Lanterns on the Levee: Recollections of a Planter's Son (Library of Southern Civilization)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.95 (581 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0807100722 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 348 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-03-25 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
During World War I he fought in France with the American 37th Division, rose to the rank of captain, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with gold star. William Alexander Percy died the year after his autobiography was published. Senator LeRoy Percy, he was one of the leaders in the successful 1922 fight against the Ku Klux Klan in Greenville, and he headed the local Red Cross unit during t
The 1973 introduction by Walker Percy -- Will's nephew and adopted son -- recalls the strong character and easy grace of "the most extraordinary man I have ever known.". The rare qualities of this classic memoir lie not in what Will Percy did in his life -- although his life was exciting and varied -- but rather in the intimate, honest, and soul-probing record of how he brought himself to contemplate unflinchingly a new and unstable era. In describing life in the Mississippi Delta, Percy bridges the interval between the semifeudal South of the 1800s and the anxious South of the early 1940s. Born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, within the shelter of old traditions, aristocratic in the best sense, William Alexander Percy in his lifetime (1885--1942) was brought face to face with the convulsions of a changing world. Lanterns on the Levee is his memorial to the South of his youth and young manhood
About the AuthorWilliam Alexander Percy died the year after his autobiography was published. Senator LeRoy Percy, he was one of the leaders in the successful 1922 fight against the Ku Klux Klan in Greenville, and he headed the local Red Cross unit during the disastrous Mississippi River flooding of 1927. He was the author of four books of poetry and practiced law in Greenville until his death.. With his father, U.S. During World War I he fought in France with the American 37th Division, rose to the rank of captain, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with gold star
"Scholarly writing" according to Amazon Customer. This is a very interesting book, but the language used is very erudite and may not appeal to many readers. I did enjoy the references to local history.. Matthew J. Kline said Offers a very good understanding of the times. I was disappointed that Percy's nephew felt the need to apologize for his uncle's comments about black people.Of course Percy wouldn't be considered politically correct today, and he was certainly a racist in the context that he saw blacks as inferior, but that's the beauty of the book; it gives an unvarnished look into the way upper class white Delta people saw the world that surrounded them.I have just finished writing a book about a 1. Warmth, Elitism, and Wit There have been several excellent reviews of this book. I agree with most of them. This book is worth reading even if only as an exercise in literary appreciation. There was once a time, Camelot I suppose, when people actually did think and speak with poise, elegance and most impressively, wit. I value the works of D. K. Chesterton for the same reasons. Percy certainly fits that mold.I, like Nolan Bond (see his review), am also descended