Biographical Information
Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, into a genteel Southern family. When Faulkner was five, the family moved to the town of Oxford. He showed considerable artistic talent as a boy, drawing and writing poetry, but was an indifferent student. He dropped out of high school in 1915 to work as a clerk in his grandfather's bank, began writing poetry, and submitted drawings to the University of Mississippi's yearbook. During World War I, Faulkner tried to enlist in the U.S. army, but was rejected because of his small stature. Instead, he manipulated his acceptance into the Royal Canadian Air Force by affecting a British accent and forging letters of recommendation. The war ended before Faulkner experienced combat duty, however, and he returned to his hometown, where he intermittently attended the University of Mississippi as a special student. In August, 1919, his first poem, "L'Apres-midi d'un faune," was published in New Republic, and later that year the Mississippian published one of his short stories, "Landing in Luck." After a brief period of employment as a bookstore clerk in New York, Faulkner returned to Oxford, where he was hired as a university postmaster.
