Literary Field Trips July 8, 2009
Posted by Matt in books, vacation.Tags: American literature, Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, Monroeville, Oxford, pilgrimage, Truman Capote, William Faulkner
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Continuing the book theme from yesterday…
Being an avid reader, particularly of the American classics, I have long been interested in the origins of the novels that I have read. One way that I have found to learn more about the authors I enjoy and their works is to visit their homes to try and glean a bit about what may have inspired them. Thus far, I have had the opportunity to see three such places, but I hope in the future to see several more.
It all started several years ago when my friend Andy and I, whom were both huge fans of Ernest Hemingway, learned of a spot in Northeast Arkansas, the town of Piggot to be exact, where this great author kept a home for a time. His second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, hailed from that small town and the two of them lived on her family’s 600 acres in the family house. A barn sitting next to the home was converted into a writing studio and it was here that Hemingway penned several short stories and parts of one of his greatest novels, A Farewell to Arms. For the two of us, it was an awe-inspiring visit into the home and studio where Hemingway himself had once resided.
We moved to the Memphis area over 5 years ago and it was soon after we arrived that we decided to make the short drive down to Oxford, Mississippi, where a second great American writer, William Faulkner, had once resided. This literary giant’s estate, also known as Rowan Oak, is a veritable feast for a lover of the written word. In his office you can even see where Faulkner wrote on the walls as the muse inspired. Again, this was an interesting trip into the environment that brought us such a plethora of Southern classics.
Last summer, our family traveled to Mobile, Alabama, to visit an old friend of mine and his wife, and while there I had the opportunity to pay homage to two more giants of American literature in the small Alabama town of Monroeville. For those of you unaware, Monroeville is the hometown of Harper Lee (or “Nelle” as she is known to locals) and the part-time childhood home of Truman Capote. It was an enlightening trip through this small Southern town as we toured the courthouse where the Mockingbird movie was filmed and walked the streets where Lee and Capote spent their childhoods.
So, now the question must be asked, where do we go next? There is the obvious choice of Hannibal, Missouri, where Mark Twain lived. I’d like to visit F. Scott Fitzgerald’s home in Montgomery, Alabama, Margaret Mitchell’s residence in Atlanta, and Thomas Wolfe’s house in Asheville, NC.
Do you know of any other destinations we should add to the list?
I want to go to The Eagle and Child, the pub in Oxford where the Inklings used to meet. I’ve been to a place in Ireland called The Meeting of the Waters where Thomas Moore was said to have frequented. I can recommend that.
Of the ones on your list, Mark Twain is my favorite of those authors so that would be neat, but all of the other cities probably have more going for them than Hannibal, Missouri.
Jeff, I’ve heard that the Mark Twain museum is very cool, but I can’t imagine driving all the way there from Memphis. One of these days when we’re passing through NE Missouri we may need to stop there.