The 2005 Summer Selection is available in an exclusive three volume boxed edition that includes a special reader’s guide with an introduction by Oprah Winfrey.

Titles include:

As I Lay Dying

This novel is the harrowing account of the Bundren family’s odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Told in turns by each of the family members–including Addie herself–the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. Originally published in 1930.

The Sound and the Fury

First published in 1929, Faulkner created his “heart’s darling,” the beautiful and tragic Caddy Compson, whose story Faulkner told through separate monologues by her three brothers–the idiot Benjy, the neurotic suicidal Quentin and the monstrous Jason.

Light in August

Light in August , a novel about hopeful perseverance in the face of mortality, features some of Faulkner’s most memorable characters: guileless, dauntless Lena Grove, in search of the father of her unborn child; Reverend Gail Hightower, who is plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen; and Joe Christmas, a desperate, mysterious drifter consumed by his mixed ancestry. Originally published in 1932.

Take a seat in Oprah’s Classroom and sign up for Faulkner 101 on www.oprah.com/bookclub.

威廉·福克纳（1897—1962）是美国20世纪著名的文学家，1949年诺贝尔文学奖的获得者。 他出生于南方密西西比州北部一个庄园主后代的家庭。他的曾祖父威廉·福克纳在当地历史上是个传奇性的人物。 他绰号叫“老上校”，白手起家，南北战争时统帅过南军的一支队伍。 战后，他修建过铁路，当过州议员，创立过大学，最后成为庄园主，另外还写过一本小说。 他在与仇家斗殴中杀死过两个人，最后自己也为仇家所杀。 到福克纳的父亲墨雷时，家道已经中落。 福克纳家庭从极盛到衰落的过程，是他创作的重要素材。 他的许多作品的地理背景都是他虚构的一个位于密西西比州北部的约克纳帕塔法县，因而这类作品被称作为“约克纳帕塔法世系”，他本人也成为“南方文艺复兴”的重要代表。他的代表作有《沙多里斯》（Sartoris)（1929），《喧哗与骚动》（The Sound and the Fury)(1929),《押沙龙，押沙龙！》（Absalom, Absalom!)(1936),《熊》（The Bear)等。 福克纳的作品描绘了南方社会的变迁，各阶层人物的浮沉起落，人与社会的关系，罪恶与赎罪问题，金钱的污染与保持良心纯洁的努力，物质文明对传统的威胁等。 从形式看，他采用了“意识流”的手法、多角度叙述方法、时续颠倒、象征等，句式长而复杂，词汇晦涩难懂，借以表达扑朔迷离、变换莫测的复杂生活。 本文以饱含感情的语言讲述了文学的功用以及作家的责任。