Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts

Bigelow, an editor at Boiler House Press, debuts with an illuminating biography of Nebraskan writer and editor Virginia Faulkner (1913–1980). Noting that Faulkner’s contributions to literature have largely been forgotten, Bigelow sets out to uncover her life story, from her first act as a “successful but unfulfilled writer” to her second as “an editor of genius, vision, and tenacity.” Born in Lincoln, Faulkner had two bestselling novels to her name by the age of 22—Friends and Romans and The Barbarians—and was being hailed as a likely successor to Dorothy Parker. She moved to New York City, where she wrote for magazines like Town & Country and Cosmopolitan, and then to Hollywood, where she wrote dialogue for film scripts. But Faulkner struggled with alcoholism and depression and eventually lost faith in her writing. She returned to Lincoln in her 40s, where she joined the University of Nebraska Press and fell in love with editing. She was instrumental in reviving the literary reputation of the late Nebraskan writer Willa Cather, Bigelow explains, editing a series of Cather’s uncollected writings in the 1960s. Throughout, Bigelow sketches an intimate portrait of Faulkner and makes a convincing case that her efforts were foundational to future Cather researchers. This restores Faulkner to her rightful place in literary history. Photos. (Jan.)