Conversations with Robert Penn WarrenGloria L. Cronin, Ben Siegel Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989) excelled in three written genres-fiction, poetry, and literary criticism-and is one of the few writers to be awarded Pulitzer Prizes for both his poetry and his fiction. With Cleanth Brooks, he inspired practitioners of New Criticism and revolutionized the way literature was taught and studied in the academy. His 1946 novel All the King's Men, a fictionalized account of Louisianan Huey P. Long's gubernatorial administration, remains the template for American political commentary in fiction. In 1985, Warren became the first U.S. Poet Laureate. Conversations with Robert Penn Warren collects interviews ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s. Featuring interviews conducted by such writers and journalists as William Kennedy, Bill Moyers, C. Vann Woodward, and Roy Newquist, this collection's depth and focus are remarkable. Warren's critical acumen is present in every piece here, as he talks forthrightly about literature's place in American culture, the role of history in his novels and poetry, and the contemporary events that raged during his lifetime. Conversations with Robert Penn Warren is a rewarding look at a man whose life and literary career spanned most of the twentieth century.
Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989) excelled in three written genres-fiction, poetry, and literary criticism-and is one of the few writers to be awarded Pulitzer Prizes for both his poetry and his fiction. With Cleanth Brooks, he inspired practitioners of New Criticism and revolutionized the way literature was taught and studied in the academy. His 1946 novel All the King's Men, a fictionalized account of Louisianan Huey P. Long's gubernatorial administration, remains the template for American political commentary in fiction. In 1985, Warren became the first U.S. Poet Laureate. Conversations with Robert Penn Warren collects interviews ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s. Featuring interviews conducted by such writers and journalists as William Kennedy, Bill Moyers, C. Vann Woodward, and Roy Newquist, this collection's depth and focus are remarkable. Warren's critical acumen is present in every piece here, as he talks forthrightly about literature's place in American culture, the role of history in his novels and poetry, and the contemporary events that raged during his lifetime. Conversations with Robert Penn Warren is a rewarding look at a man whose life and literary career spanned most of the twentieth century. |
Contents
The Situation in American Writing Partisan Review | 3 |
An Interview with Flannery OConnor and Robert Penn Warren | 23 |
A Conversation with Robert Penn Warren Frank Gado | 37 |
Eleanor Clark and Robert Penn Warren | 52 |
The Uses of History in Fiction C Vann Woodward | 64 |
Speaking Freely Edwin Newman | 71 |
Willie Stark Politics and the Novel | 84 |
A Conversation with Robert Penn Warren Bill Moyers | 93 |
Distance and Change Louis D Rubin Jr | 123 |
The Oral Roots of Literature William C Forrest | 136 |
Interview with Eleanor Clark and Robert Penn Warren New England | 150 |
Echoes of a Literary Renaissance William Ferris | 165 |
A Dialogue with Robert Penn Warren on Brother | 170 |
An Interview with Robert Penn Warren | 189 |
Of Bookish Men and the Fugitives Thomas L Connelly | 204 |
A Conversation with Robert Penn Warren Tom Vitale | 218 |