Listen now | How a Southern Catholic with limited time created some of America's most unforgettable stories. An Exclusive Writing Lab exploring how this sharp-witted Georgian created literature that still unsettles, challenges, and transforms readers nearly sixty years after her death
I first read Flannery O'Connor in high school, and her all-sharp edges approach to storytelling was exactly what I needed in my fish-out-of-water adolescence. As a southerner myself, it was so satisfying to read her plainly writing about the everyday double standards and bigotry that no one else dared speak about. She's the reason I'm a writer, and she's still my standard for greatness. I'm always pushing her Complete Works into the hands of people who stay at my house, but they rarely take me up on it.
Somehow I have never read Flannery O’Conner’s stories. Fortunately the small library in Cannon Beach had a copy of ‘The Complete Stories’ and I am now seeing what all the fuss is about - starting with ‘Everything That Rises Must Converge’ . The bigotry and language is not so surprising given the location and time- reminiscent of Hemingway’s To Have and to Not Have. But wow, the way she exposes the racial interface of four different generations of characters in so few pages is amazing. Looking forward to re-reading as Jennifer suggests because I am sure there are more layers that will pop out from her beautiful prose.
I first read Flannery O'Connor in high school, and her all-sharp edges approach to storytelling was exactly what I needed in my fish-out-of-water adolescence. As a southerner myself, it was so satisfying to read her plainly writing about the everyday double standards and bigotry that no one else dared speak about. She's the reason I'm a writer, and she's still my standard for greatness. I'm always pushing her Complete Works into the hands of people who stay at my house, but they rarely take me up on it.
I love her fearless honesty, and her willingness to call out the hard truths of her society. I discovered her in Jennifer's studio!
Somehow I have never read Flannery O’Conner’s stories. Fortunately the small library in Cannon Beach had a copy of ‘The Complete Stories’ and I am now seeing what all the fuss is about - starting with ‘Everything That Rises Must Converge’ . The bigotry and language is not so surprising given the location and time- reminiscent of Hemingway’s To Have and to Not Have. But wow, the way she exposes the racial interface of four different generations of characters in so few pages is amazing. Looking forward to re-reading as Jennifer suggests because I am sure there are more layers that will pop out from her beautiful prose.