The writer who best represents 20th-century Southern narrative led an existence every bit as colorful and dramatic as his fictional sagas. This program beautifully recounts William Faulkner’s life and the great literary works it produced, exploring his affinity for the tragic and whimsical aspects of a decaying, racially fractured South. Beginning with the author’s birth in New Albany, Mississippi, the video describes his early military and romantic ambitions; his family life, alcoholism, and stints in Hollywood; and his eventual garnering of the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, and National Book Award—all within the framework of his vast literary output. Summaries of major Faulkner novels—including Soldier’s Pay, Sartoris, The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, Light in August, and Absalom, Absalom!—highlight the author’s recurring themes of loss, faded glory, and dignity in the face of mortality. Passages from several works are read aloud and displayed visually as text. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (24 minutes)