The three great American novelists of the mid-twentieth century. Born within five years of one another. All Nobel laureates, Faulkner first, in 1949, Hemingway in 1954 and Steinbeck in 1962.
All were born in, by 21st century measures, very small towns: Faulkner in New Albany, Mississippi, pop. 1,000; Hemingway in what was then Cicero, shortly to become break-away Oak Park, Illinois, ~16,000; Steinbeck in Salinas, California, 3,200.
Tudor was in around the fin de siecle, huh? Not so much in the South. That is the only photograph I could find of Faulkner's homestead. At first glance it appears poor, or poorer by comparison, because it is such an old photograph and is in black and white but look closely--it looks to be a pretty big house. The roof appears to be in perfect condition, the porch balusters and fence railings are well-maintained. If the house had survived (apparently it did not) and you could take a color digital pic of it I bet it'd look very middle class.
Very surprised Steinbeck's house was bigger than Hem's. Hemingway's dad was a doctor. He swallowed his gun in one of those bedrooms on the second floor indicated by the windows. Yuck. Leicester, his young son, was home from school ill that day. Heard the shot, went into the darkened bedroom, ran his hand under his dad's head and it came out wet. Double yuck.
All were born in, by 21st century measures, very small towns: Faulkner in New Albany, Mississippi, pop. 1,000; Hemingway in what was then Cicero, shortly to become break-away Oak Park, Illinois, ~16,000; Steinbeck in Salinas, California, 3,200.
Faulkner's birth house.
Hemingway's.
Steinbeck's.
Tudor was in around the fin de siecle, huh? Not so much in the South. That is the only photograph I could find of Faulkner's homestead. At first glance it appears poor, or poorer by comparison, because it is such an old photograph and is in black and white but look closely--it looks to be a pretty big house. The roof appears to be in perfect condition, the porch balusters and fence railings are well-maintained. If the house had survived (apparently it did not) and you could take a color digital pic of it I bet it'd look very middle class.
Very surprised Steinbeck's house was bigger than Hem's. Hemingway's dad was a doctor. He swallowed his gun in one of those bedrooms on the second floor indicated by the windows. Yuck. Leicester, his young son, was home from school ill that day. Heard the shot, went into the darkened bedroom, ran his hand under his dad's head and it came out wet. Double yuck.
Anyway, this is not Lifestyles of the Literary and Famous. All three of these contemporary noble Nobelists grew up in pretty comfortable circumstances! From what wells did thus spring such dark, mad horror that characterizes the writing of all three? Was that too just the fashion in mid-century? "Alright, well, he had a Tudor, I had a Tudor; he wrote dark shit, guess I mays well too." Was it catching? Jesus Christ. I don't know why they wrote horror but it wasn't because of how they grew up.
