Knight's Gambit

by William Faulkner

Gavin Stevens, the wise student of crime and folkways of Mississippi's Yoknapatawpha county, plays the major role in these six stories of violence.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery, Classics, Crime, American, Literature

Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer. He is best known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in for Lafayette County where he spent most of his life. A Nobel laureate, Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers of American literature and often is considered the greatest writer of Southern literature.
Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, and raised in Oxford, Mississippi. During World War I, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, but did not serve in combat. Returning to Oxford, he attended the University of Mississippi for three semesters before dropping out. He moved to New Orleans, where he wrote his first novel Soldiers' Pay (1925). He went back to Oxford and wrote Sartoris (1927), his first work set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. In 1929, he published The Sound and the Fury. The following year, he wrote As I Lay Dying. Later that decade, he wrote Light in August, Absalom, Absalom! and The Wild Palms. He also worked as a screenwriter, contributing to Howard Hawks's To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep, adapted from Raymond Chandler's novel. The former film, adapted from Ernest Hemingway's novel, is the only film with contributions by two Nobel laureates.
Faulkner's reputation grew following publication of Malcolm Cowley's The Portable Faulkner, and he was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his powerful and unique contribution to the modern American novel." He is the only Mississippi-born Nobel laureate. Two of his works, A Fable (1954) and The Reivers (1962), won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Faulkner died from a heart attack on July 6, 1962, following a fall from his horse the month before. Ralph Ellison called him "the greatest artist the South has produced".

Reviews

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gavin Stevens, a lawyer educated at Harvard, lawyering and living in Mississippi's Yoknapatawpha county, analyzes his southern compatriots. He often seems to know them better than they know themselves. In five short stories and a novella bearing the title of the book, Faulkner through Stevens ruminates on truth versus justice and reveals culprits that need to be brought to aforesaid justice. These were interesting stories as Faulkner presents the times and the people so well. I fear that I am spoiled by contemporary authors because I found the pacing quite slow; however, there will be some gems to overturn for Faulkner aficionados.

[Lawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knight's Gambit

The following are comments from V.K. Ratliff, friend of Gavin Stevens. We originally met Ratliff under the name V.K. Surratt in "The Bear Hunt" when we delved into Collected Stories, chosen by our own "Big Daddy" Tom. Faulkner subsequently changed the name to Ratliff. Why? I haven't found a definitive answer. I'm not one to speculate. But, forging on, Faulkner was steeped in history, writing at length of the American Civil War. His Grandfather, the Old Colonel, fought throughout the war, the model for central characters in Flags in the Dust, and The Unvanquished. Either Faulkner or his northern editor might think a character bearing the name of Surratt summoned up to many memories of Mary Surrratt hanged as a conspirator in the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. It wouldn't be appeal to Northern readers. True or not, the blue shirted sewing machine salesman becomes a staunch friend to Lawyer Stevens in their stand to preserve the dignity of Jefferson from the rise to power of the multitudinous Snopes Conlan. Snopes: A Trilogy. Thus, I chose to have V.K. tell this tale. And, I wanted to lure you readers in continuing to read Faulkner and his further development of Lawyer Gavin Stevens as a central character. BTW, although V.K. has, uhm, good intentions, he is a wee bit wrong here and there. And not totally reliable. Just a tad shy there....AHEM
ENTER V.K. RATLIFF.
LEANS AGAINST THE WALL, ONE BOOT HEEL RAISED BEHIND HIM. BOOT TOE MAINTAINING HIS EQUILIBRIUM. HE'S HAVING A SUGAR COME FILLED WITH A DOUBLE SCOOP OF STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM...???

Now, Lawyer doesn't see some things. But I let him find those things out for himself. If I was to tell him, it wouldn't have ever come to him in a way it would have made a difference. Lawyer don't know women, hasn't ever, won't ever. But I'd put him up against any man on recognizin' the difference tween good and evil. And if he can't make the law work he'll get justice if he has to do it outside a court room.

Now Bill Faulkner wrote this book "Knight's Gambit." It's all bout Lawyer. I don't figger in it too much. But I figgered in some others. I read it too. Down at Mac Reed's Drug Store off the Square. Had me some strawberry ice cream cones while I was readin it. I'd say strawberry ice cream's bout God's most greatest creation. Me and Lawyer's nephew Chick, we'd go down there and get us a cone ever now and then. It's mostly true,what's in that book. Sho, I liked it too. Liked it just fine. You watch Snopeses long as me an Lawyer watched Snopeses, you'd see it for the truth, too. Not much in this town happens I don't know and I know all the people in this book.

They's some folks think Lawyer was just Bill's mouthpiece, spoutin' out his ideas on politics and govermint and the like. An they was a lot alike. Just like Bill goin' gray early, so'd Lawyer. An then Bill had a thing for younger women, more'n one or two of em, not that he'd ever have told it. Now the women did. Oh, yes. Even put it down in books. That Meta carpenter A Loving Gentleman: The Love Story of William Faulkner and Meta Carpenterout in Hollywood and that young woman got Bill to let her help him write that play about Temple and Gowan, Nancy too, poor woman. Lawyer was bout the same way there too. He was allus lookin' to help those young girls form their minds he said. Not that the town thought so. Except Lawyer, I doubt, never got nothin' from that Eula Helen of Troy Varner, nor her daughter Linda, neither. Sho, I think Bill was prob'ly luckier at love than Lawyer other than Estelle of course. But they was two separate people. Knowed both.

Lots of folks don't think much of this book of Bill's. Got me a Time magazine when it come out and this feller was writin' bout Bill and said he'd missed the bar on this one. Said he must of wrote it to make money cause some of those stories was put in the Saturday Evening Post so it wan't litrature. I guess he must of wrote that for free cause he wan't no better than Bill if he got paid for it.

And then you got them folks that read nuthin' but mystery books. Those people don't like it any better than that Time feller. One man, well, he said these weren't real mystery stories cause Bill didn't make this windin' trail of clues leadin' you in one direction and then t'other. Said Bill telegraphed who done ever thin by puttin' the key clues in eyetalics, didn't make you guess nothin'.

I like a good whodunnit as much as the next man or woman. Read a good many of em. Checked em out of that rack at Mack Reed's Down at the drug store where you'd get your pills and a sundae or a coca cola. Just like Bill used to. You could be down there bout nine and most of the late crowd would be down there. Bill'd walk into town from that old place of his and check out the latest ones. If I'd been married to Estelle Oldham, I'd prob'ly been there ever night. One reason I stayed a bachelor. Learned to sew my own shirts on one of those sewin' machines I sold ever place. Mack, he kept up with those books of his. Had check out cards just like at a real library. Funny, but those cards Bill'd sign. They'd come up missin' so Mack just signed Bill's name on all them cards. We allus figgered it was somebody down at the University figgered somethin' with Bill's name on it would be worth somethin' some day.

Anyway, I'd read those books just like Bill and everbody else did. I enjoyed em. But you take some swishy Lord Whimsy and that Hellery Queen...well, real folks don't live that way. Leastways not around here.

Down here it's pretty sure that somebody does somethin' bad, it's for one reason or the other. The reasons don't change that much. It's money or a woman or some secret nobody wants known that everbody already knowed an if they didn't know it they'd say it was so.

Lawyer always had no problem figgerin' out the why the who or the how. Most times it don't take a Sherlock Holmes. But Bill just put it all down the way it was. Wan't no tricks and runnin' you down rabbit holes.

There's allus gotta be somebody got to tear another man down so they can be better'n him. Those people like that man at Time Magazine, they can say they just hate to say somethin' Bill wrote just wan't up to snuff but you can read real clear between them lines that they was tickled to say it. Don't think one of em ever won a Noble prize or even a Pulitzer. But I guess they got paid for it just the same. I 'magine that money spent the same as if it come by way of a check from the Saturday Evening Post.

Had a feller ask me the other day if I believed in demons and the devil. Said he was goin' to a church where they was prayin' away his demons. Didn't ask me if I believed in God. Way I see it, we humans don't need no demons or devils. We get along just fine being human.

So in this book, an innocent man goes to the gallows. Lawyer can't stop it. An people kill other people for money and sex they didn't have or couldn't get or someone else could and did. An Lawyer just kept on trying to get justice. With the law if he could and outside the courts if he couldn't.

They ain't gonna be no more Gavin Stevens stories. I think that's a damn shame. Ain't gonna be no more stories by Bill neither. That's a worse damn shame.

What'd you say? Did I know Bill. Why sho. I got this card right here. Signed it hisself right down at Mack. Reed's. What you got to trade for it? What? You want this book. I couldn't do that. No, they ain't gone be no more Lawyer stories. I just might need to read this book again some time. Yeah, sho Lawyer said the past is never dead. Sho, it's not even past. But I know it's alive on this paper.


EDIT: This review is shared once more for the benefit of goodreads group "On the Southern Literary Trail," and, perhaps to draw attention to what is considered to be one of Faulkner's more minor works. However, Gavin Stevens is Faulkner's recurring "literary" lawyer, and figures widely in
Requiem for a Nun, Intruder in the Dust, and the Snopes: A Trilogy. Yes, he is one of my favorite Faulkner characters.

Mike Sullivan
Founder and Moderator
"On the Southern Literary Trail"

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of stories featuring the lawyer, Gavin Stevens, including Tomorrow, my hands-down favorite from Faulkner, thus far.

Smoke - A riveting tale of two brothers, a cruel father, and a puzzling murder. Puzzling, that is, to everyone except Gavin Stevens, Faulkner’s very intelligent and clever Yoknapatawpha County lawyer. Even in this day of twisted plot lines and surprise endings, I doubt many will see this one coming. I did not.

Monk - Faulkner is really his best with injustice and tragedy, and this tale has both in spades. The manipulation of the feeble minded by the powerful and cruel, with no one seeking to make a difference except Gavin Stevens, a voice of morality in a decadent system.

Hand Upon the Waters - Liked this story of an almost perfect crime. Faulkner is so good at his portrayal of the mentally and physically handicapped and how they are treated by the society in which they live. They have a kind of freedom to be in nature that would not be afforded them today, but also a lack of anyone feeling responsible to care for them as they might need. It was interesting to me that it was the mentally challenged Lonnie who took in the deaf and dumb boy when he came to town.

Tomorrow Well, I cried at the end of this one. I cried for how cruel life can be and how the best instincts of a man can be used against him. And, I wondered if it was better to have loved and seen what Fentry had seen or never to have known love at all, for any other human being on earth. [Just discovered this story was made into a movie in 1972 starring one of my favorite actors, Robert Duvall, and available on Amazon. Absolutely got to watch this one.]

We followed him to the gallery, where a plump, white-haired old lady in a clean gingham sunbonnet and dress and a clean white apron sat in a low rocking chair, shelling field peas into a wooden bowl.

But Uncle Gavin says it don’t take many words to tell the sum of any human experience; that somebody has already done it in eight: He was born, he suffered, and he died.

An Error in Chemistry - A good story with twists and turns and a mystery to be solved by Gavin Stevens, but so far the least of the stories here.

Knight’s Gambit - The title story is more of a novella actually. By the time you get to this one, you feel you know Gavin Stevens pretty well, and yet the story reveals some things about him that are unexpected. Stevens is sophisticated and well-educated and yet he retains his down-to-earth small town persona, which makes him very accessible to both the other characters in the books and the reader, as well.

[AiK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Очередная повесть Йокнапатофской саги, но этот раз в детективном жанре. Название - игра слов: оно отсылает и к гамбиту конем для играющих окружного прокурора и его племянника, равно, как и настоящего коня, которого пытаются использовать как оружие убийства. Действие происходит в декабре 1941 года, предчувствие войны наполняет повесть.

Несмотря на детективную составляющую, эта повесть, конечно же, не классический детектив - здесь нет загадок, а есть описание преступных намерений и действий Макса и предпринятых контрдействий для предотвращения убийства, Фолкнер использует эту повесть для утверждения нравственных ценностей и антивоенного пафоса.

В эпилоге уже 1942 год:
"... шел всего только 1942 год, и оставалось еще некоторое время до того, как по телефонным проводам начнут передавать телеграммы Военного и Морского министерства, а в какой-нибудь четверг утром сельский почтальон опус��ит в почтовые ящики еженедельник «Йокнапатофский Горн» с фотографией и кратким извещением о смерти, уже слишком хорошо знакомым, но все еще загадочным, как санскрит или китайская грамота; на фотогр��фии будет изображено лицо деревенского парня, слишком юное для взрослого мужчины, чье обмундирование, недавно снятое с полки интендантского склада, все еще хранит на себе складки, а в извещении будут упомянуты названия географических пунктов, о которых те, кто произвели на свет это лицо и эту плоть, – очевидно, лишь затем, чтобы они могли в муках расстаться с жизнью, – никогда и слыхом не слыхали и уж конечно не знают, как их произносить."

[Uhtred · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many Nobel Prize winners for literature who have a writing style that can be defined as “timeless”: well, in my opinion Faulkner is not one of them. Or at least he isn't for this book; Knight's Gambit,has a style of writing that is perceived as very old, and even the stories told are quite convoluted and the setting of America that comes out of it is not very defined. In short, I'm happy to have read it, but I don't think it will be one of the books I will re-read. The premises were very good: the events take place in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, where the rurality of everyday life mixes with the courage of its inhabitants. In this community, which despite being small seems to hide a culprit in each member, investigates Gavin Stevens, a kind of Hercule Poirot: a sense of superiority and a sharp tongue in quantity. Stevens would be a lawyer, but he looks more like a savior of his people from his people. In this country there is everything, from the distorted old father, to the young retarded victim and murderer at the same time, to other shady and interesting characters, who, however, are not explored enough. Perhaps it is the storytelling organization of the book that does not allow this deepening, but the fact is that in the end there is not much left, neither of the characters nor of the Deep South America, among horses, woods and rifles. The book consists of 6 stories, with the last, the longest, which gives the book its title. The protagonist of all 6 stories is the prosecutor Stevens, flanked from time to time by other co-protagonists, among whom I would also put poverty, the hard life in the fields and greed for the land, seen by farmers as a source of income but above all as a form of victory towards neighbors. The land above everything else in short, a very evident aspect in the first story, where a distorted father considers the land more important than his two sons and where with an unjust testament he will lead to death other people, but a vision of the ownership of the land that is present throughout the book. I will not spoil any further, however, so as not to influence those who want to read this book. Maybe I read it too late, that is with many other literary investigators already in my head, and then this Stevens reminds me too many other characters of other writers, you decide: Stevens is in his forties, he is a great chess player, he smokes a pipe, is unbeatable in the observation of infinitesimal details, he is cultured and has a sharp tongue. But he also has a great sense of justice, of human compassion, he understands the tragedies of poor people (of which he is not part of) and tries to administer justice knowing well (and he says that in the book) that often truth and justice are not the same, and that discovering the truth does not automatically lead to justice. In short, for me it is a bit deja vu and it has not fascinated me more than 3 stars.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ain't truth and justice the same thing?" the sheriff said.
"Since when?" Uncle Gavin said. "In my time I have seen truth that was anything under the sun but just, and I have seen justice using tools and instruments I wouldn't want to touch with a ten-foot fence rail." (111)

Gavin Stevens, a prosecuting attorney in William Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County, is featured in the five short stories and the title novella in "The Knight's Gambit." Faulkner describes Stevens as "a Harvard graduate: a loose-jointed man with a mop of untidy iron-gray hair, who could discuss Einstein with college professors and who spent whole afternoons among the squatting men against the walls of county stores, talking to them in their idiom." (16)

Stevens was part prosecutor, and part investigator as he looked for justice. As in most mysteries, the "why" is just as important as "what" transpired. We see Stevens remaining closemouthed in one story when a murderer got what he deserved in revenge. In the title story named after a chess move, Stevens prevents a murder but also arranges things for his own happiness. He feels empathy for those that are mentally or emotionally challenged.

Faulkner writes beautifully, although sometimes in a convoluted manner, in this collection. Set in the first half of the 20th Century in Mississippi, the stories have a good sense of time and place. I enjoyed this introduction to lawyer Gavin Stevens.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knight's Gambit is a collection of short stories by William Faulkner, all taking place in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi and bringing to the forefront the brilliant crime deduction skills of the county lawyer Gavin Stevens as well as his uncanny knack to determine the motivations underlying each crime. In the words of Lawyer Stevens:

"But men are moved so much by preconceptions. It is not realities, circumstances, that astonish us; it is the concussion of what we should have known, if we had only not been so busy believing what we discover later we had taken for truth for no other reason than that we happened to be believing at the moment."

And the dialog by Faulkner was interesting throughout the short stories as this example shows:

"'I'm interested in truth,' the sheriff said.
'So am I,' Uncle Gavin said. 'It's so rare. But I am more interested in justice and human beings.'
'Ain't truth and justice the same thing?' the sheriff said.
'Since when?' Uncle Gavin said. 'In my time I have seen truth that was anything under the sun but just, and have seen justice using tools and instruments I wouldn't want to touch with a ten-foot fence rail.'"

Although, this is said to be one of William Faulkner's lesser works, many feel an affinity and affection for Gavin Stevens partially because of striking similarities to Faulkner and his ideas particularly about issues of justice. Gavin Stevens appears in many other books by Faulkner such as Requiem for a Nun, Intruder in the Dust, The Town, and The Mansion, but this collection of short stories is solely about Lawyer Gavin Stevens culminating in the novella Knight's Gambit.

"A knight comes suddenly out of nowhere--out of the west, if you like--and checks the queen and the castle all in that same one move. What do you do?"

[S. ≽^•⩊•^≼ I'm not here yet · Rating 4 out of 5]

کارآگاه دهکده

"روایت هر تجربه انسانی به کلمات زیادی نیاز ندارد و میتواند با چند کلمه گفته شود، مگر نه آنکه هر آنچه کسی در عمرش انجام میدهد به این صورت خلاصه میکنیم، به دنیا آمد، رنج کشید و مرد."

"به قول گفتنی هیشکی نمیدونه عشق یا صاعقه کجا و به کی میزنه، فقط معلومه که دوبار نمیزنه چون احتیاجی به این کار نیست همون برق اول کافیه."

مجموعه 6 داستان‌ کوتاه: مو، دود، تارک دنیا، دستی روی آب‌ها، فردا، شب غلط بنماید

احمد اخوت، نشر افق
تایماز رضوانی، استودیو نوار

As I Lay Dying گور به گور ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Sound and the Fury خوش و هیاهو ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Rose for Emily یک گل سرخ برای امیلی ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Barn Burning انبار سوزی ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Two Soldiers دو سرباز ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Lori Keeton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading Faulkner’s Collected Stories since January and still haven’t finished reading all of the 42 stories. It was my first foray into reading Faulkner and I can thank the Southern Literary Trail group for the opportunity. We were to chose any 10 stories for our group discussion. However, the completist that I am just couldn’t choose 10. Now here I am 4 months later, reading another collection of short stories by Faulkner with the same wonderful group. This is a much shorter collection with 6 stories which all focus on the character created by Faulkner, Gavin Stevens. Stevens is the county attorney in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. His skills of observation and shrewd methods for detecting the truth and motives among the members of his community caught in crimes or accused is uncanny. I enjoyed these stories very much and became a fan of this style of Faulkner prose. Some of his other short stories present quite a different style with lengthy and wordy sentences to decode. However, in this collection, I would choose 2 that specifically stand out for me. Hand Upon the Waters and Tomorrow were my favorites.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title story rates 4 stars, the other five stories 3 each, but since Knight's Gambit is actually a novella and comprises half the book, I'll give it 4 because it gets Gavin Stevens married at long last. These aren't as much mysteries as stories about how Stevens outsmarted everyone he was involved with. Must have been that Harvard education. A fun little romp through Yoknapatawpha County.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My edition of William Faulkner's Knight's Gambit is subtitled Six Mystery Stories. I cannot help but think that this is wrong: Faulkner just wasn't into the mystery genre. These aren't whodunits, but rather wry observations of the human condition by a middle aged attorney named Gavin Stevens who is playing the part of a kind of Jedi master to his eighteen year old nephew Charles Mallison.

The last two Faulkner books I have read, this one and Intruder in the Dust, both concentrated on the character of Stevens and the Boswell-like nephew who hung on his every word. Faulkner must, I think, have seen Lawyer Stevens as an alter ego. Think about it: the Mississippi writer from an old family, but immured in a oh-so-proud rural culture, though he has seen World War I and Paris and met the likes of James Joyce. We keep seeing him play with his Phi Beta Kappa key from Harvard and we are frequently reminded of his years at Heidelberg University.

I understand that Faulkner was not well-liked by his neighbors in Oxford, Mississippi. He was of them but not of them. Yet when I read his interviews in Faulkner at the University and elsewhere, he was remarkably forthcoming for a great author. He did not retreat to some Nobel Prize cave where he could spend the rest of his life making gnomic statements for the cognoscenti. No, both Faulkner and Stevens were men who had seen the world; and both are deeply involved in the land and the people of their birth.

The stories in Knight's Gambit act more than anything else as vehicles for the enlightenment of Gavin Stevens and of his nephew Charles. For instance, take this quote from the eponymous story of the collection, "Knight's Gambit," in which Stevens uses an analogy from poker to reprove the wealthy and spoiled young Max Harriss and perhaps guide him toward a better life:

"Look. You are playing poker (I assume you know poker, or at least—like a lot of people—anyway play it.) You draw cards. When you do that, you affirm two things: either that you have something to draw to, or are willing to support to your last cent the fact that you have not. You dont draw and then throw the cards in because they are not what you wanted, expected, hoped for; not just for the sake of your own soul and pocket-book, but for the sake of the others in the game, who have likewise assumed that unspoken obligation."

Many people do not like Knight's Gambit. Many others do not like Faulkner at all. They see the Old Testament cadences of his language as being too murky, too difficult to unravel. As I frequently tell those who are dubious about Faulkner, remember that there is always a great story in there; and it is always worth every effort to take the time and trouble to ferret it out. The two classics of this principle are The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom!. Knight's Gambit is not up to their level, but it has some of the same great stuff.

[Dave Marsland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The legendary British DJ and journalist, John Peel once said of his favourite band (The Fall)
"they are always different, they are always the same"
That thought resonated when reading Knight's Gambit because it's different to any other William Faulkner I've ever read, but same because it's technically brilliant and unique and so utterly William Faulkner.
Six short stories (5 and a novella) written between 1932 and 1942, I'd be fibbing if I said all the stories were of a similar standard. Knight's Gambit, the novella that gives this volume its name is Faulkner at his best.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. I liked Smoke as much as the title feature. His meandering double mile sentences never get old for me. Or purposeless either.

In my youth I didn't enjoy or percolate Faulkner to any level close to what I appreciate in age.

[Bill on GR Sabbatical · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my time I have seen truth that was anything under the sun but just, and I have seen justice using tools and instruments I wouldn't want to touch with a ten-foot fence rail.

These five short stories, and the novella which provides the book's title, recount cases in the career of Yoknapatawpha County Attorney Gavin Stevens, as he unravels mysteries of the human heart that led to violence and crime. Not incorporating any of the stream-of-consciousness or other experimental techniques that can make his work challenging, this is a good choice as a first read of Faulkner, as is Intruder in the Dust, which also features Stevens.

[Santiago Mesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me duele darle una calificación baja a Faulkner, pero es que la última historia fue un sufrimiento total. Qué lentitud y falta de emoción. Las primeras historias sí están bastante bien, son cortas, directas y emocionantes. La última sobraba

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories and titular novella of Knight’s Gambit all center on Gavin Stevens, Faulkner’s observer of life in Jefferson, Mississippi and all of Yoknapawtapha County. He is a lawyer and in these stories he acts as skilled observer and also intercessor for justice using his skills as observer of people in general but also of specific people he has come to know. There are apparent crimes committed in these tales, but The Who, why, and how are often obscure or totally hidden. Using the skills he has honed in court, Stevens cuts to the core of these mysteries (actually more unusual situations). Interesting stories but not stellar.

Knight’s Gambit is narrated by Gavin’s nephew Charles who is with him during the activities cited. Here we learn something more about Lawyer Stevens’ life while also learning about more local history. As with other Faulkner tales, there is love, big houses, various marriages, horses and flashy cars, dangerous men and unknowable women. I found the early part of the story occasionally confusing but filled with the prose I love. The last half of the story — perfect.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faulkner wrote mysteries? Whodathunkit!

The first 5 stories are just that: stories of 20-40 pages. County Attorney Gavin Stevens manages to think through what happens in each. Although produced at the same time as Golden Age mysteries, these are written in vintage Faulkner style. They have more complex prose and they are set in Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, which give them an entirely different flavor. I would be hard pressed to name a favorite among these five, although I might lean slightly toward Tomorrow.

The title story is really more of a novella and gains a bit on 100 pages. The style is a bit different also. It is told in the third person by someone not privy to the happenings and who was obviously told them by Gavin Stevens' nephew Charles. Thus, sometimes there is a reference to he, who was Charles, and to his uncle, who was Gavin. (Yes, you can read that sentence again as I did in the first paragraphs of the novella.) This story begins with Charles and Gavin playing chess. Gavin plays his knight so that Charles needs to choose between giving up his queen or his rook. This allows for an analogy late in the story. Also different is that this story is more thriller than mystery, though there are surprises at the end.

For me, the title novella was the standout of the collection, but I loved them all. There were many times throughout that I remarked to myself how cinematic these are. They are certainly deeper than I think of as screen writing, with excellent characterizations, but also a setting that I could see clearly. I wondered occasionally if Faulkner had created a map of his fictional place and knew where the farms were, etc. He has that ability to make me think I am there, a part of the scene.

It makes me want to get after being a Faulkner completist, and, perhaps, to get to the Uncollected Stories of William Faulkner sooner rather than later. When a book motivates me so, it must surely be 5-stars.

[A Yawner · Rating 4 out of 5]

«دود» و «تارک دنیا» و «فردا» رو از این مجموعه دوست داشتم

[Kaveh Rezaie · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان‌های:
مو
دود
تارک دنیا
دستی روی آب‌ها
فردا
شب غلیظ بنماید

این‌ها همگی داستان‌های "کارآگاهی" هستند. من هیچوقت فکر نمی‌کردم بشود از فاکنر همچین مجموعه‌‌ای پیدا کرد!
در همه این‌ها "گاوین استیونز" وکیل-کارآگاه حقوق خوانده و تحصیل کرده و کاربلد حضور دارد. فاکنر این شخصیت را از روی رفیق شفیق و یار غارش "فیل استون" خلق کرده است.

در مقدمه کتاب «سالشمار زندگی گاوین استیونز» وجود دارد! که پیوست تز دکترای کارل سینگلتون درباره این شخصیت است!
یعنی تز دکترایی درباره یکی از شخصیت‌های جهان داستانی فاکنر نوشته شده است.....

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read first three stories.

[Daniele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un Faulkner diverso dal solito, un Faulkner più "cinematografico", di fatti questi racconti sono stati scritti a fine carriera quando scriveva anche degli ottimi soggetti per il cinema (vedi Il grande sonno con Humphrey Bogart).
Parliamoci chiaro, questi racconti non sono male, ma non hanno niente a che vedere con le opere che hanno reso Faulkner il più grande scrittore del 900 (a mio modesto parere...).

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touted as "mystery stories" by the pen of the mighty Faulkner, I might describe them as that but maybe half-heartedly. As always, they are much more than that.
The stories are linked by having Gavin Stevens, local lawyer and gadfly detective of the county, who shows up in several Faulkner novels, as the main protagonist. He solves local crimes and smokes a pipe while his nephew witnesses his bad-assery.
The first few "Smoke", "Monk", et cetera, are brief toss-offs, not bad, but earlier works, before Faulkner hit his stride. The latter half, especially "An Error in Chemistry" and the title track are supremely wonderful. "Gambit" is a great, compact tale of romance and toss-pot chivalry, post-Reconstruction style and one of the sweeter things Falky ever wrote.

[Ely Gocce di Rugiada · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok,, ho solo 38 anni e leggo oltre 100 libri all' anno da quando ne ho 13; direi che conosco la definizione di giallo.Non mi sembrano propri racconti polizieschi.Non saprei come definirli.
Per chi volesse approcciarsi per la prima volta a questo autore, partendo dai racconti senza però aspettarvi le classiche tinte gialle.

[Sofía · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faulkner faulknereando. Es como si Agatha Christie fumase en pipa, bebiese whisky rebajao con agua y reflexionase muuuuuuy profundamente todo lo que escribe

[Solistas · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

Οι μικρές ιστορίες δεν ταιριάζουν καθόλου με την αφηγηματική τεχνική του Φώκνερ,γεγονός που φάνηκε ακόμα περισσότερο μετά τη νουβέλα που ειναι κλασικό κείμενο του Αμερικανού,με θυελλώδη ρυθμό κ εναλλαγή αφηγητων απο τελεία σε τελεία (κ ειναι το μισό βιβλιο). Δεν κρύβω ότι με βασάνισε κ μάλλον πείσμωσα να το τελειώσω. Όσοι θέλουν να γνωρίσουν τον εισαγγελέα Στηβενς ας ξεκινήσουν απο αλλού.

[Franky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could say I was more interested and invested in these stories, but the truth of the matter is that some were hits and some were misses in my estimation. From reading the reviews of this collection, it seems that readers and reviewers were all over the board on which ones were the most memorable or best and which ones they did not care for. It seems like many reviewers enjoyed “Tomorrow” and I thought it a pretty solid story and I remember seeing the film with Robert Duvall years ago. I suppose there are moments in all these stories of Faulkner’s genius, but then there are some moments that are a tad too convoluted that stalls the momentum.

I believe Faulkner is in best form when he is using stream of consciousness and in longer form with novels. I realize the Faulkner is an acquired read, and I’ve read some of his novels and enjoyed them despite their complicated form, style and technique (“As I Lay Dying is an example). While these stories in Knight’s Gambit are billed as mystery and there some elements of mystery as Gavin Stevens comes in to investigate, I do not think these would be considered mysteries in the traditional sense. However, there are elements of Stevens coming and unpacking or unearthing the whys of the crime. So, I think that at many points the why becomes a more prominent issue than who of these stories. There is also definitely a human element invoked within the stories that I thought was a nice touch, as evidenced in the aforementioned “Tomorrow” and also in the story “Monk.” I also enjoyed the opening story “Smoke” and thought that this one had an effective conclusion and unraveling of events.

Overall, not bad, but I think I prefer some of Faulkner’s other works a little more.

[Jörg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never would have read this if I hadn't got this for the minimum bid as an add-on to two other Ebay books from the same seller and from the same GDR Volk und Welt Spektrum series which appeals to my collector genes in an odd way although it doesn't have any monetary value.

Ultimately, it wasn't to my taste as I'm neither into mystery stories (which on the surface these short stories are supposed to be) nor into the literature of the American South (which this and probably all other Faulkner books are).

Still two stars as Faulkner knows how to develop characters and settings. I can imagine how it would be like in his bleak Yoknapatawpha county, encountering these poor folks scratching out a living at subsistence level. The mystery aspects take a back seat in all stories and solely function as an occasion to present the main figure, the county attorney Gavin Stevens, and his nephew Charles while detailing out Faulkner's Yoknapatawhpha.

If I were to recommend one of these stories, I would choose 'Monk'. This good-hearted moron, jailed for a crime he didn't commit, hanged for another crime he can't be considered responsible for, comes across vividly as the only true human being in an environment of predators. The twist of the story, i.e. Stevens' resolution of the crime is subtle and original.

[Vishal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faulkner’s layered writing and plot building, his expert dropping of clues and hints that make their reappearance with deft precision later make him an ideal mystery writer; so there was no hesitation picking this up when I saw it an a bookshop a few months ago.

Those familiar with his style know that this is a double-edged sword, his dense prose and circuitous stream of consciousness requires multiple reads to fully understand. Patience comes before the prize though: it brings to mind what a friend of mine told me once, that Faulkner is one of the most rewarding authors to read.

Not all 6 of the stories are ‘mysteries’ per se, but do follow the convention whodunit arc of the expert mystery writer. They are all based in the same place - Faulkner's famed Yoknapatwhpha County with Gavin Stevens the Attorney and resident detective being the common thread. Some of the stories are simply very touching explorations into the fallacies of human nature, slowly peeling back layers of the past to explain the world as it is today.

[Ilaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Da un sacco di tempo non leggevo Faulkner, non sapevo (sinceramente) dell'esistenza di questi racconti, ho trovato il volumetto in un mercatino dell'usato veronese, mi ero pure dimenticata di averlo acquistato.

Stupisce costantemente - è una notazione, è ovvio, personale - il modo in cui, a una violenza che abbonda, non tanto di diabolico quanto d'indifferente e lasciato scorrere, Faulkner giustapponga il dettaglio di un'umanità disarmante, quell'umanità che guarda al dettaglio personalissimo e autonomo, che solo e soltanto si addice al singolo - così di Monk resta, tra il sangue inspiegabilmente versato, l'amore rivolto al sentirsi, seppur disabile e incapace di contenersi in un corpo determinato, parte di un concerto di voci che leggono ad alta voce i libri scolastici.

Ed è proprio l'umanità che conclude la serie di sei racconti polizieschi, quando Gavin Stevens, investigatore ed ex studioso di Heidelberg, ripulisce la propria scacchiera senza che il delitto, già avvenuto in parodo del primo racconto, Fumo, sia consumato - Stevens anticipa le mosse del giovane omicida (indegno, in realtà, dell'epiteto), concedendo al lettore un ultimo ambiente che non proceda più verso il futuro ma che abbia la responsabilità di tornare su passi interrotti e mancate decisioni - nonostante la risoluzione di cinque+una indagini e il possesso di strumenti che s'insinuino tra i corpi e i ragionamenti degli abitanti di Yoknapatawpha, una tale intelligenza non impedisce meccanismi d'immedesimazione: come chiunque altro, il protagonista ha preferito costruire le vite degli altri sopprimendo, a suo tempo, il proprio e autoriferito potere decisionale, inviando la lettera sbagliata al momento, non giusto né sbagliato, ma bisognevole di man ferma che, talvolta, in gioventù, si perde.

[Tommy Royds · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a recent trip to New Orleans, I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to Faulkner House Books (the former home of Faulkner himself - now the front room and hallway a book shop). After fumbling over what to buy, the shop assistant recommended Knight's Gambit, being one of the under-looked works in his repertoire. A slight deviation from his usual long prose, Knights Gambit is Faulkner's first foray into the mystery novel, with attorney Gavin Stevens assuming the main protagonist in each. All the stories are narrated by his nephew, who refer to him as 'Uncle Gavin'.

I really enjoyed 'Smoke' and the final of the short stories, 'An Error in Chemistry', the latter in particular requiring a great deal of intellectual prowess from our would-be detective to solve the case of Joe Flint's stolen identity. The final, and more lengthy 'Knight's Gambit' is the most Faulkner in essence, which you realise after having to repeat paragraphs (reading them out in your head), or the need to glance your eyes back over parts again because he's conveying about thirty thousands things at once.