William Faulkner: A Voice from Oxford

Listen to the soul of the South in William Faulkner, a rare archival telecast from the celebrated Omnibus series, produced by Robert Saudek, that brings the Nobel laureate into sharp focus among the familiar streets of Oxford, Mississippi. This mid-century gem captures Faulkner in his element—amid lifetime neighbors, the clapboard homes and dusty lanes of his hometown framing a figure as mythic as his prose. With a voice weathered by whiskey and wisdom, he speaks of humanity’s eternal struggle: the power and will to choose right over wrong, and the duty to ensure 'justice and truth and pity and compassion are done.' Picture him leaning against a porch rail, eyes tracing the horizon, as he muses on moral choice—not in grand lecture halls, but in the quiet heart of the community that shaped his tales of Yoknapatawpha. The camera lingers on these moments—his words a slow river of thought, flowing through the Mississippi air—offering a raw, unfiltered glimpse of a literary titan at home. Aired on television’s golden stage, this film preserves a writer’s reflection on the human condition. Archival Moments revives this Southern echo—subscribe to explore more from the voices of the past!