Absalom, Absalom!

First published in 1936, "Absalom, Absalom " is Faulkner's ninth novel and one of his most admired. It is the story of Thomas Sutpen and his ruthless, single-minded attempt to forge a dynasty in Jefferson, Mississippi, in 1830. Although his grand design is ultimately destroyed by his own sons, a century later the figure of Sutpen continues to haunt young Quentin Compson, who is obsessed with his family legacy and that of the Old South. "Faulkner's novels have the quality of being lived, absorbed, remembered rather than merely observed," noted Malcolm Cowley. ""Absalom, Absalom " is structurally the soundest of all the novels in the Yoknapatawpha series--and it gains power in retrospect." This edition follows the text of "Absalom, Absalom "as corrected in 1986 under the direction of Noel Polk.