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McAfee County: A Chronicle
Welcome to McAfee County, home to a large gathering of characters whose stories are as intertwined as kudzu. From Brother Fisco, who vows to part the waters of Kallisaw Sound, to Maggie Poat, proprietor of the local roadhouse, all have a compassionate, good-humored champion in author Mark Steadman, who gently prods us to recognize the flawed humanity we share with McAfee's misfits, rounders, and otherwise lost souls. Moving in and out of each other's lives in profound, often shocking, ways, the men and women in these stories form a vibrant community not soon forgotten. Blend Yoknapatawpha and Lake Wobegon, add a twist of southern gothic, and you will have some idea of what is waiting for you right across the McAfee County line.
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1978
6 people want to read
About the author
Mark Steadman
15 books3 followersMark S. Steadman, Jr. taught at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Steadman authored four novels, including McAfee County, which received acclaim as the Best First Novel of the Year by Britannica Books.[3]
Steadman was a faculty member at Clemson University from 1957 to 1997, where he taught a range of courses, including "The American Novel" and "Creative Writing". He also held positions as a Visiting Professor of American Literature at the American University in Cairo and as a Fulbright Lecturer in American Literature at Leningrad State University in 1983. Steadman was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in 2002.
Steadman authored four novels, including McAfee County, which received acclaim as the Best First Novel of the Year by Britannica Books.[3]
Steadman was a faculty member at Clemson University from 1957 to 1997, where he taught a range of courses, including "The American Novel" and "Creative Writing". He also held positions as a Visiting Professor of American Literature at the American University in Cairo and as a Fulbright Lecturer in American Literature at Leningrad State University in 1983. Steadman was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in 2002.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 27, 2009
A very wild, sometimes funny, sometimes deep set of short stories. If you like Flannery O'Conner (whom, I'm the first to admit, one cannot say Southern Gothic without mentioning), Steadman at the least deserves a look for his more secular take on the South.
Personally, I say he deserves more than that: this collection doesn't get the attention it merits. Steadman gives us look after look at the denizens of McAfee County, with various characters moving in and out of each tale, giving us different perspectives on them all. In other words, although it's not a novel, McAfee County's a bit more unified than a simple set of short stories rounded up in one volume. Furthermore, Steadman has a definite vision of the grotesque that permeates the book and, to me, provides a definite counterpoint to O'Conner's exploration of that subject.
If you cannot find a copy, it's also one of the 'three' in [Book:3 By 3: Masterworks of the Southern Gothic].
Personally, I say he deserves more than that: this collection doesn't get the attention it merits. Steadman gives us look after look at the denizens of McAfee County, with various characters moving in and out of each tale, giving us different perspectives on them all. In other words, although it's not a novel, McAfee County's a bit more unified than a simple set of short stories rounded up in one volume. Furthermore, Steadman has a definite vision of the grotesque that permeates the book and, to me, provides a definite counterpoint to O'Conner's exploration of that subject.
If you cannot find a copy, it's also one of the 'three' in [Book:3 By 3: Masterworks of the Southern Gothic].
Displaying 1 of 1 review