Chronology


 * William Faulkner Chronology **

1897 Born Sept. 25 in New Albany, MS 1899 Brother Murry (Jack) born 1901 Brother John born 1902 Family moves to Oxford, MS 1907 Brother Dean born 1908 Witnesses the lynching of a black man, Nelse Patton, on the square in Oxford 1914 Drops out of high school in 11th grade 1916 Works at grandfather's bank as a clerk; starts hanging out on UM campus writing poetry 1917 Begins supplying drawings for //Ole Miss// yearbook 1918 Accepted by Royal Canadian Air Force as cadet (lies about age and heritage) in Sept; discharged in Dec. 1919 First poem published in the //New Republic//; enters UM and begins publishing poetry in college publications 1920 Joins university's drama club 1921 Begins wooing Estelle Franklin, married but separated woman; works at post office 1922 Becomes scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop in Oxford 1924 First novel published, //The Marble Faun//; relieved of scoutmaster duties due to drinking; fired from post office job 1925 Begins contributing to a New Orleans newspaper; travels Europe and settles in Paris for 3 months 1926 Begins dating Helen Baird; rooms with William Spratling and writes a scholarly book him, //Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles// 1927 Novel //Mosquitoes// published 1928 Novel //Sartoris// published 1929 Estelle Franklin divorced; marries her on June 20; takes job at university power plant //The Sound and the Fury// published 1930 Purchases Rowan Oak estate, where he will live the rest of his life with Estelle; //As I Lay Dying// published 1931 Daughter Alabama born, who dies after only 11 days //Sanctuary// and //These 13// published 1932 Father Murry Falkner dies; //Light in August// published; begins contract as MGM writer 1933 Daughter Jill born; //A Green Bough// published 1934 book of stories published; contract with Universal Studios 1935 Pylon published; brother Dean killed in plane crash; contract with 20th Century Fox; begins affair with Meta Dougherty Carpenter that lasts intermittently for 15 years 1936 //Absalom, Absalom!// published 1937 Suffers severe burns on his back during drinking spree on 3-week trip to New York City 1938 //The Unvanquished// published; screen rights sold to MGM; purchases Greenfield Farm 1939 //The Wild Palms// published; elected to National Institute of Arts and Letters 1940 //The Hamlet// published; beloved nanny Caroline (Callie) Barr dies 1942 //Go Down, Moses// published; begins contract with Warner Brothers 1946 Viking Press publishes //The Portable Faulkner// 1948 //Intruder in the Dust// published; screen rights sold to MGM; elected to American Academy of Arts and Letters 1949 //Knight's Gambit// published 1950 Receives American Academy's Howells Medal for Fiction; receives Nobel Prize for Literature and goes with daughter Jill to Stockholm to accept it 1951 Collected Stories published; receives National Book Award; //Requiem for a Nun// published; receives Legion of Honor in New Orleans 1953 Working on a novel and a screenplay; working and traveling to Paris and New York 1954 //A Fable// published; travels to Rome, Cairo, Paris, Brazil to work on screenplay filming; daughter Jill marries 1955 Receives the National Book Award for Fiction; //A Fable// wins Pulitzer Prize; travels through Asia, Europe and Iceland; //Big Woods// published 1956 Grandson Paul born; works with writer's group in Washington, D.C. 1957 Writer-in-residence at U. of VA; goes to Athens on 2-week mission for State Dept.; accepts Silver Medal of Greek Academy; //The Town// published 1958 Two weeks at Princeton for Council on Humanities; grandson William born 1959 //Requiem for a Nun// produced on Broadway; //The Mansion// published; purchases third home in Charlottesville 1960 Accepts appointment to U of VA faculty; mother Maud dies; wills all manuscripts to the William Faulkner Foundation 1961 Travels to Venezuela on State Dept. trip; grandson A. Burks born 1962 Injured in fall from horse in January; receives Gold Medal for Fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters; //The Reivers// published; injured in another fall from horse in June; dies of a heart attack at age 65 on July 6 in hospital near Oxford, MS. Buried in Oxford on July 7.