The Sound of the Fury

Because Keith Love covers politics for The Times, perhaps he can be forgiven for his literary misadventures and inaccuracies in his article about William Faulkner (The Book Review, Dec. 13).

Love lists three novels that he said were “all published in 1940”; in fact, “The Sound and the Fury” was published in 1929, “Light in August” in 1932, and “Absalom, Absalom!” in 1936. “Satoris” (sic) (Sartoris) is listed with the correct publication date of 1929, as is “The Reivers,” 1962.

Contrary to the claims of Love, Faulkner did travel. He was in Memphis, New Orleans, Pascagoula, New Haven, New York and Europe early in his life; he even visited Malcolm Cowley in New England and wrote an essay about it. He traveled, of course, to Sweden, and later in the 1950s, he traveled for the U.S. State Department to Greece, Japan, Egypt, Rome, Italy and to other points overseas.

Love’s number of 16 novels could be challenged; for one example, Faulkner insisted that “Go Down Moses” was a novel and not a grouping of short stories, although some had been published elsewhere previously in somewhat altered forms.

JANE ISHELL HAYES

Memphis, Tenn.

Editor’s note: It is correctly pointed out that the publication dates were incorrect on three of Faulkner’s novels. This was an error in editing . The sentence should have read that they were all published “before” 1940.