When T.S. Stribling’s novel The Store was published in
1932, it wasn’t the first time residents of a town were upset to see their town
unfavorably depicted in print. (Thomas Wolfe’s Look Homeward Angel, and its reception by the residents of
Asheville, N.C., comes to mind).
Set in Florence, Ala., The Store is the second installment of a trilogy that traces the
lives of a family after the Civil War and through post-Reconstruction years. The
books explore social, economic and political injustices that existed in the
South, and discuss taboo subjects such as race relations.
The book's publication caused an uproar among the citizens of Florence; they threatened a libel suit soon
after the book appeared. Stribling was saddened and offered his apologies but never denied using the town’s citizens as character models. It was said the
town library refused to shelf the book and citizens were forced to join book
clubs to obtain a copy, or drive across the river to check it out from the Sheffield library.
The Store received rave reviews in the U.S., but like the residents of Florence, many readers in the South were not happy. Today, I believe the novel has been largely forgotten.
It would be more than thirty years before he would return
to the town that was once his home. He was invited and accepted a speaking
engagement at the University of North Alabama in 1965. Afterward, his novels
became required reading for UNA freshman English classes.
I “rediscovered” Stribling a few days ago as I was
searching for previous Pulitzer Prize for Literature winners. After reading The
Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (the 2014 Pulitzer recipient), I thought it might be
neat to see how many previous winners books I’ve read.
And there on the list was Stribling’s 1932 book. I read
it a long time ago – in the early 1970s -- and have mostly forgotten the story.
I plan to read it again soon.
Stribling was born in Clifton, Tenn., in 1891 and
graduated from Florence Normal School (now the University of North Alabama) in 1902. He lived and worked in Florence for a time, but his career took him to many other locales, During the final months of his life,
when he was in declining health, he and his wife moved back to Florence, where
he died on July 8, 1965.
here.
If you want to see how many Pulitzer winning novels you’ve
read, there's a list
here. I have read 14 and saw the movie of 7 others. There are several here I am adding to my reading list.
Ooops, I have only read eight! I have never heard of Stribling, but the book sounds really interesting Sanda. I read about the town's reaction and thought about other places which have resented being portrayed in literature or film. People can become quite sensitive. And today I was thinking the murder which occurred in our neighbourhood was so interesting in its detail that it might become a film in the future. Perhaps some would not like that!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, then you could have camera crews wandering around in your neighborhood and possibly knocking at your door. Let's hope that doesn't happen Eight is a pretty good number to have read, I think!
DeleteGosh! I've only read 7 of those books...must get busy - can't believe I missed anything Geraldine Brooks has written, but I don't remember reading March. Lately when at a loss I've selected books that were made into movies. That has been mostly good for the modern stuff, but that doesn't mean they were the best use of my time. Never heard of this book you've written about but the reference to North Alabama reminds me of something in To Kill A Mockingbird where they talk about Northern Alabama being 'suspect' because they weren't that anxious to secede from the union. My greatx3? grandfather lived in that area during the Civil War. He lost two of the three sons who fought - for the Union. A lot of the family relocated to Effingham IL after the war. I read somewhere that if you didn't have plantations and slaves there was often little motivation to fight to keep that way of life. I'd always assumed that if you lived in the south you would have fought for the confederacy, but apparently that wasn't always the case. I think it would be difficult to have your small town portrayed in a book, particularly if it was dispassionate in the portrayal and uncovered uncomfortable truths.
ReplyDeleteSeveral of these were totally unfamiliar to me, others just vaguely familiar. What you mention about North Alabama is absolutely true, according to historians. One county just two down from me tried to succeed from the Confederacy. The War split families. There were some huge plantations in n. Ala, but the majority of the large cotton plantations were mostly in the southern part of the state. North Alabama mostly consisted of small farmers/landowners. Here's an amusing anecdote: One of my grandfather's nephews fought with the South, until it was apparent it was a losing cause, at which time he switched over to the Union Army!
DeleteI don't know about forgotten in general, but I've never known it to forget. I think it's interesting to see which books make a huge splash at first but don't hold up over time and which books develop a gradual appreciation among the reading public and become part of the on-going cultural conversation. This one doesn't seem to have made the long-term cut.
ReplyDeleteI've read 31 from the Pulitzer list. I read several of them because they were prize winners, but some -especially the forgotten older ones-I'll probably never read. I do have my mother's copy of Edna Ferber's "So Big". She liked Ferber.
Wow, I realized you are well read, but 31 is amazing. Congratulations!
DeleteI went through a period during which I was making an effort to read award winners, books on "great books" lists, etc. I'm a fast reader lol
DeleteGreat link. I've read 19 of the Pulitzer winners and now I have a good list of others to find at the library. I think "Story" sounds interesting but will see if I can find the trilogy. I really like to read a series in order if possible.
ReplyDeleteDarla
19 is a respectable number! What did you think of The Goldfinch (if you've read it?) I found it dark and somewhat depressing, but still worthwhile to read.
DeleteQuick check have only read 2 of the books,does it count that I have read most of the winners on the Man Booker list,lol !!.
ReplyDeleteWell, I should have asked if readers in other countries worked from a different list than the Pulitzer list. I looked over the Booker winners and there are some great ones there, specifically I loved The English Patient and Remains of the Day. It certainly does count that you've read most of the ones on that list!
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