William Faulkner (born William Cuthbert Falkner), (September 25, 1897–July 6, 1962) was an American author. One of the most influential writers of the twentieth century, he was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature. His reputation is based on his novels, novellas, and short stories. However, he was also a published poet and also was a screenwriter. He is now deemed among the greatest American writers of all time.[1]
Awards
Faulkner received the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature for "his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel." He donated a portion of his Nobel winnings "to establish a fund to support and encourage new fiction writers," eventually resulting in the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He donated another portion to a local Oxford bank to establish an account to provide scholarship funds to help educate African-American education majors at nearby Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
Faulkner won two Pulitzer Prizes for what are considered as his "minor" novels: his 1954 novel A Fable, which took the Pulitzer in 1955, and the 1962 novel, The Reivers, which was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer in 1963. He also won two National Book Awards, first for his Collected Stories in 1951 and once again for his novel A Fable in 1955.
In 1946, Faulkner was one of three finalists for the first Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Award. He came in second to Manly Wade Wellman.[2]
Legacy
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction has its name, in part, as a tribute to Faulkner, because he was one of the main inspirations of Mary Lee Settle, a founder of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation; Faulkner was an inspiration because he used his 1949 Nobel Prize money to fund awards for younger writers.[3]
In 1987, the United States Postal Service issued a 22 cent postage stamp in his honor.[4]
Selected writings
Novels
Short stories
Poetry
References
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| 1901 – 1925 | |
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| 1926 – 1950 | |
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| 1951 – 1975 | |
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| 1976 – 2000 | |
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| 2001 – present | |
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