Light in August

The grounds remain as close as can be expected to what they were sixty years ago. (Faulkner’s home, unlike Harper Lee’s, was never razed to make way for a soft-serve dessert joint.) And there are Adirondack chairs sprinkled about so you can cosplay as Faulkner in his outdoor study. The biggest post-mortem change came courtesy of his widow Estelle, who had an air conditioning unit installed in her bedroom one day after his demise. Faulkner hated air conditioning and refused her requests for relief from the brutal summer heat. In the end, Estelle proved that she who laughs last, laughs coolest.

The Bailey Woods Trail is a short (about a half-mile) and relatively easy stroll that connects Rowan Oak to the University of Mississippi Museum. This designated National Recreation Trail crosses terrain that Faulkner wandered in his day and offers a tiny glimpse at what the region looked like before the timber interests flattened the forests. The university’s museum is an eclectic affair, with collections of American art, Greek and Roman antiquities, a cluster of nineteenth-century scientific instruments, and a wide range of Mississippi folk art. Admission is free.

Oxford is a charming little town, typical of many college burgs in the South. Sure, Ole Miss is the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in town, but since Oxford derives a substantial chunk of commerce from literary tourists (approximately 25,000 of us each year), there is a huge menu on hand for adventuresome Faulknerians (and fans of Barry Hannah, John Grisham, Jesmyn Ward, Larry Brown, and Donna Tartt, to name just a few who spent time in the Oxford area code).

Anchored by the Historic Oxford Courthouse, the town square—model for multiple memorable scenes in the Faulkner canon—retains the customary character of antebellum small towns across the South despite the mushrooming of gastro/imbibement joints over the past two decades. As the home of the Southern Foodways Alliance, Oxford has established itself as the beating heart of Southern culinary scholarship. Its bustling array of food options range from down home to haute, and there are plenty of places to sample a local brew or partake a shot or two of Faulkner’s favorite liquid.

Then again, Old Bill favored the cheap stuff, so maybe aim a little higher. The legendary writers’ hangout—the upstairs bar at City Grocery—might even have a bottle of of Pappy Van Winkle.

There are shopping options, too. Neilson’s Department Store, founded in 1839, declares itself the oldest department store in the South. Union troops burned the place to the ground in 1864, but thanks to a buried stash of gold (shades of the Old Frenchman garden!), William Smith Neilson reopened the place in 1866. It has remained open ever since.

But for us literary geeks, Square Books is the town’s epicenter. Founded in 1979, Square has proved so popular that it has since expanded to three more storefronts, each with its own specialization: garden/kitchen, children’s books, and collectible rarities.

But the original store is the place for lit lovers. There’s a fine little café upstairs, but the big attraction is getting lost in the stacks. Be on the lookout for autographed copies of recent releases; Square has a reputation for landing big names for its author’s events, and they always leave behind a stack of inscribed editions.

Even with all that, my favorite feature is this directional sign at the top of the stairs.