I'm a travel writer in my day job, although I sometimes write travel stories at night and fiction in the morning so it's not a literal title — but, well, you get the picture. Wearing my travel writer hat, I recently visited Oxford, Mississippi, an adorable town that's home to fabulous restaurants, Ole Miss and a remarkable literary history.
Naturally, William Faulkner takes center stage. He was born in nearby Albany, Mississippi, but lived most of his life in Oxford where he taught at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). His novels, short stories, screenplays, essays and poetry garnered acclaim and he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949 (the only Mississippi native to win one) and nabbed TWO Pulitzer Prizes for Literature. His resume and accomplishments are many and you can read more about Faulkner here.
You can also learn about the American literary great at his home "Rowen Oak" in Oxford (pictured above), which I visited, especially learning about Faulkner's love of bourbon (man after my own heart) and viewing his novel outlines lining the wall. Faulkner lived here with his family for more than 40 years and the home is now open for tourists.
We also visited Faulkner's statue in the city square, then toasted him with Jack Daniels at his Oxford gravesite. So as to not be rude — we are Southerners, mind you, and hospitality is our nature — I poured some whiskey on Faulkner's grave.
