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Why I Live At The P.O. And Other Stories
Eudora Welty, one of America's great storytellers, relates, in her sweetly vibrant Mississippi drawl, five of her finest stories. from the uproariously irreverent Why I Live at the P.O. and the quieter, richly perceptive A Memory and A Worn Path to sponteneous Powerhouse and the insightful voice of women's truth's in Petrified Man, Welty opens up her stories and invites the listener in.
Author Biography:
One of America's most admired authors, Eudora Welty was born in Jackson, Mississippi, which is still her home. She was educated locally and at Mississippi State College for Women, the University of Wisconsin, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. She is the author of, among many other boooks, One Writer's Beginnings, Delta Wedding, The Ponder Heart, The Eye of the Story, and Losing Battles.
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First published January 1, 1941
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About the author
Eudora Welty
221 books1,009 followersEudora Alice Welty was an award-winning American author who wrote short stories and novels about the American South. Her book The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973 and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among numerous awards. She was the first living author to have her works published by the Library of America.
Welty was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and lived a significant portion of her life in the city's Belhaven neighborhood, where her home has been preserved. She was educated at the Mississippi State College for Women (now called Mississippi University for Women), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Columbia Business School. While at Columbia University, where she was the captain of the women's polo team, Welty was a regular at Romany Marie's café in 1930.
During the 1930s, Welty worked as a photographer for the Works Progress Administration, a job that sent her all over the state of Mississippi photographing people from all economic and social classes. Collections of her photographs are One Time, One Place and Photographs.
Welty's true love was literature, not photography, and she soon devoted her energy to writing fiction. Her first short story, "Death of a Traveling Salesman," appeared in 1936. Her work attracted the attention of Katherine Anne Porter, who became a mentor to her and wrote the foreword to Welty's first collection of short stories, A Curtain of Green, in 1941. The book immediately established Welty as one of American literature's leading lights and featured the legendary and oft-anthologized stories "Why I Live at the P.O.," "Petrified Man," and "A Worn Path." Her novel, The Optimist's Daughter, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973.
In 1992, Welty was awarded the Rea Award for the Short Story for her lifetime contributions to the American short story, and was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, founded in 1987. In her later life, she lived near Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, where, despite her fame, she was still a common sight among the people of her hometown.
Eudora Welty died of pneumonia in Jackson, Mississippi, at the age of 92, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson.
Excerpted and adopted from Wikipedia.
Welty was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and lived a significant portion of her life in the city's Belhaven neighborhood, where her home has been preserved. She was educated at the Mississippi State College for Women (now called Mississippi University for Women), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Columbia Business School. While at Columbia University, where she was the captain of the women's polo team, Welty was a regular at Romany Marie's café in 1930.
During the 1930s, Welty worked as a photographer for the Works Progress Administration, a job that sent her all over the state of Mississippi photographing people from all economic and social classes. Collections of her photographs are One Time, One Place and Photographs.
Welty's true love was literature, not photography, and she soon devoted her energy to writing fiction. Her first short story, "Death of a Traveling Salesman," appeared in 1936. Her work attracted the attention of Katherine Anne Porter, who became a mentor to her and wrote the foreword to Welty's first collection of short stories, A Curtain of Green, in 1941. The book immediately established Welty as one of American literature's leading lights and featured the legendary and oft-anthologized stories "Why I Live at the P.O.," "Petrified Man," and "A Worn Path." Her novel, The Optimist's Daughter, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973.
In 1992, Welty was awarded the Rea Award for the Short Story for her lifetime contributions to the American short story, and was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, founded in 1987. In her later life, she lived near Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, where, despite her fame, she was still a common sight among the people of her hometown.
Eudora Welty died of pneumonia in Jackson, Mississippi, at the age of 92, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson.
Excerpted and adopted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
February 21, 2023
Not really for me!
November 20, 2025
I read this in college and still love it!
The postmistress of the second-smallest post-office in all of China Grove, Mississippi has an Independence Day with her....interesting (bless their hearts) Southern family that makes her declare her independence from them the next day. Some enlightening highlights:
"'I'm thoroughly ashamed of you.' But of course she wasn't."
"So Papa-Daddy l-a-y-s down his knife and fork!"
"'This is the beard I started growing on the Coast when I was fifteen years old.' He would've gone on till nightfall if Shirley-T. hadn't lost the Milky Way she ate in Cairo."
"poor Uncle Rondo was pleading with him to slow down the hammock, it was making him as dizzy as a witch to watch it."
"You ought to see Mama, she weighs two hundred pounds and has real tiny feet."
"'Do you think it was wise to disport with ketchup in Stella-Rondo's flesh-colored kimono?' I says. Trying to be considerate! If Stella-Rondo couldn't watch out for her trousseau, somebody had to."
"People tell me they heard it as far as the cemetery, and old Aunt Jep Patterson, that had been holding her own so good, thought it was Judgment Day and she was going to meet her whole family. It's usually so quiet here."
Thanks for reading.
The postmistress of the second-smallest post-office in all of China Grove, Mississippi has an Independence Day with her....interesting (bless their hearts) Southern family that makes her declare her independence from them the next day. Some enlightening highlights:
"'I'm thoroughly ashamed of you.' But of course she wasn't."
"So Papa-Daddy l-a-y-s down his knife and fork!"
"'This is the beard I started growing on the Coast when I was fifteen years old.' He would've gone on till nightfall if Shirley-T. hadn't lost the Milky Way she ate in Cairo."
"poor Uncle Rondo was pleading with him to slow down the hammock, it was making him as dizzy as a witch to watch it."
"You ought to see Mama, she weighs two hundred pounds and has real tiny feet."
"'Do you think it was wise to disport with ketchup in Stella-Rondo's flesh-colored kimono?' I says. Trying to be considerate! If Stella-Rondo couldn't watch out for her trousseau, somebody had to."
"People tell me they heard it as far as the cemetery, and old Aunt Jep Patterson, that had been holding her own so good, thought it was Judgment Day and she was going to meet her whole family. It's usually so quiet here."
Thanks for reading.
March 6, 2023
Curious piece. A bit out of the common groove. Worth a look. Fun.
March 8, 2019
This story has sentimental value for me. First, because I read it out loud to my college boyfriend one summer when he was suffering a painful case of dysentery. (You probably thought dysentery ended with the Civil War. Nope.) Anyway, I had to stop reading it because it made him laugh so much. Still, I recommend it, especially out loud.
Second sentimental reason is that when I had kids, my father wanted to be called something besides "Grandpa," and I remembered one of the characters in this story is "Papa-daddy," which I always found terribly funny. So I tried to get my daughter to call my father Papa-daddy, but she couldn't pronounce that, and to this day he is called Papa-bunny instead.
Second sentimental reason is that when I had kids, my father wanted to be called something besides "Grandpa," and I remembered one of the characters in this story is "Papa-daddy," which I always found terribly funny. So I tried to get my daughter to call my father Papa-daddy, but she couldn't pronounce that, and to this day he is called Papa-bunny instead.
March 4, 2023
Title Story Only "Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty
Sister, the narrator, tells about her younger sibling, Stella-Rondo, returning to the family home after separating from her husband. The Southern family has communication problems including lying, misinterpretation, denying reality, and jealousy.
Various family members seek refuge from the bickering - the grandfather sleeps on the hammock, the uncle zones out on prescription medication, and Sister feels that even the back room of the post office would make a better home.
Reread for the Short Story Club. The writing was good, but I was glad I wasn't reading a long novel featuring these squabbling characters. There are a couple of casual mentions of the N-word which was unfortunately common for that time and place.
I'm reposting this review since the original review got merged with a short story anthology that I have never read.
Sister, the narrator, tells about her younger sibling, Stella-Rondo, returning to the family home after separating from her husband. The Southern family has communication problems including lying, misinterpretation, denying reality, and jealousy.
Various family members seek refuge from the bickering - the grandfather sleeps on the hammock, the uncle zones out on prescription medication, and Sister feels that even the back room of the post office would make a better home.
Reread for the Short Story Club. The writing was good, but I was glad I wasn't reading a long novel featuring these squabbling characters. There are a couple of casual mentions of the N-word which was unfortunately common for that time and place.
I'm reposting this review since the original review got merged with a short story anthology that I have never read.
January 12, 2019
Well written. And I know the racism was of its time and representative of the characters etc but it was horrible and made the stories unenjoyable as a result.
March 4, 2025
RATING WARNING: ALMOST NONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE RATED THIS BOOK HAVE READ IT!!! What they read was the first story, which gave this collection its title, and reviewed that. Most of the reviews admit this but not all do. So, BEWARE…
This is a collection of four of Eudora Welty’s short stories, three from 1941 and the last from 1963; the collection itself was part of a Penguin promotional series of very compact books called Penguin 60’s which may not be in print anymore: while a regular paperback measures 7” x 4”, these measured 5.5 x 4, a nice size to slip into a pocket or purse. Two of the stories follow a humorous Southern gossip style, the other two are more serious. Those familiar with the great Mississippi writer will recognize the former in “Losing Battles” (1970) and the latter in “The Optimist’s Daughter” (1972 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize), both in the great Southern tradition and both highly recommendable.
The title story, “Why I Live at the P.O.” has been widely anthologized but may have been my least favorite here, possibly because it’s in so many anthologies. Basically, it’s a raucous family dispute based on hearsay and ignited by the narrator’s sister, recently separated from her husband (the narrator’s ex-beau to hear her tell it) and back home now with a two-year-old. The first time I read this story some years ago, I found it very funny in how things disintegrated to the point that the narrator abandons her home to live in the second-smallest P.O. in the state, where she’s the postmistress. This last reading was more tiring than anything; the voice is still there but it felt like stale gossip this time around.
The second story, “Death of a Traveling Salesman” is about a traveling shoe salesman who is back on his route for the first time even though he is not quite recovered from a serious illness. His car ends up in a ditch in a dirt-poor part of the state and walking to the nearest house, happens upon a young couple who have nothing – he works on a neighboring farm and she is pregnant - but show every kindness to him, a kindness that overwhelms him with emotion.
The third story, “Shower of Gold”, is told by the neighbor of a woman whose husband frequently disappears, sometimes for 2 or 3 years at a time. The neighbor’s husband is unimpressed by the whole story but she is determined to help nevertheless with the woman’s twins and whatever other help she can give. This doesn’t always bring the desired effect but she sticks her nose in anyway.
The final story is “Where is This Voice Coming From?” It’s a reaction to the civil rights movement and is told in the voice of a man who feels it’s his civic duty to take his shotgun and kill an outspoken Negro in the town, an action which will lead to James Meredith coming to the town. In a sense, this story felt very Faulknerian, a stream-of-consciousness where the narrator’s intentions are clearer than his actual words. Nor does he ever question himself or his actions because he’s obviously “right” in these; it’s an authentic native voice but not for everyone due to its lack of ambiguity.
As a whole, I liked this collection because it gave a wide variety of styles and viewpoints. If you only know the first story, I recommend looking for the others because you’ll see the true talent of Eudora Welty is in her depiction of many voices that broaden the view of the South beyond stereotypes, the kind and not-so-kind. (And don’t miss out on her novels – they ‘re a real treat!)
This is a collection of four of Eudora Welty’s short stories, three from 1941 and the last from 1963; the collection itself was part of a Penguin promotional series of very compact books called Penguin 60’s which may not be in print anymore: while a regular paperback measures 7” x 4”, these measured 5.5 x 4, a nice size to slip into a pocket or purse. Two of the stories follow a humorous Southern gossip style, the other two are more serious. Those familiar with the great Mississippi writer will recognize the former in “Losing Battles” (1970) and the latter in “The Optimist’s Daughter” (1972 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize), both in the great Southern tradition and both highly recommendable.
The title story, “Why I Live at the P.O.” has been widely anthologized but may have been my least favorite here, possibly because it’s in so many anthologies. Basically, it’s a raucous family dispute based on hearsay and ignited by the narrator’s sister, recently separated from her husband (the narrator’s ex-beau to hear her tell it) and back home now with a two-year-old. The first time I read this story some years ago, I found it very funny in how things disintegrated to the point that the narrator abandons her home to live in the second-smallest P.O. in the state, where she’s the postmistress. This last reading was more tiring than anything; the voice is still there but it felt like stale gossip this time around.
The second story, “Death of a Traveling Salesman” is about a traveling shoe salesman who is back on his route for the first time even though he is not quite recovered from a serious illness. His car ends up in a ditch in a dirt-poor part of the state and walking to the nearest house, happens upon a young couple who have nothing – he works on a neighboring farm and she is pregnant - but show every kindness to him, a kindness that overwhelms him with emotion.
The third story, “Shower of Gold”, is told by the neighbor of a woman whose husband frequently disappears, sometimes for 2 or 3 years at a time. The neighbor’s husband is unimpressed by the whole story but she is determined to help nevertheless with the woman’s twins and whatever other help she can give. This doesn’t always bring the desired effect but she sticks her nose in anyway.
The final story is “Where is This Voice Coming From?” It’s a reaction to the civil rights movement and is told in the voice of a man who feels it’s his civic duty to take his shotgun and kill an outspoken Negro in the town, an action which will lead to James Meredith coming to the town. In a sense, this story felt very Faulknerian, a stream-of-consciousness where the narrator’s intentions are clearer than his actual words. Nor does he ever question himself or his actions because he’s obviously “right” in these; it’s an authentic native voice but not for everyone due to its lack of ambiguity.
As a whole, I liked this collection because it gave a wide variety of styles and viewpoints. If you only know the first story, I recommend looking for the others because you’ll see the true talent of Eudora Welty is in her depiction of many voices that broaden the view of the South beyond stereotypes, the kind and not-so-kind. (And don’t miss out on her novels – they ‘re a real treat!)
March 4, 2023
4★ [Review of title story only]
“Of course I went with Mr. Whitaker first, when he first appeared here in China Grove, taking ‘Pose Yourself’ photos, and Stella-Rondo broke us up. Told him I was one-sided. Bigger on one side than the other, which is a deliberate, calculated falsehood: I'm the same.”
If you’re in the mood for this sort of humour, it’s great. If not, you’ll probably find it silly. I met Eudora Welty when she came to our school as an invited author-in-residence. I sat up all night the night before, reading a book of her short stories and absolutely loved them. I told her so the next day, and she seemed shyly pleased.
That was a very very long time ago, and although the stories seemed dated to me then, they are even more dated now. But what is definitely not dated is the sibling rivalry and the family dynamics. Sisters bicker, kids storm out and leave, threatening never to return.
In this case, the sisters are not kids, but adults, and younger sister Stella-Rondo has come home after her marriage (to the aforementioned Mr. Whitaker) not alone, but with a young child in tow. She insists the child is not hers. But they all argue about who the child looks like anyway.
“Stella-Rondo got furious! She said, ‘Sister, I don't need to tell you you got a lot of nerve and always did have and I'll thank you to make no future reference to my adopted child whatsoever.’”
Older sister (the narrator) works at the Post Office (a job her father got for her), and is the one who is explaining why she is sleeping at the PO.
If you have ever quarrelled in your family, you will recognise someone here. I can see why I had such fun reading all of her stories long ago.
This is another from the Short Story Club Group. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
You can find the story itself here:
https://art-bin.com/art/or_weltyposto...
“Of course I went with Mr. Whitaker first, when he first appeared here in China Grove, taking ‘Pose Yourself’ photos, and Stella-Rondo broke us up. Told him I was one-sided. Bigger on one side than the other, which is a deliberate, calculated falsehood: I'm the same.”
If you’re in the mood for this sort of humour, it’s great. If not, you’ll probably find it silly. I met Eudora Welty when she came to our school as an invited author-in-residence. I sat up all night the night before, reading a book of her short stories and absolutely loved them. I told her so the next day, and she seemed shyly pleased.
That was a very very long time ago, and although the stories seemed dated to me then, they are even more dated now. But what is definitely not dated is the sibling rivalry and the family dynamics. Sisters bicker, kids storm out and leave, threatening never to return.
In this case, the sisters are not kids, but adults, and younger sister Stella-Rondo has come home after her marriage (to the aforementioned Mr. Whitaker) not alone, but with a young child in tow. She insists the child is not hers. But they all argue about who the child looks like anyway.
“Stella-Rondo got furious! She said, ‘Sister, I don't need to tell you you got a lot of nerve and always did have and I'll thank you to make no future reference to my adopted child whatsoever.’”
Older sister (the narrator) works at the Post Office (a job her father got for her), and is the one who is explaining why she is sleeping at the PO.
If you have ever quarrelled in your family, you will recognise someone here. I can see why I had such fun reading all of her stories long ago.
This is another from the Short Story Club Group. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
You can find the story itself here:
https://art-bin.com/art/or_weltyposto...
June 28, 2009
Repeating myself... I love Eudora Welty's writing, especially her humor. I first heard this story on tape, recorded by the author herself. I can't remember when I laughed so hysterically. (The only other time that comes even close was when listening to a recording of David Sedaris reading his account of a Christmas tale, titled "Six to Eight Black Men"...) Reading the written short story "Why I Live at the P.O." was just as entertaining, and even allowed me to pick up little details I had missed in listening to the recording. If you want a great laugh, either the written story or the recording are wonderful!
March 4, 2023
grumble grumble ... my review of the title story has been placed under an anthology I've never heard of here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
February 11, 2023
Note: this review is for the title story only.
Eudora Welty was a well-known writer from Mississippi, U.S.A. This short story is the only work of hers that I've read.
Writers from the Deep South tend to provoke complicated reactions today. This story is humorous, the tale of a dysfunctional family, and is an enjoyable, satirical romp until we abruptly arrive at offensive language, of the sort used so casually in the South. This language wiped any enjoyment right off my face.
Recently, reviewing a 1920s Hemingway collection, I mentioned the rude and offensive language and excused it in its historical context. Here, my reaction was stronger and I had to ask myself why. Hemingway's rude labels were dispersed in all directions; here the target was narrow. Also since this story was intended as humour the language seems to stick out more, and jam the works.
I had to google Eudora Welty and racism in order to learn a little more. There are readings of this story on YouTube and the wording is altered for modern audiences. The version I read was published in the 1950s.
2023 update: Re-read this story as part of the Short Story Club, and the online version there has the offensive language edited out. The voice overall is wonderful, and the family dynamic perfectly perverse. Rounded up to 4 stars, or rounded down to 4 stars, but in any event a story that stands up to repeat visits.
Eudora Welty was a well-known writer from Mississippi, U.S.A. This short story is the only work of hers that I've read.
Writers from the Deep South tend to provoke complicated reactions today. This story is humorous, the tale of a dysfunctional family, and is an enjoyable, satirical romp until we abruptly arrive at offensive language, of the sort used so casually in the South. This language wiped any enjoyment right off my face.
Recently, reviewing a 1920s Hemingway collection, I mentioned the rude and offensive language and excused it in its historical context. Here, my reaction was stronger and I had to ask myself why. Hemingway's rude labels were dispersed in all directions; here the target was narrow. Also since this story was intended as humour the language seems to stick out more, and jam the works.
I had to google Eudora Welty and racism in order to learn a little more. There are readings of this story on YouTube and the wording is altered for modern audiences. The version I read was published in the 1950s.
2023 update: Re-read this story as part of the Short Story Club, and the online version there has the offensive language edited out. The voice overall is wonderful, and the family dynamic perfectly perverse. Rounded up to 4 stars, or rounded down to 4 stars, but in any event a story that stands up to repeat visits.
January 27, 2024
I only read the title story, so I’m not counting the book toward my yearly challenge.
Read for the group The Short Story Club.
I loved this story. The narrative voice is great. You can really hear the Mississippi in their speech. Sister is so childish and petty and you can’t really trust anything she says. The whole family is a bit off their rockers though, even if Sister does exaggerate.
Read for the group The Short Story Club.
I loved this story. The narrative voice is great. You can really hear the Mississippi in their speech. Sister is so childish and petty and you can’t really trust anything she says. The whole family is a bit off their rockers though, even if Sister does exaggerate.
May 10, 2025
I love the different takes on this story, especially how ironic it is. You can’t really believe Sister’s words because everyone in the family is equally awful, imo. Sister acts as a victim while she’s the one who stirs the pot quite often. But then again, most of the families who don’t resolve problems, but sweep it under the rug, can be resentful and passive aggressive toward one another. In a house where silence is punishment instead of peace, and your words equal another argument and misunderstanding, leaving at the P.O. is the obvious choice. And in a way, we all live in our P.O.
February 8, 2023
My review, and some interesting comments, is on an anthology that includes the story, HERE.
September 6, 2015
Four short stories published as a Penguin 60s book.
Seldom do I find myself reading a story I find no connection with - of course normally I don't attempt read books that look like they are heading that way - but this short book had four of them!
Probably I am too far removed from the time and the place, and I willingly admit that I know little about the politics and race relations of the time in order to appreciate this.
For me the first (title) story was a nothing that went nowhere. A mundane gossip fuelled and sniping family on the 4th of July. The second was similarly a nonentity for me. The third I couldn't make sense of and the last was just a pointless few page long story.
Sorry, not for me!
Seldom do I find myself reading a story I find no connection with - of course normally I don't attempt read books that look like they are heading that way - but this short book had four of them!
Probably I am too far removed from the time and the place, and I willingly admit that I know little about the politics and race relations of the time in order to appreciate this.
For me the first (title) story was a nothing that went nowhere. A mundane gossip fuelled and sniping family on the 4th of July. The second was similarly a nonentity for me. The third I couldn't make sense of and the last was just a pointless few page long story.
Sorry, not for me!
April 13, 2009
I did a bit of reading about Eudora Welty and she had an interesting life. Soon after her first novel was published, she stopped writing to care full-time for her family for fifteen years: for two brothers with severe arthritis and her mother who had had a stroke. After her mother died in 1966, she returned to writing and was also an accomplished photographer.
I wanted to know more about her because I just didn't connect with her writing. I can see how is is of great historical significance as she is known as the First Lady of Southern Literature... I just didnt like it!
I wanted to know more about her because I just didn't connect with her writing. I can see how is is of great historical significance as she is known as the First Lady of Southern Literature... I just didnt like it!
January 23, 2009
"Why I Live at the P.O." is one of the funniest Southern short stories ever written. She paved the way for people like Flannery O'Connor, and even T. C. Boyle.
August 8, 2024
Haiku
...
Oral history
Glimpses of rich characters
So much racism
.
.
Old Mississippi
Hot weather, small lurid minds
Family affairs
.
.
Medgar Evans died
And she felt like she knew him
The killer among
.
.
Albino wedding
Inherent puns poke fun at
Unhappy marriage
.
.
The P.O. address
Liar liar, pants on fire
A southern satire
.
.
Travelling Salesman
Strangers and their decorum
Death in the wasteland
...
Oral history
Glimpses of rich characters
So much racism
.
.
Old Mississippi
Hot weather, small lurid minds
Family affairs
.
.
Medgar Evans died
And she felt like she knew him
The killer among
.
.
Albino wedding
Inherent puns poke fun at
Unhappy marriage
.
.
The P.O. address
Liar liar, pants on fire
A southern satire
.
.
Travelling Salesman
Strangers and their decorum
Death in the wasteland
March 18, 2018
Ninguno de los cuatro relatos me ha conmovido pero eso no significa nada.
Lo que importa en este caso es la capacidad de Eudora Welty de convertir cualquier hecho banal en una historia con significado. Eso solo saben hacerlo los buenos escritores.
Lo que importa en este caso es la capacidad de Eudora Welty de convertir cualquier hecho banal en una historia con significado. Eso solo saben hacerlo los buenos escritores.
Read
June 6, 2025Why I Live at the P.O. - performed by Stockard Channing. Hilarious story of an independent young woman striking out on her own. I loved the way she listed all the things she was taking with her to the post office. Lovely to listen to this story. Kristi & Abby Tabby
October 24, 2020
I'll be honest, this was well written but it didn't really do it for me.
March 23, 2025
ni moja šalčka čaja but oh well it had to be read
March 21, 2017
I am listening to an audio book and Eudora Welty is the reader!!! Done! One disc. The pure genius of her writing and the added blessing of hearing her read the stories. A favorite. One disc. It flies by.
August 30, 2025
Notes
-recommended by Mom
-another Eudora Welty story with an unresolved ending
-southern culture as portrayed by Eudora Welty seems almost comical
-I like that they call their grandpa “poppa-daddy”
Memorable Quotes
- “I’d simply put my fingers in both my ears and refuse to listen”
- “Say I was two sided…bigger on one side than the other. Which is a deliberate and calculated falsehood”
Thoughts and Impressions
-see above—super funny, but also annoying. The narrator garners sympathy, but doesn’t seem trustworthy. Eudora Welty definitely knows how to write well.
-recommended by Mom
-another Eudora Welty story with an unresolved ending
•love that—seems more realistic
-southern culture as portrayed by Eudora Welty seems almost comical
•can’t ever tell what race characters are
•most likely white, but can go any way (?)
-I like that they call their grandpa “poppa-daddy”
Memorable Quotes
- “I’d simply put my fingers in both my ears and refuse to listen”
- “Say I was two sided…bigger on one side than the other. Which is a deliberate and calculated falsehood”
Thoughts and Impressions
-see above—super funny, but also annoying. The narrator garners sympathy, but doesn’t seem trustworthy. Eudora Welty definitely knows how to write well.
October 3, 2013
Welty's "Why I Live at the P.O." is an English-language humor classic. It is also a fine example of why many claim that the best American fiction writing comes out of the South.
Her style of writing is enviably effortless-seeming and her grasp of human relationships is notable, so the other stories are well worth reading. But if you have time in your life for only one, go with the tale repeated in the title. Anyone who ever tried to live within a family will find perhaps too much truth in this story.
Her style of writing is enviably effortless-seeming and her grasp of human relationships is notable, so the other stories are well worth reading. But if you have time in your life for only one, go with the tale repeated in the title. Anyone who ever tried to live within a family will find perhaps too much truth in this story.
April 18, 2010
One of my favorite stories! Absolutely smashing. Will get a good chuckle and a nod of approval from those of us who understand. Some of us are different, and we're happier and need our own space. Leave us alone. ;)
Read
January 12, 2008my favorite line from this book I stole from my friend Alan Huffman. "Why you just made that up sitting there eating breast of chicken"
November 20, 2008
one of the funniest short stories i have ever read.
i have a sister, maybe that unfairly influences my opinion.
stella rondo + moving out + living where you work + family feud = hilarity.
i have a sister, maybe that unfairly influences my opinion.
stella rondo + moving out + living where you work + family feud = hilarity.
August 23, 2012
My favorite Welty story. Her sense of humor is unparalleled and her portrayal of sibling rivalry and family dysfunction is superb!
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