Saddest Words

A timely and essential (New York Times Book Review) reconsideration of William Faulkners life and legacy that vitally asks, How should we read Faulkner today?With this rich, complex, and eloquent (Drew Gilpin Faust, Atlantic) work, Pulitzer Prize finalist Michael Gorra charts the evolution of an author through his most cherishedand contestednovels. Given the undeniable echoes of Lost Cause romanticism in William Faulkners fiction, as well as his depiction of Black characters and Black speech, Gorra argues convincingly that Faulkner demands a sobering reevaluation. Upending previous critical traditions and interweaving biography, literary criticism, and rich travelogue, the widely acclaimed The Saddest Words recontextualizes Faulkner, revealing a civil war within him, while examining the most plangent cultural issues facing American literature today.