The American South has a rich and complex history that is layered with difficult social structures and racial tensions, yet also characterized by hospitality, indulgent and flavorful food, and diverse people and places. The genre of Southern American literature explores these important themes and traditions. We consulted with several experts to gather their recommendations on some of the best examples in this category, and in our opinion, they are worth experiencing firsthand.
Thanks to bookseller Will Walton of Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama; Dr. Michael Hill, inaugural director of The DeLaney Center (for the study of Southern race relations, culture, and politics) at Washington and Lee University; and John Evans, owner of Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi. With their help, we’ve compiled this list of classic Southern works of literature everyone should read at least once.
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
Truman Capote’s classic short story, “A Christmas Memory,” is an autobiographical retelling of his rural Alabama childhood. The story is about Buddy and his cousin, Miss Sook Faulk, who became Capote’s dear friend.
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
“Gaines produces a fable about dignified possibilities amid absurd realities,” says Hill. “Focusing on a wrongfully convicted death row inmate and a cynical schoolteacher, this novel mingles stark accounts of segregated rural Louisiana and delicate records of spiritual growth. ‘A Lesson Before Dying’ conveys the enduring efficacy of hope.”
Airships by Barry Hannah
A collection of 20 short stories, Barry Hannah’s “Airships” celebrates the new American South, including narratives from the Vietnam War, Civil War, and the new South.
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Claimed as one of the most influential novels of American fiction, “As I Lay Dying” follows the Bundren family as they journey across Mississippi to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Narrated by each of the family members, and Addie herself, the story is marked by hardship, death, and the human condition.
“Flannery O’Connor once said of Faulkner’s greatness: ‘Nobody wants his mule and wagon stalled on the same track the Dixie Limited is roaring down,” says Walton.
Black Boy by Richard Wright
“Black Boy” is a complex and difficult memoir about the author’s childhood growing up as a Black boy in the Jim Crow South. He details the racism and family struggles he experienced, and he eventually moves to Chicago where he begins his writing career. What was once controversial is now a celebrated story of power and resilience.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Set in the Western United States in the 1850’s, “Blood Meridian” follows a young teen from Tennessee on the run who joins the Glanton gang, a vicious group of scalp hunters on the border of Texas and Mexico determined to kill Native Americans.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Winner of the National Book Award for fiction, “Cold Mountain” follows confederate soldier, Charles Frazier, and his eventful and somewhat perilous journey back home to his love, Ada, following the Civil War…