In addition to writing from her experiences as a Roman Catholic raised in the Protestant South and from her struggles with lupus, Flannery O'Connor was also affected by other American authors, both from the North and South. Told in a streamof-consciousness style using grotesque characterization, William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, published in 1930, influenced O'Connor's thinking and writing. Nathaniel West's writing also influenced O'Connor's thinking and style. She recommended his books, Miss Lonelyhearts in particular, to her friends.