was the oldest in a family of four boys. He had a close relationship with his youngest brother, Dean. Dean died in an airplane crash a few months before the birth of his daughter (Dean Wells) in a plane given to him by his brother William. Dean Wells had a close relationship with her uncle William who helped raise her and contributed to her financial support.
The title of this book comes from a running family joke: Dean missed one question on his commercial pilot’s exam. When asked to list the equipment a pilot should always carry with him, he omitted one item—a watch. His cousin said, “Dean never needed a watch. He lived every day of his life by the sun.”
She speaks straightforwardly yet compassionately about William’s alcoholism and his extramarital affairs.
I found this very touching: At one point, Dean tried his hand at writing and asked William for advice. The book contains a list of vocab words, in William’s handwriting, that he must have recommended to his brother.
This was my favorite anecdote: William took an unappealing job in the 1930s in Hollywood as a screenwriter because he needed the money. His director Hawks “took William and Clark Gable on a dove shoot in the Imperial Valley. Gable, whom William had never met, brought along his .410 over and under, a shotgun that William coveted on sight. As they drove into the valley, Hawks began talking about books and authors. Clark Gable listened in silence. At last Hawks said, ‘Mr. Faulkner, who would you say are the best living writers?’ William replied, ‘Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, Thomas Mann, John Dos Passos, and myself.’ ‘Oh,’ said Gable. ‘Do you write, Mr. Faulkner.?’ ‘Yes, Mr. Gable,’ William replied. ‘What do you do?’”
I’m a huge fan of Southern Gothic. I fell in love with Faulkner’s short stories in college, and I really enjoyed this memoir.
The title of this book comes from a running family joke: Dean missed one question on his commercial pilot’s exam. When asked to list the equipment a pilot should always carry with him, he omitted one item—a watch. His cousin said, “Dean never needed a watch. He lived every day of his life by the sun.”
She speaks straightforwardly yet compassionately about William’s alcoholism and his extramarital affairs.
I found this very touching: At one point, Dean tried his hand at writing and asked William for advice. The book contains a list of vocab words, in William’s handwriting, that he must have recommended to his brother.
This was my favorite anecdote: William took an unappealing job in the 1930s in Hollywood as a screenwriter because he needed the money. His director Hawks “took William and Clark Gable on a dove shoot in the Imperial Valley. Gable, whom William had never met, brought along his .410 over and under, a shotgun that William coveted on sight. As they drove into the valley, Hawks began talking about books and authors. Clark Gable listened in silence. At last Hawks said, ‘Mr. Faulkner, who would you say are the best living writers?’ William replied, ‘Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, Thomas Mann, John Dos Passos, and myself.’ ‘Oh,’ said Gable. ‘Do you write, Mr. Faulkner.?’ ‘Yes, Mr. Gable,’ William replied. ‘What do you do?’”
I’m a huge fan of Southern Gothic. I fell in love with Faulkner’s short stories in college, and I really enjoyed this memoir.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2014
I've always been ambivalent (I preferred his short stories to his novels, with "A Rose for Emily" being my favorite because the storyline was familiar and could have been written about any small Southern town) about William Faulkner as an author, which as a Southerner and a writer, in some circles, puts me one step away from being a traitor to all things Southern (I hate watermelon too so I'm sure that puts me over the line) and puts a big cloud of suspicion over my head regarding my Southern authenticity.
So be it. I like what I like and I don't like what I don't like. If it's too incomprehensible and too out there, I'm not going to pretend that it's anything else. I don't care who wrote it.
However, after reading this book, I have a deeper understanding - and greater appreciation - of not just William Faulkner, but of the Mississippi contingent of the Faulkner family. I may even go back and read a couple of novels again that I was on the fence about the first time I read them.
Written by the daughter of William Faulkner's younger brother, this book is clear-eyed and engaging. The author doesn't sugarcoat the foibles and sins of the Faulkner family, but she doesn't trash them either. They did some awful things and they did some wonderful things. They have some good character and they had some bad character. They had good genetics and bad genetics.
In short, the Faulkners were just like every other human being who has, does, or will live. Including you and me.
You don't read many books like this where there's an objective account of the totality of the humanity involved. Usually the mythological aspect - from one extreme to the other - is so overwhelming that you come away not knowing the person/people involved any better than before you read the book.
This one's different. Whether you're a Faulkner fan or not, I'd recommend it. Whether you're a Southerner or not, I'd recommend it. If you breathing and reading this, I'd recommend it.
So be it. I like what I like and I don't like what I don't like. If it's too incomprehensible and too out there, I'm not going to pretend that it's anything else. I don't care who wrote it.
However, after reading this book, I have a deeper understanding - and greater appreciation - of not just William Faulkner, but of the Mississippi contingent of the Faulkner family. I may even go back and read a couple of novels again that I was on the fence about the first time I read them.
Written by the daughter of William Faulkner's younger brother, this book is clear-eyed and engaging. The author doesn't sugarcoat the foibles and sins of the Faulkner family, but she doesn't trash them either. They did some awful things and they did some wonderful things. They have some good character and they had some bad character. They had good genetics and bad genetics.
In short, the Faulkners were just like every other human being who has, does, or will live. Including you and me.
You don't read many books like this where there's an objective account of the totality of the humanity involved. Usually the mythological aspect - from one extreme to the other - is so overwhelming that you come away not knowing the person/people involved any better than before you read the book.
This one's different. Whether you're a Faulkner fan or not, I'd recommend it. Whether you're a Southerner or not, I'd recommend it. If you breathing and reading this, I'd recommend it.
May 19, 2015
In Every Day by the Sun, Dean Faulkner Wells recounts the story of the Faulkners of Mississippi, whose legacy includes pioneers, noble and ignoble war veterans, three never-convicted murderers, the builder of the first railroad in north Mississippi, the founding president of a bank, an FBI agent, four pilots (all brothers), and a Nobel Prize winner, arguably the most important American novelist of the twentieth century. She also reveals wonderfully entertaining and intimate stories and anecdotes about her family—in particular her uncle William, or “Pappy,” with whom she shared colorful, sometimes utterly frank, sometimes whimsical, conversations and experiences.
This deeply felt memoir explores the close relationship between Dean’s uncle and her father, Dean Swift Faulkner, a barnstormer killed at age twenty-eight during an air show four months before she was born. It was William who gave his youngest brother an airplane, and after Dean’s tragic death, William helped to raise his niece. He paid for her education, gave her away when she was married, and maintained a unique relationship with her throughout his life.
From the 1920s to the early civil rights era, from Faulkner’s winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature to his death in 1962, Every Day by the Sun explores the changing culture and society of Oxford, Mississippi, while offering a rare glimpse of a notoriously private family and an indelible portrait of a national treasure.
This deeply felt memoir explores the close relationship between Dean’s uncle and her father, Dean Swift Faulkner, a barnstormer killed at age twenty-eight during an air show four months before she was born. It was William who gave his youngest brother an airplane, and after Dean’s tragic death, William helped to raise his niece. He paid for her education, gave her away when she was married, and maintained a unique relationship with her throughout his life.
From the 1920s to the early civil rights era, from Faulkner’s winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature to his death in 1962, Every Day by the Sun explores the changing culture and society of Oxford, Mississippi, while offering a rare glimpse of a notoriously private family and an indelible portrait of a national treasure.
Read
October 1, 2012Having read most of Faulkner's fiction and the collection of his letters, I felt like I knew what he looked like from the inside, sorta, but always wondered how all that Southern pain/passion/ego looked from the outside. His niece is the perfect conduit for this information, and she's a delightful writer. Like her uncle, a great eye for detail. Faulkner's drinking binges are legendary, but I don't think we knew--even from Blotner--that the writer's favorite TV show was Car 54, Where Are You? No TV at Rowan Oak, but "Pappy," as his niece called him, went over to a friend's house every Sunday night to watch those two goofy cops. He also had a terrible time opening those little packages of soda crackers that come with soup or salad in restaurants, would end up smashing them with a fist, muttering about "the instransigence of inanimate objects." But the book is really about the writer's father's death, eerily almost re-enacting John's death in SARTORIS . . .anyway, if you love Faulkner, or if you just wonder what the hell? read this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews