Personal Souths

Interviews from the Southern Quarterly

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American, Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Personal Souths by , University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781617032929
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: April 25, 2012
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781617032929
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: April 25, 2012
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

Personal Souths, a collection of 20 interviews with famous southern writers, will mark the 50th anniversary of The Southern Quarterly, one of the oldest scholarly journals (founded in 1962) dedicated to southern studies. The figures interviewed range from Erskine Caldwell, Eudora Welty and Tennessee Williams (all from the 1970s), to a virtual Who's-Who of southern literature in the second half of the twentieth century. All of these interviews were originally published in the journal in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and are collected here for the first time. The South is represented broadly, with writers from eight states; at least four represent the "mountain South" (Donald Harrington, Bobbie Ann Mason, Robert Morgan, Lee Smith), while another four typify a "cosmopolitan South" (Reynolds Price, Mary Lee Settle, Elizabeth Spencer, Tennessee Williams). The greatest number of voices, at least eight of the authors, speak for or from the "poor white South" (Larry Brown, Erskine Caldwell, Harry Crews, Donald Harrington, Bobbie Ann Mason, Robert Morgan, Del Shores, Lee Smith). Though there is only one African American writer, Ernest J. Gaines, another interview (William Styron, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Confessions of Nat Turner) also focuses on a conversation about African American literature.

The interviews are all fascinating. Not only do they reveal the personalities of these southern literary stars, they also represent a self-conscious community of writers. It is a testament to the quality of The Southern Quarterly that many of these writers, when discussing their most important contemporaries, often refer to other writers whose interviews are also in this collection. These first-hand discussions will continue to illuminate and inform our understanding of their creative work.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Personal Souths, a collection of 20 interviews with famous southern writers, will mark the 50th anniversary of The Southern Quarterly, one of the oldest scholarly journals (founded in 1962) dedicated to southern studies. The figures interviewed range from Erskine Caldwell, Eudora Welty and Tennessee Williams (all from the 1970s), to a virtual Who's-Who of southern literature in the second half of the twentieth century. All of these interviews were originally published in the journal in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and are collected here for the first time. The South is represented broadly, with writers from eight states; at least four represent the "mountain South" (Donald Harrington, Bobbie Ann Mason, Robert Morgan, Lee Smith), while another four typify a "cosmopolitan South" (Reynolds Price, Mary Lee Settle, Elizabeth Spencer, Tennessee Williams). The greatest number of voices, at least eight of the authors, speak for or from the "poor white South" (Larry Brown, Erskine Caldwell, Harry Crews, Donald Harrington, Bobbie Ann Mason, Robert Morgan, Del Shores, Lee Smith). Though there is only one African American writer, Ernest J. Gaines, another interview (William Styron, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Confessions of Nat Turner) also focuses on a conversation about African American literature.

The interviews are all fascinating. Not only do they reveal the personalities of these southern literary stars, they also represent a self-conscious community of writers. It is a testament to the quality of The Southern Quarterly that many of these writers, when discussing their most important contemporaries, often refer to other writers whose interviews are also in this collection. These first-hand discussions will continue to illuminate and inform our understanding of their creative work.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book Sports Crazy by
Cover of the book Dictionary of Louisiana French by
Cover of the book East Meets Black by
Cover of the book Slavery, Propaganda, and the American Revolution by
Cover of the book Hoo-Doo Cowboys and Bronze Buckaroos by
Cover of the book Eudora Welty and Surrealism by
Cover of the book The Mississippi Secession Convention by
Cover of the book The Souls of White Folk by
Cover of the book Hurricane Camille by
Cover of the book Folklore Theory in Postwar Germany by
Cover of the book Quincy Jones by
Cover of the book Mississippi John Hurt by
Cover of the book Beyond Windrush by
Cover of the book Mississippi Black Paper by
Cover of the book Confessions of an Undercover Agent by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy