Classic Authors: William Faulkner
© Susan Jensen
William was born into a proud old Southern family, the Falkners. His great-grandfather remains something of a local hero, while his grandfather was known as a businessman, who owned a family railroad. Although William idolized his great-grandfather, announcing that he wanted to be a writer just like the elder Faulkner, relations between himself and his own father were strained. When William's grandfather sold the railroad, his father was devastated, and took to working odd jobs and drinking excessively. He died in 1932, and William became the family's only support. In contrast, William and his mother forged a strong relationship. She believed him to be a genius, and expressed faith in him when others deemed him a failure. It has been said that no person in William's life had such an influence on him as his devoted mother.
His paradoxical nature became evident early in William's life. As a child, he could be alternately quiet and mischievous. He excelled at drawing and painting, and his gift for storytelling emerged in full force. However, he mixed truth and fantasy so often that even his closest relatives could not separate William's fact from his fiction. He also began writing poetry at an early age. Although he displayed early talent, William's disdain for formal education remains legendary. In grade school, he was a top student; however, he dropped out after sixth grade, thinking that no one could teach him anything he did not already know. Although he took some college courses, William Faulkner would never resume his formal education. For the remainder of his life, he read prodigiously, and studied under various mentors.
William drifted for many years, working odd jobs, even joining the air force. Rejected by the U.S. military because he was too small, William passed himself off as a British citizen and joined the Royal Air Force in Canada. He did receive flight training, but he never saw combat. That, however, did not stop him from spinning grand yarns about his adventures as a Flying Ace. His first novel, Soldier's Pay , was published during this time, but received little attention. With The Sound and the Fury (1929), William's confidence grew and he began to acquire a reputation. Twenty novels and many short stories followed, earning him a revered position in the history of American literature.
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