The Voice of Faulkner

[FHwku]

http://gardenandgun.com/newsletter/voice-faulkner

Thanks to the University of Virginia, a new audio archive of the author reading, lecturing, and answering questions has recently been published online, accessible to the public for the first time. Nearly fifteen years in the works, the vast archive encompasses almost thirty hours of audio transferred from open-reel tapes.

Faulkner spent two years (1957 and 1958) at UVA as a writer-in-residence, speaking at classes and meetings with students, scholars, and Charlottesville townsfolk.

here are the recordings, courtesy of the University of Virginia.

http://faulkner.lib.virginia.edu/browse

[AZTheta]

Holy Cow! That is amazing and thank you for sharing this.

[FHwku]

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/29/s...-him.html.html

not quite the same, but in the spirit of this thread. the link is to an article about an upcoming two hour documentary, Salinger, and an 800-page biography, The Private War of J. D. Salinger. there will be pictures that no one has seen, transcripts, and interviews with people that worked with him at The New Yorker.

The Private War “will substantially rewrite the record of J. D. Salinger’s life, and correct many inaccurate stories that have been told for decades,” Salerno says.

[Drolefille]

Anyone else HATE Catcher in the Rye?

Just me?

[FHwku]

why didn't you like it?

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by FHwku

why didn't you like it?

It's been years now, but I didn't like Holden, I didn't find the writing all that spectacular, and I didn't really get the point. Then again, I didn't like The Light in August, Beloved, or The Great Gatsby either.

I don't like reading whole books in stream of consciousness, in dialect, and Gatsby was a book without a point.

(And I say this as an avid reader who likes all sorts of things.)

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Anyone else HATE Catcher in the Rye?

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Then again, I didn't like . . . The Great Gatsby either.

[Drolefille]

It's conceivable I'm just biased about things I was forced to read.

But I found both Catcher and Gatsby to be novels without purpose, with relatively unlikeable protagonists and Gatsby in particular was vapid as hell.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

It's conceivable I'm just biased about things I was forced to read.

Just giving you a hard time. That has certainly happened to all of us. I hated The Old Man and the Sea for that same reason, and I've had a hard time with Hemmingway ever since.

But I found both Catcher and Gatsby to be novels without purpose, with relatively unlikeable protagonists and Gatsby in particular was vapid as hell.

You found Gatsby the book or Gatsby the character vapid? (Or both?) The character is supposed to be somewhat vapid.

As for Holden, I don't know that I ever liked him -- there were times I liked him, but I don't know that I'd want to spend too much time with him. But I did find him really interesting, and in some way, relatable. Part of what I found compelling about it was the realization that I was relating to a character I didn't necessarily like a lot.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Just giving you a hard time. That has certainly happened to all of us. I hated The Old Man and the Sea for that same reason, and I've had a hard time with Hemmingway ever since.

You found Gatsby the book or Gatsby the character vapid? (Or both?) The character is supposed to be somewhat vapid.

As for Holden, I don't know that I ever liked him -- there were times I liked him, but I don't know that I'd want to spend too much time with him. But I did find him really interesting, and in some way, relatable. Part of what I found compelling about it was the realization that I was relating to a character I didn't necessarily like a lot.

Both Gatsby himself and the book in general. I didn't really feel like I could relate to Holden even when I was feeling some of the same things. He was entirely offputting. But then the only Jane Austen I've read was augmented by zombies and there were still moments where I was wondering WTF they were doing standing around talking and how in the world is there a plot without zombies.

[FHwku]

i've been in the archive again seeing what all Faulkner had to say about what not. race relations (e.g. brown vs board of educ,) influences, character, and such. the most interesting bits, to me, are probably when Faulkner ends up touching on a lot of great authors. reading and hearing him touch briefly on Wolfe/Kerouac/Warren/Hemingway/Salinger/Joyce/Mann has been really cool. i wish there were more recordings of those guys or Twain or Alexander Graham Bell calling Thomas Edison and getting the first voice mail.

anyway, i just ran across one where he said something about Hemingway and Fitzgerald in an answer to a lady's question. it reminded me of MC's disdain for The Old Man and the Sea.http://faulkner.lib.virginia.edu/res...n&q=fitzgerald

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Both Gatsby himself and the book in general. I didn't really feel like I could relate to Holden even when I was feeling some of the same things. He was entirely offputting. But then the only Jane Austen I've read was augmented by zombies and there were still moments where I was wondering WTF they were doing standing around talking and how in the world is there a plot without zombies.

Huh, I wondered why I felt like I'd written this before.

[FHwku]

footage of Mark Twain, filmed by Thomas Edison. the 2nd half shows Twain and his daughters, Clara and Jean. it's short, but cool.

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smar...e-to-prove-it/