William Cuthbert Faulkner was born September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi. He grew up in the towns of New Albany and Oxford, Mississippi, where his ancestors had been among the first settlers. His greatgrandfather, William Clark Falkner [sic], was a colonel in the Civil War, a successful entrepreneur, author of a best-selling novel, The White Rose of Memphis (1880), and a politician. Faulkner's father, Murray Falkner, operated a livery stable and later served as treasurer at the University of Mississippi.

Although a gifted student, Faulkner lost interest and dropped out of high school before graduation. He later attended the University of Mississippi for a semester after completing flight training with the Royal Air Force in Canada.

In 1924-1925 Faulkner lived in New Orleans, where he met writer Sherwood Anderson. Anderson helped him publish his first novel, Soldiers' Pay (1926), a book about the plight of a returning...