NEW FAULKNER CENTER AT SEMO OFFERS SCHOLARLY RESOURCES

William Faulkner scholars will be drawn to Cape Girardeau, because Southeast Missouri State University is home to one of only four Faulkner collections in the world. The others are housed at universities in Virginia, Texas and Faulkner's home state of Mississippi.

Southeast's Center for Faulkner Studies continues to generate scholarly attention from across the nation. New public hours and accessibility on campus will only expand the center's reach. The center is housed in a renovated suite of offices on the third floor of Kent Library on the university campus, one floor above the rare book room where the Faulkner collection is appropriately housed.

It was nearly a decade ago that Southeast acquired the collection of 10,000 letters, books, manuscripts, photographs and memorabilia of the Nobel Prize-winning fiction writer. But the dedication last week of the Faulkner center coincided with new public accessibility. The center is open each weekday afternoon and other times by appointment.

English professor and Faulkner scholar Dr. Robert Hamblin deserves particular praise for his role in bringing the collection to campus.

Louis D. Brodsky, a poet and factory manager who lives in Farmington, began the collection in the 1960s when he was a student at Yale. His passion for Faulkner led him to meet people who were close to the Mississippi writer. He bought their memorabilia and amassed an impressive collection.

As part of Southeast's acquisition of the collection, Brodsky remains as curator for 20 years. His knowledge of Faulkner is almost as valuable as the collection itself.

As curator, Brodsky continues to acquire Faulkner materials. There is no budget for new acquisitions, but sometimes Faulkner-inscribed books are sold to purchase other personal treasures such as letters and original manuscripts. The most recent acquisition was the files of Joseph Blotner, a Faulkner biographer who wrote two books about the novelist.

This impressive collection should spur considerable scholarly research and discussion and earn distinction for Southeast Missouri State University in the process.