William faulkner biography video notes billionaire family

William Faulkner was a prolific writer who became very famous during his lifetime, but who shied away from the spotlight as much as possible.

William faulkner biography video notes billionaire family: The author William Faulkner

He is remembered as both a gentlemanly Southern eccentric and an arrogant, snobbish alcoholic. But perhaps the best way to describe Faulkner is to describe his heritage, for, like so many of his literary characters, Faulkner was profoundly affected by his family. Faulkner's great grandfather, Colonel William Falkner Faulkner added the "u" to his name , was born in , and moved to Mississippi at the age of fourteen.

He was a lawyer, writer, politician, soldier, and pioneer who was involved in several murder trials - including two in which he was accused - and was a best-selling novelist. During the Civil War he recruited a Confederate regiment and was elected its colonel, but his arrogance caused his troops to demote him, so he left to recruit another regiment.

After the war he became involved in the railroad business and made a great deal of money. He bought a plantation and began to write books, one of which became a bestseller. He ran for Mississippi state legislature in , but his opponent shot and killed him before the election. Faulkner's grandfather was the colonel's oldest son, John Wesley Thompson Falkner.

He inherited his father's railroad fortune and became first an Assistant U. Faulkner's father was Murray Falkner, who moved from job to job before becoming the business manager of the University of Mississippi, where he and his family lived for the rest of his life.