Did you know? 7 dark/tragic moments in the life of author William Faulkner

Producers of the documentary "Faulkner: The Past is Never Dead" held a special screening of the film Tuesday night, Nov. 14, at Rose Theatre on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

SEMO's library hosts one of the world's four largest collections of William Faulkner in the world and many of the images shown throughout the documentary came from its collection. Retired professor Robert Hamblin, originally from Mississippi, was featured prominently in the film, along with other experts.

The documentary focused on Faulkner the person as much as the writer. Faulkner is known as one of the giants of American literature, described as a flawed genius. A wordsmith who was not afraid to break the rules, Faulkner swung from artful, flowery prose to stream-of-conscious word casserole told from the perspective of many characters, some of whom spoke from the grave.

The documentary's narrative bent toward Faulkner's points of view and work regarding race and social justice. Faulkner's novels, according to the film, became increasingly more inclusive and empathetic as the famous writer grappled with his Southern roots steeped in the Confederacy, while exploring the humanity of oppressed people.

Faulkner was tended to as a child by a beloved Black nanny, but he also idolized patriarchs who fought in the Civil War. His work as an adult, presenting Black perspectives in his characters, was seen as socially progressive and risky at the time. Through his collection of works, he turned the page on the Old South and ushered in an empathetic view, according to experts interviewed in the film.

But as the documentary showed, Faulkner the man was less idyllic than Faulkner the author in terms of race and personal values. Faulkner was a complicated man, whose views of the world evolved over time.

Here are a few of the darker moments in Faulkner's life, as told by the documentary:

• Faulkner did not finish high school. He was not interested in school, but was said to have taught other students about writing and storytelling.
• Faulkner lied about being wounded in World War I. After faking his identity as a British citizen, and adding a 'u' to his name, Faulkner ended up being accepted to the Canadian branch of the Royal Air Force, where he trained for a short time as a pilot. He came home from the war using a cane and feigning an injury, parading around Mississippi as a war hero.
• He and his wife, Estelle, lost a baby, named Alabama. The documentary depicted Faulkner coming home with an incubator for the baby, but Alabama had already died.
• Faulkner's brother, Dean, died in an airplane crash. Dean Falkner crashed a plane that William Faulkner had sold him. Three local farmers, all cousins, also died.
• The author was an alcoholic, as was his wife. When Faulkner's daughter once asked him to not start drinking before her birthday, Faulkner responded by saying, "Nobody remembers Shakespeare's child," according to the film. Faulkner on multiple occasions turned himself into facilities to treat his alcoholism.
• He cheated on his wife multiple times. The documentary showed Faulkner and his wife had a complicated relationship. Described as soulmates, William, known as "Billy" by those who knew him, missed out on his chance to marry Estelle when her parents approved of another man. Estelle later divorced her first husband, and Faulkner married Estelle, who was portrayed in the film as a lover of art. Both alcoholics, the pair had many marital problems, infidelity among them. The film reenacted an awkward scene where William invited a woman with whom he'd had an affair, to their home for dinner.
• He wanted to slow-roll desegregation. After Faulkner received a Nobel Prize for Literature, he became a voice for many social issues. During the height of the Civil Rights movement, Faulkner asked the North to slow down its demands for desegregation. The documentary pointed out that while Faulkner, as a Mississippian, made a career of being critical of Southern culture's treatment of Black people, he often defended the South when it was criticized by outsiders. In an interview with Life Magazine, he said if it came to fighting, he would fight for Mississippi against the U.S., saying "Southerners are wrong and their position is untenable, but if I have to make the same choice Robert E. Lee made, then I'll make it." He is said to have given the interview while drunk.

Despite these flaws, Faulkner won the Nobel Prize for Literature, two Pulitzer prizes and two National Book Awards.