I hope this isn’t viewed as a shameless plug – because I really wanted to share this with you all, and maybe elicit some comments. It appeared Sunday. Strong Southern Voice Makes Spencer Collection Seductive.
Oh-kayyyy… A disussion of southern fiction in general?
- Is Faulker overrated? Did anybody understand The Sound and the Fury?
- I’ve been to Thomas Wolfe’s home, in Asheville, N.C. Gail Godwin is also a writer I admire.
- My favorite short-story author is Ellen Gilchrist.
- Need a mountain author to round out your reading list? I recommend Lee Smith enthusiastically to anyone unfamiliar with her. Fair and Tender Ladies is a wonderful, agonizing novel. She writes wonderful short stories as well.
- I’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird at least twice a year for the last 15 years. Is this odd?
- A silly novel I enjoy very much is Addie Pray. The movie Paper Moon was based on it, but the book is much funnier.
I enjoy “The Wilgus Stories” of Gurney Noman, collected in “Kinfolks.” The most famous being “Fat Monroe,” which was filmed with native Kentuckian Ned Beatty as the titular character. I’m not claiming the stories are brilliant examples of southern fiction, but are quite good.
On the other hand, Norman’s novel DIVINE RIGHT’S TRIP is an overlooked psychedelic/southern masterpiece written originally in conjunction with “The Last Whole Earth Catalog,” in 1971 IIRC. The protagonist’s ‘63 VW microbus, named Urge, is one of several narrating characters, fer cryin’ out loud. I heartily recommend it, far superior to anything Ken Kesey or Tom Wolfe ever wrote.
I read a collection once by a young writer (a post-humous collection) named something like Brice DJ Pancake, can’t recall the book’s title, but recall one stunning short story built around a metaphor of fossils (what’s it called when animals and plants become fossilized in the crust of a rock?). Not much to go on, it was the only really outstanding piece in the book.
I’ve never read Smith, but know of people who swear by her.
Sir Rhosis
Interesting review, Ellen. Might I suggest moving the title of the collection a little further up toward the beginning of the article?
I can’t comment intelligently on Faulkner, having read only “A Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning.” But I do love short stories in general.
Wow, you’re the first person I know of that also reads her. One of my favorite quotes (from books as oposed to songs) is by her, actually.
" I cannot get you close enough, I said to him, pitiful as a child, and never can and never will. We cannot get from anyone else the things we need to fill the endless terrible need, not to be dissolved, not so sink back into the sand, heat, broom, air, thinnest air. And so we revolve around each other and our dreams collide. It’s embarrassing that it should be so hard. Look out the window in any weather. We are a part of that glamour, drama, change and should not be ashamed." -from I Cannot Get You Close
In general, though, I love short story collections, and try to buy as many as I can. That’s one of the only good things about the compensation for text books being so small- I stopped selling back my books after my Freshman year of college, so I have a several anthologies to pour through when the mood stirks me. As for favorities, my current favorite short story writer is Marget Atwood, who isn’t southern. I don’t like her novels, with a couple of exceptions, but boy can she write a compelling short story.
elfkin477, I was introduced to Ellen Gilchrist years ago by, of all things, radio. She used to do a journal for National Public Radio on “Morning Edition.” I could listen to her say “Jackson, Mississippi” all day. She intrigued me and I sought out her work. It’s a shame she wasn’t included in my short-story class in college, but I’m glad I found her myself. We DID read Carson McCullers in that class, and I also enjoy her quite a bit. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe is such a weird story.
Danimal, I’m not looking at the online version of the review at the moment, but when it’s published in the paper, the name of the book, author, number of pages and price is right at the beginning of the article. So don’t worry about mentioning the title too high. But thanks for reading my review! I’ve always loved short stories and this is the first collection I’ve reviewed.
Sir Rhosis, hey y’all. I’ve read Gurney’s Wilgus stories and I am very familiar with “Fat Monroe.” In fact, I was involved in a feature segment on the producer, Andy Garrison, for the program I work on, Kentucky Life. (sorry about the shameless plug! Tune in! 
Now if only someone would read Addie Pray, on my recommendation, I could die a happy woman. LOL