Writing from the deep South - Faulkner, Steinbeck, McCarthy, O'Connor etc

[ringo]

Any other readers with a penchant for writing from America's deep South?

I'm looking for books/authors to add to my reading list.

Read all of Cormac McCarthy's books and plays, and Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath and Of Mice And Men. Currently reading Faulkner, and dipping into Flannery O'Connor's short stories now and then.

Have just had Thomas Mann's 'Joseph and His Brothers' suggested to me, a retelling of the Bible story as a conflict between freedom and tyranny. Anyone read that?

 

[Stanley Edwards]

I was recently introduced to Faulkner. Don't understand how he had elluded me for so long. The Wild Palms is an interesting read for many reasons.

 

[purves grundy]

I was initially daunted by Faulkner, but by fuckery I loved 'The Sound And The Fury'. Really moved me.

 

[krtek a houby]

As I Lay Dying - took a bit of getting used to, so many different narratives. Must try another one of his.

 

[ringo]

I found Faulkner difficult to get into at first, but at second attempt I'm ploughing through As I Lay Dying. Once his language structure clicks it all fits into place. It's in part the strong dialect, I remember a similar experience with Irvine Welsh. Brilliant writer, Faulkner.

 

[ska invita]

Nelson Algren's (of Man With the Golden Arm fame) A Walk on the Wild Side is a great slice of slumlife, prostitution, speakeasy's etc set against a southern backdrop (Texas onto New Orleans) - the language is great, lyrical and punky, but not like Cormac McCarthy. Its written in the 50s, so you have to get your head into that gear of writing, but it still reads very fresh.

I think he wasnt from the south himself, but I think it still might interest you.

Will check with ms.invita who reads lots of US lit for some more modern examples...

 

[ringo]

Cheers ska, little bit later than my usual selection but I'll have a look.

 

[ericjarvis]

Carl Hiaasen generally writes stuff set in Florida and sometimes a little further west along the Gulf coast.

 

[twistedAM]

Carson McCullers is a must.

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
The Member of the Wedding

And Alice Walker "The Color Purple"

 

[Superdupastupor]

Had to check on wiki but apparently 'a confederacy of dunces' by J.K Toole is "now considered a canonical work of modern Southern literature"

so there.

And I would heartily recommend it.

 

[Superdupastupor]

Short story collection all set in various 20th centuary Louisiana situations

"waiting for the evening news" by Tim Gautreaux

Lots of great Cajun slang.

One story that stands out in my memory is a train driver getting a bit drunk, crashing then doing the sensible thing and running away and watching as horror from his motel room as it becomes a bigger and bigger media story

 

[ska invita]

And Alice Walker "The Color Purple"

I was going to say, theres lots of slavery books out there... Ive always wanted to have a go at Roots, but never did

 

[Divisive Cotton]

I remember reading As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - it was a really difficult, dense novel

 

[ska invita]

Ms Invita says:
Jim Lewis - The King is Dead , Sister, and esp. Why The Tree Loves the Axe

BaLLAD OF Lee Cotton by Christopher Wilson is particularly amazing supposedly - trad south and very modern

Annie Proulx and Richard Brautigan might also be worth checking but may not be out and out southern



ETA: just been talking about ballad of LC - it sounds amazing - im going to read it!

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I was initially daunted by Faulkner, but by fuckery I loved 'The Sound And The Fury'. Really moved me.

I ploughed partway through Sound and the Fury, then put it down out of boredom and disgust.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Nobody's mentioned Tennessee Williams, Carson McCullers, James Dickey.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

...
And Alice Walker "The Color Purple"

Beautiful sad. If I was a Literary teacher, or summat, I would insist on people reading this book.

 

[N_igma]

You looking for just fiction here?

 

[oryx]

Nobody's mentioned Tennessee Williams, Carson McCullers, James Dickey.

Mentioned in post 9.

I thought Steinbeck wrote more about California than the deep south. Only read The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter and East Of Eden out of the writers mentioned, both brilliant. I'd say the same about Styron's Sophie's Choice though not sure if he'd be classed as a southern US writer. I'm not a great reader of US fiction though what I've read, I've enjoyed. Too many good books, too little time....

 

[Brubricker]

Thomas Wolfe - Look Homeward Angel

Eudora Welty - The Optimist's Daughter

Zora Neale Hurston - Their Eyes Were Watching God

 

[Voley]

Are lyrical descriptions of the area a common-ish theme from Southern writers? I've not read much Southern writing but Cormac McCarthy goes in for it and some of Steinbeck's descriptions of the minutiae of life in Cannery Row trip over into poetry sometimes. Some of the best bits in James Lee Burke's crime novels are his beautiful descriptions of fish flopping in the bayou etc. I've never been overly interested in visiting America but descriptions of the South that I've read in literature (and wanting to hear the blues in the Mississippi Delta) has swayed me on that front a bit.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Is Steinbeck considered to be a Southern writer?

 

[Voley]

Yeah that's a point. His stuff's set in California by and large, isn't it?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I always thought that Steinbeck's .... evocation of the image of place..... bore more resemblance to Hemingway.

 

[Brubricker]

Are lyrical descriptions of the area a common-ish theme from Southern writers?

Absolutely. Check out the Wolfe, Welty and Hurston books I cited above. They're the embodiment of it. In my humble opinion, there's generally more lyricism in Southern literature than in the literary traditions from other parts of the USA.

 

[ringo]

Absolutely. Check out the Wolfe, Welty and Hurston books I cited above. They're the embodiment of it. In my humble opinion, there's generally more lyricism in Southern literature than in the literary traditions from other parts of the USA.

Yes, exactly the reason I like this stuff. I particuarly like the old testament style descriptions of humanity's base nature projected against the harsh poetic beauty of nature. Stienbeck shouldn't really be on the list but he does that so well I included him. I'm more into the style than just restricting my reading a set literary group iyswim. Only really interested in fiction for this reason too.

Thanks for all the suggestions, loads to check out there.

 

[Sue]

Gome With the Wind. Book's much more interesting that the film.

 

[ringo]

Gome With the Wind. Book's much more interesting that the film.

Right, someone mentioned that to me once before, cheers for the reminder.

 

[Maggot]

I would really recommend watching Rich Hall's The Dirty South. It's more about the South in films than literature, but there's a lot of overlap. It's a really interesting insightful programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t26zf

Carl Hiaasen generally writes stuff set in Florida and sometimes a little further west along the Gulf coast.

I've enjoyed the Carl Hiaasen stuff I've read.

 

[twistedAM]

Shit, we've left out a classic haven't we?
Harper Lee "To Kill a Mocking Bird"

As far as modern stuff goes, I'd really recommend Larry Brown (probably Father & Son as a starter) and also worth a peek is Nick Cave's "And The Ass Saw The Angel"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Brown_(author)