South toward home : travels in Southern literature

A literary travelogue into the heart of classic Southern literature. What is it about the South that has inspired so much of America's greatest literature? And why, when we think of Flannery O'Connor or William Faulkner or Harper Lee, do we think of them not just as writers, but as Southern writers? In South Toward Home , Margaret Eby—herself a Southerner—travels through the South in search of answers to these questions, visiting the hometowns and stomping grounds of some of our most beloved authors. From Mississippi (William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright) to Alabama (Harper Lee, Truman Capote) to Georgia (Flannery O'Connor, Harry Crews) and beyond, Eby looks deeply at the places that these authors lived in and wrote about. South Toward Home reveals how these authors took the people and places they knew best and transmuted them into lasting literature. Side by side with Eby, we meet the man who feeds the peacocks at Andalusia, the... A Literary Travelogue That Ventures Deep Into The Heart Of Classic Southern Literature. As The Writer Elif Batuman Did For Russian Literature In The Possessed, Margaret Eby Does For Southern Literature In This Charming Book Of Literary Exploration. From Mississippi (william Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, Barry Hannah) To Alabama (harper Lee, Truman Capote) To Georgia (flannery O'connor, Harry Crews) And Beyond, Eby--herself A Southerner--travels Through The Deep South To The Places That Famous Southern Authors Lived In And Wrote About. South Toward Home Reveals How They Took These Places And The Lives Of Their Inhabitants And Transmuted Them Into Lasting Literature. Whether Meeting The Man In Charge Of Feeding Flannery O'connor's Peacocks In Milledgeville, Peering Into Faulkner's Liquor Cabinet, Or Seeking Out John Kennedy Toole's Iconic Hot Dog Vendors In New Orleans, Eby Combines Biographical Detail With Expert Criticism To Deliver A Rich And Evocative Tribute To The Literary South -- Introduction -- Eudora Welty's Garden : Jackson, Ms -- Richard Wright's Schoolhouse : Jackson, Ms -- William Faulkner's Liquor Cabinet : Oxford, Ms -- Flannery O'connor's Peacocks : Milledgeville, Ga -- Harry Crews's Hurricane Creek : Bacon County, Ga -- Harper Lee And Truman Capote's Courthouse : Monroeville, Al -- John Kennedy Toole's Hot-dog Carts : New Orleans, La -- Barry Hannah And Larry Brown's Fishing Spot : Oxford, Ms -- Coda. Margaret Eby. Includes Bibliographical References. "A literary travelogue that ventures deep into the heart of classic Southern literature. As the writer Elif Batuman did for Russian literature in The Possessed, Margaret Eby does for Southern literature in this charming book of literary exploration. From Mississippi (William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, Barry Hannah) to Alabama (Harper Lee, Truman Capote) to Georgia (Flannery O'Connor, Harry Crews) and beyond, Eby--herself a Southerner--travels through the Deep South to the places that famous Southern authors lived in and wrote about. South Toward Home reveals how they took these places and the lives of their inhabitants and transmuted them into lasting literature. Whether meeting the man in charge of feeding Flannery O'Connor's peacocks in Milledgeville, peering into Faulkner's liquor cabinet, or seeking out John Kennedy Toole's iconic hot dog vendors in New Orleans, Eby combines biographical detail with expert criticism to deliver a rich and evocative tribute to the literary South"-- Provided by publisher "Fascinating...Eby lyrically uncovers a bit of the magic that makes a Southern writer Southern." —Josh Steele, Entertainment Weekly What is it about the South that has inspired so much of America's greatest literature? And why do we think of the authors it influenced not just as writers, but as Southern writers? In South Toward Home, Margaret Eby goes in search of answers to these questions, visiting the stomping grounds of ten Southern authors, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, Truman Capote, Harper Lee, and Flannery O'Connor. Combining biographical detail with expert criticism, Eby delivers a rich and evocative tribute to the literary South. Introduction Eudora Welty's Garden : Jackson, MS Richard Wright's Schoolhouse : Jackson, MS William Faulkner's Liquor Cabinet : Oxford, MS Flannery O'Connor's Peacocks : Milledgeville, GA Harry Crews's Hurricane Creek : Bacon County, GA Harper Lee and Truman Capote's Courtroom : Monroeville, AL John Kennedy Toole's Hot-Dog Carts : New Orleans, LA Barry Hannah and Larry Brown's Fishing Hole : Oxford, MS Coda