Oxford celebrates Faulkner's birthday with marathon reading
Andrew Ousley
The 110th birthday of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner will be celebrated Tuesday with a marathon reading of his novel, "Go Down, Moses."
The reading, being held at Faulkner's Oxford home, Rowan Oak, begins at 7 a.m. and is expected to conclude around 5 p.m. Readers will be assigned 10 minute segments of the seven-part novel, which takes place in Faulkner's fictitious county known as Yoknapatawpha.
The festivities will include birthday cake, refreshments and entertainment by the East St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church Choir of Lafayette County. They will perform a traditional happy birthday song for Faulkner, as well as the spiritual slave song, "Go Down, Moses," from which the novel gets its name.
Organizers said the party will serve as an opportunity to celebrate the life and work of the late author, who lived most his life in Oxford, as well as a chance to promote literature.
"(Faulkner) is an author of world stature," Ole Miss English professor Ann Fisher-Wirth said. Fisher-Wirth plans to attend the marathon reading with her husband.
"It is an amazing phenomenon that he comes from this small town," she said. "His presence helped make the town and the university a place suited for literature."
"Go Down, Moses" is also the 2007 selection for Mississippi Reads, a new statewide initiative that encourages readers of all ages to read a specific book by a Mississippi writer.
But the center of the event is the writer, who was born on Sept. 25, 1897, Stephen Monroe said.
Monroe, an instructor from the English department, is helping to organize the festivities.
"We are having a birthday party for William Faulkner," Monroe said. "We have Faulkner scholars and fans from throughout the country to honor his work and celebrate his birthday."
The public is invited to attend and participate in the reading, although the available reading slots were filling fast last week.
Volunteers can reserve a time by contacting Monroe at 662-915-1493 or through e-mail at godown@olemiss.edu.
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