Walker Percy Remembered

200 pp., 5.5 x 8.5, bibl., index

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-7153-9
Published: August 2010
eBook ISBN: 978-0-8078-7748-7
Published: September 2007

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Walker Percy (1916-1990), the reclusive southern author most famous for his 1961 novel The Moviegoer, spent much of his adult life in Covington, Louisiana. In the spirit of traditional southern storytelling, this biography of Percy takes its shape from candid interviews with his family, close friends, and acquaintances. In thirteen interviews, we get to know Percy through his lifelong friend Shelby Foote, Percy's brothers LeRoy and Phin, his former priest, his housekeeper, and former teachers, among others--all in their own words. Over the course of the interviews, readers learn intimate details of Percy's writing process; his interaction with community members of different ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds; and his commitment to civil rights issues. What emerges is a multidimensional portrait of Percy as a man, a friend, and a family member.

About the Author

Dr. David Horace Harwell is assistant professor of English at the College of the Bahamas in Freeport, Bahamas.
For more information about David Horace Harwell, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"Easily accessible . . . and certainly revelatory."--Louisiana History

"The thirteen interviews here . . . will endear you to the man and introduce you to his many wonderful books."--Acadiana LifeStyle

"Harwell's [book] is about as folksy and down-home as it gets when delving into the life of a writer as complex as Percy"--Pilot

“These conversations not only shed light on a great American author, but also plunge readers into the rhythms of folksy Southern storytelling. Percy fans will relish this small jewel of a book.”--Publishers Weekly

"[An] illuminating and affectionate memoir. . . . A pleasure to read . . . recommend[ed] to anyone who loves Percy's writings."--Commonwealth