I have GOT to read that, Wes. I adored "The Moviegoer.".

I'm surprised that Walker Percy hasn't been mentioned yet. While "The Moviegoer" won him the National Book Award, I tend to like his second novel "The Last Gentleman" better. I think it speaks to the modern malaise in a more meaningful way.

All of Percy's books are interesting and insightful--and distinctly Southern.

Thanks Charles thatsa why i love this site new stuff to sink into

Tom Franklin is getting some good burn via The Oxford, his post at Ole Miss, and novel Hell at the Breech and collection of short stories Poachers.

I also have to drop a hint towards my Hampden-Sydney co-alumn Michael Knight. His The Divining Rod was a good first effort, but I'm partial to short stories and inDogfight he appears to have harnessed his craft.

A few new authors/books for y'all.

Marge wrote: "I recently read No Country for Old Men and it was one of those novels I consumed, not read. It was so great! Cormac McCarthy can write some truly great novels like No Country for Old Men and All ..."

you should give "outer dark" a try.

I recently read No Country for Old Men and it was one of those novels I consumed, not read. It was so great! Cormac McCarthy can write some truly great novels like No Country for Old Men and All the Pretty Horses, but I found The Orchard Keeper really boring.

I will thanks and i'll let you know how goes. Thanks agian and have fun with brown~ E

Thanks man. I guess I'll go with my gut and start with 'Father...'. Check out Rick Bragg when you get a chance. Ava's Man was very good and 'Shoutin'' is supposed to be better. ..and so it goes..later!

Joe was my first and i went directly to my favorite used book stores in search of everything else i could find. Fay was second and i have father and son as well as the miracle of catfish that i still need to get to. seems like i have taken a bit of a Vonnegut side trail...it happens...I dont think you will regret starting with anything he has put out. And you are right as soon as i got on this sight i have devoured new books i would have not known about.

You are welcome Eric,and thanks to you and everyone. I love it here. My reading list just exploded. I am going to start with Larry Brown. I'm tempted to start with 'Joe' and 'Fay' but 'Father and Son' seems to be tugging at me. Suggestions?

Charles thanks for the suggested reads

I agree it seems so selfish but unavoidable at the same time. humans...bagh!

Eric,
I felt exactly the same when I learned of his too early death, after I fell in love with his work.
Vastly mixed emotions; from anger at not being able to look forward to his next; to feeling guilty for that anger; to a sense of mourning for him, his family and yes, for his lost future work.

Eric wrote: "thanks Marge ~ what a great work. I just picked up his last book (the one with catfishes in the title) and only then I learned that he was no longer with us. I cant help but be a little bitter as i..."

I read "The Well and the Mine" by Gin Phillips and absolutely loved it. Very vivid characters and a beautiful story. I also loved "One Foot in Eden" by Ron Rash. I am a big fan of these two now.

thanks Marge ~ what a great work. I just picked up his last book (the one with catfishes in the title) and only then I learned that he was no longer with us. I cant help but be a little bitter as i was looking forward to many more novels by Brown. It seems that every author i have found recently, that i fall in love with, has passed far befor their time. Tristan Eggolf is one worth mention

Yes, Fay was a daughter in the indigent, poor, violent family. What a dreadful way to grow up!

I just recently read both of these and was wondering was Fay part of the family in Joe? If so i missed that. As i read it that thought had crossed my mind but i couldnt remember the names of the daughters.

Tom wrote: "Did you end up reading Fay? If so, want to comment on it? Fay is one of my favorite tragicomic characters.

Marge wrote: "Tom wrote: "Marge,
Glad you enjoyed Larry Brown.
"Fay", which is 'sor..."

Yes, I read "Fay" and loved it! I felt so sorry for Fay and MOST of the people she met on her travels. As I read it, I really felt as though I was there with her - with the smells, the humidity, the heat, and the wonderful people who helped her and the awful people she judged wrongly. Great literature. I'm sorry Larry Brown died so young - we were deprived of some great writing.

Did you end up reading Fay? If so, want to comment on it? Fay is one of my favorite tragicomic characters.

Marge wrote: "Tom wrote: "Marge,
Glad you enjoyed Larry Brown.
"Fay", which is 'sort of a sequel' to Joe, explains what happened to some of the characters."
I have ordered "Fay" from the San Diego library (it's ..."

Vanessa wrote: "It's Oklahoma, Terah! I've heard it's fantastic! His mother, Billie, was my professor in college. "


Yes! I got tickets to the play in Tulsa! Can't wait!!

If it wasn't part of the South during the Civil War then that eliminates quite a few of us, I guess. Some people only define South as Deep South, but if you're from Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana...you're Southern.

Oklahoma has produced a good writer Billie Letts, then Tracy Letts...how Southern does one have to be to be considered Southern?

Regarding the Grapes of Wrath being or not being considered Southern Lit, the family began their journey during the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma - that was a major part of the writing - dirt, dirt, dirt. And from there Steinbeck went into a majestic and beautiful description of what we now call "Okies". It's true that it's American Lit primarily, but part of the reason it is so great is that it reaches so many parts of Americana.

Looking for a fresh take on Southern Literature? If you live within driving distance of Columbus, Mississippi, come join us in a month for the annual Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium. 13 great writers: Natasha Trethewey, Tony Earley, Ravi Howard, Pearl McHaney (speaking on Eudora Welty), Becky Gould Gibson, Melissa Delbridge, Jim Murphy, Bridget Smith Pieschel, Ken Wells, Frank X Walker, Jesmyn Ward, Jack Riggs, and me.

October 22-24, 2009, Mississippi University for Women: Admission is free.
http://www.muw.edu/welty
See our Preview (and soon Program) page to learn more about this year's authors. View Past Programs and History to see who we invited in our first 20 years.

yes! dill! very good, judy! also harper went with truman to get research is his novel IN COLD BLOOD. we go see my inlaws in kansas, we drive by the prison where he visited the murderers,and where they were hung.

Dill

no,it wasn't boo radley. boo was the guy they were afraid of hidden in the house. try a sickly skinny boy ,lived next door,and was there in the summer living with aunts. yes, janice,dig out that copy of your book,and you'll figure it out. anybody else?

Gary wrote: "his other novels are good. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
OTHER VOICES OTHER ROOMS.

anybody know which favorite southern author used truman for one of her characters that was a playmate for these other ch..."

HARPER LEE - In TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Didn't she model Boo Radley on Truman?

anybody know which favorite southern author used truman for one of her characters that was a playmate for these other children?

answers????

HARPER LEE - TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - TRUMAN used as model for Boo Radley?

his other novels are good. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
OTHER VOICES OTHER ROOMS.

anybody know which favorite southern author used truman for one of her characters that was a playmate for these other children?

answers????

THE COMPLETE STORIES OF TRUMAN CAPOTE this is the definative book of all his stories.


THE THANKSGIVNG VISITOR , A CHRISTMAS MEMORY, AND ONE CHRISTMAS i read around the holidays.

to get a small dose of faulkner to start out with, read A ROSE FOR EMILY.
it's a great story for halloween too!

here it is.......

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/...

enjoy, it's a great story!

gary

eudora welty.

also, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER

tennessee williams. read , or better yet experience his plays.
put one on if you can! he's great!

yes, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, of course!

truman capote. not just IN COLD BLOOD which is excellent, but his short stories all based in the south, are great.

for xmas read truman, A CHRISTMAS MEMORY is wonderful.

I am going to say it three times........

William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Faulkner

three times a charm!

Tom wrote: "Marge,
Glad you enjoyed Larry Brown.
"Fay", which is 'sort of a sequel' to Joe, explains what happened to some of the characters."
I have ordered "Fay" from the San Diego library (it's not at our branch), and I should have it in a few days. I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Marge,
Glad you enjoyed Larry Brown.
"Fay", which is 'sort of a sequel' to Joe, explains what happened to some of the characters.

I just finished reading two novels by Larry Brown, "Father and Son" and "Joe." I really enjoyed them both, especially "Father and Son." I had trouble understanding the title character of "Joe," but developed a relationship with the other main character, Gary. I discovered that reading the novels of Larry Brown takes a level of toughness to get through the evil.

I would also recommend Joe R. Lansdale: "High Cotton" and "The Bottoms." It's pulpy stuff, but definitely goes in the vein of southern gothic.

Josh Weil
Weil's reader can practically smell and feel what his characters do. From the smell of a pasture, his character's heartache, insecurities and joy. His novellas collected in _The New Valley_ are set in his native Virginia.

Cold Mountain
Frazier's _Cold Mountain_ deserves a bookshelf spot for any who appreciate a Civil War era saga. Full of the range of human emotions and the tolls of this - and all - wars.

The Rosewood CasketSharyn McCrumb
Sharyn McCrumb has a wonderful feel for Appalachaia and it's people. I especially liked Rosewood Casket and She Walks These Hills. The latter is a ghost story, fully rooted in traditions of the South.

Reading "Wise Blood" was a revelation for me as a reader and an author. It is probably the first book that I recommend for people to read, even before "Blood Meridian." As some may know, "Blood Meridian" is my inspiration into literature, but "Wise Blood" I feel is the most accessible book for people who I want to approbate my love of books.

"Wise Blood" is an amazingly good read.

Check it out!

Better Late Than Never Book Review

Terah wrote: "Hmm. I don't think Southern must mean Southern gothic, after all the tone of the south is changing and has changed since Flannery O'Connor. On another note, I consider "The Grapes of Wrath" to be a..."

I'm not sure about Grapes of Wrath being included in the SoLit pile. Of course, I grew up where John Steinbeck grew up (Salinas Valley, lots of working poor and farm laborers) and he was actually reviled for his liberal views. Now that I'm living in the Bay Area, I have to say. Steinbeck is distinctly a Northern California writer, and this is an example of his pre-60s liberalism, and the struggles of the working poor. I think he delves into the subject more directly in Travels with Charlie. And, Steinbeck was quite outspoken about his views when he was alive.

But hey, it's one of the best books written about the depression. I absolutely love that story!

Cody wrote: "It is interesting to see all the writers and books that people consider to be "southern literature." Unfortunately, many of them are not part of what is classified as "southern literature." A pro..."


A lot of people feel that way. Oklahoma isn't considered part of The South, but I think most people around here would be far more likely to consider him or herself Southern than anything else! I think it's a state of mind. Or something.

It is interesting to see all the writers and books that people consider to be "southern literature." Unfortunately, many of them are not part of what is classified as "southern literature." A professor in college used to say, "If it wasn't part of the South during the civil war, it's not part of the South; if the book isn't set in one of those states or the writer ain't from one of them it's not "southern lit!"

It's Oklahoma, Terah! I've heard it's fantastic! His mother, Billie, was my professor in college.

I'd also add anything by Alice Walker. "The Color Purple" is required reading, of course, but "The Temple of My Familiar" is brilliant.

Hmm. I don't think Southern must mean Southern gothic, after all the tone of the south is changing and has changed since Flannery O'Connor. On another note, I consider "The Grapes of Wrath" to be a Southern work, because it is primarily about an Oklahoma family and their toils. Also, Tracy Letts has a play called, "August: Osage County" about a dysfunctional family in Oklahoma or Arkansas (not sure which).

I would highly recommend Charles McNair's "Land 'O Goshen," which was a Pulitzer finalist a few years back.

Corey, I agree about "Midnight." I totally loved it from the start! I also want to say thanks to whomever first mentioned Larry Brown. I'd never read him until I saw that and now I'm HOOKED!