Worshipping at the Altar

The altar of Mississippi writers, that is. Eudora Welty and William Faulkner have occupied a lot of my time--and that of my Washington state guests--this past week. We've toured the famous writers' homes in Jackson and Oxford, MS, and have learned enough to want to read more and more of each person's work. Both won top international prizes and are thought of to this day as "great writers of the South." And both are known as well for their intellect and sense of humor. Two quick tales will illustrate:

Eudora, who never married or took lovers that anyone knows of, had a mischievous sense of humor. Mississippian Willie Morris, the youngest-ever editor of Harper's magazine when he took the helm in the late 1960's, told the story of the day he drove "Miss Eudora" up Highway 49 toward his hometown of Yazoo City. Eudora was well into her 90's by then. During the leisurely drive, Willie spotted a sign that read "Paradise Road." He asked Miss Eudora if she'd like to turn up that road and see where it led. "Oh, yes!" she said. "I've always wanted to go to 'Paradise' with a man!"

Then there's Faulkner, whose novels and short stories had made him a household name by the 1950's when he won a Nobel Prize for literature. Late in his career, he was enticed to Hollywood to do some screenwriting. Soon after his arrival, he was guest at a Hollywood party attended by Clark Gable. When the two were introduced, Gable said, "Hello, Mr. Faulkner, I understand you're a writer." "Yes,
Mr. Gable," said Faulkner. "And what do YOU do?"

The Welty home in Jackson and the Faulkner home in Oxford are well worth touring. Each reflects the writer and the writer's lifestyle, as well as exposes tourists to the endless yards of books the writers read. If you're in Jackson or Oxford soon, make time for one or both shrines. They're worth it, and then some.