One Writer's Beginnings

Biographical

Looking for detailed information on Eudora Welty's life? The Eudora Welty Foundation provides a clear timeline and a treasure trove of information on this writer’s life and works.

Did Eudora Welty write for her friends? Did she appreciate Jane Austen? Anton Chekhov? What did she think of William Faulkner? Did she approve of eavesdropping? Welty answered these and similar questions and discussed her craft in a Paris Review interview.

In his article in Salon, Mark Childress provides a warm, affectionate portrait of Eudora Welty.

Cultural

Read Sandford and Merton in Words of One Syllable, courtesy of The New York Public Library. This is the book that belonged to Welty's father. Can you find the word "quoth," with which Welty was so taken?

Our Wonder World is available through the Internet Archive lending library. Browse through the volumes to see what so delighted Welty and shaped her world.

Eudora Welty lived and wrote in her family home for 76 years. Enjoy a tour of her house, floorplan included.

Bibliographical

The New York Times keeps an archive of selected material on Eudora Welty. In the middle of site, you can listen to Welty herself reading three of her short stories. Try to imagine the voice you hear reading "One Writer's Beginnings."

Welty's list of works, works written about her, and Web sites devoted to her is exhaustive. This bibliography, made available by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), provides an exciting view of Welty's world and accomplishments.

As one of the most important literary figures in twentieth century America, Welty has been written about widely and frequently.

Enjoy Mark Wilkins's interview with Welty.

Many readers remark that Welty writes with a photographer's precision. She was, indeed, an accomplished photographer.

You may enjoy reading "At Worn Path," a frequently anthologized short story by Welty. While "A Worn Path" is fiction and "One Writer's Beginnings" is autobiography, you may note some similarities in writing style.