Ron Rash's 6 favorite Southern fiction books

The South Carolina-born poet, novelist, and short-story writer recommends works by William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, and more

Ron Rash
(Image credit: (Daniel Coston ./Retna Ltd./Corbis))

Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner (Random House, $15). Faulkner has long been my favorite American novelist, and though The Sound and the Fury and Light in August are close runners-up, Absalom is the novel I love most. It rewards multiple readings as much as any novel I know.

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (Mariner, $16). The greatest novel ever written about American politics, peopled by dozens of memorable characters. Louisiana Gov. Huey Long was Warren's inspiration, but this 1946 work is as relevant today as it was in the 1940s.

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