Why did William Faulkner receive the Nobel Prize in Literature?

William Faulkner was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel".1

A masterful stylist and mythmaker, Faulkner was recognized for his pioneering use of the stream-of-consciousness technique and the profound depth of his characterization. His work is noted for its range and its powerful assault on basic tragic themes, particularly through his "saga of the South" set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. By incorporating centuries of Southern history, he explored complex themes such as the "sin" of the South, including slavery and the legacy of the Civil War.234

In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Faulkner famously affirmed his belief in the survival of the human race and stated that the subject of art is "the human heart in conflict with itself".45