The Portable Faulkner

work by Cowley

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

The Portable Faulkner was an anthology edited by Malcolm Cowley in 1946. This work was instrumental in reviving the literary reputation of William Faulkner, a celebrated American novelist and short-story writer. Faulkner is known for his pioneering use of stream-of-consciousness narration and his deep exploration of the American South, particularly the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. His novels, such as The Sound and the Fury* and As I Lay Dying*, are considered masterpieces of 20th-century American literature and are often associated with the Southern gothic and Modernist literary movements.1234

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

William Faulkner
Later life and works of William Faulkner
…reputation in Europe—was boosted by The Portable Faulkner (1946), an anthology skillfully edited by Malcolm Cowley in accordance with the arresting if questionable thesis that Faulkner was deliberately constructing a historically based “legend” of the South. Faulkner’s Collected Stories (1950), impressive in both quantity and quality, was also well received,…
Read More
…reputation in Europe—was boosted by The Portable Faulkner (1946), an anthology skillfully edited by Malcolm Cowley in accordance with the arresting if questionable thesis that Faulkner was deliberately constructing a historically based “legend” of the South. Faulkner’s Collected Stories (1950), impressive in both quantity and quality, was also well received,…
Read More