Explore the complete works of William Faulkner, presented in chronological order to guide you through his literary journey from debut to recent works.
Publication Order of Sin and Salvation Books
| Sartoris | (1929) |
| The Sound and the Fury | (1929) |
| As I Lay Dying | (1930) |
| Sanctuary | (1931) |
| Light in August | (1932) |
| Absalom, Absalom! | (1936) |
| Requiem for a Nun | (1950) |
Publication Order of The Snopes Trilogy Books
| The Hamlet | (1940) |
| The Town | (1957) |
| The Mansion | (1959) |
Publication Order of Screenplays Books
with Joel Sayre
| Road to Glory(With: Joel Sayre) | (1981) |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| Soldiers’ Pay | (1926) |
| Mosquitoes | (1927) |
| Pylon | (1935) |
| The Unvanquished | (1938) |
| The Wild Palms / If I Forget Thee Jerusalem | (1939) |
| Intruder in the Dust | (1948) |
| A Fable | (1954) |
| Sanctuary and Requiem for a Nun | (1954) |
| The Reivers | (1962) |
| Flags in the Dust | (1973) |
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
| A Rose for Emily | (1930) |
| The Bear | (1942) |
| Mayday | (1978) |
| The Marionettes | (1978) |
| Barn Burning | (1996) |
Publication Order of Short Story Collections
| Wishing Tree | (1927) |
| These 13 | (1931) |
| Doctor Martino and Other Stories | (1934) |
| Barn Burning and other stories | (1939) |
| Go Down, Moses | (1942) |
| Collected Stories | (1948) |
| Knight’s Gambit | (1949) |
| Big Woods | (1955) |
| Selected Short Stories | (1956) |
| New Orleans Sketches | (1957) |
| Three Famous Short Novels | (1958) |
| Marble Faun and a Green Bough | (1960) |
| Uncle Willy and Other Stories | (1967) |
| Jealousy and Episode | (1977) |
| Uncollected Stories of William Faulkner | (1979) |
| The Essential Faulkner | (2013) |
| Ole Miss Juvenilia | (2018) |
Publication Order of Anthologies
| World’s Great Mystery Stories | (1943) |
| 50 Great Short Stories | (1952) |
| Short Story Masterpieces: 35 Classic American and British Stories from the First Half of the 20th Century | (1954) |
| Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews | (1957) |
| 50 Great American Short Stories | (1963) |
| The Best Horror Stories | (1977) |
| Stories of the Modern South | (1977) |
| 65 Great Tales Of Horror | (1981) |
| Magical Realist Fiction | (1984) |
| Louisiana Stories | (1990) |
| Growing Up in the South | (1991) |
| The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales | (1992) |
| The Short Story: 30 Masterpieces | (1992) |
| First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers | (1994) |
| The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century | (2000) |
| The Best American Short Stories of the Century | (2000) |
| 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology | (2000) |
| Writing Los Angeles | (2002) |
| Writers: Their Lives and Works | (2018) |
More About William Faulkner – Author Biography
William Faulkner, a titan of American literature and a Nobel laureate, was born on September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi. His deep Southern roots profoundly shaped his writing, imbuing it with a unique blend of regionalism and universal themes. Faulkner’s work is renowned for its complex narratives and innovative use of stream of consciousness, a style that has made him a central figure in the modernist movement.
Raised in Oxford, Mississippi, Faulkner’s early life in the South was instrumental in forming the settings of many of his works. He briefly attended the University of Mississippi but left before completing a degree, drawn instead to the allure of writing and the influence of literary giants like James Joyce. His early writing career was a mix of poetry and prose, but it was his novels that would cement his place in literary history.
Faulkner’s breakthrough came with the publication of “The Sound and the Fury” in 1929. This novel, with its intricate narrative technique and exploration of the decline of a Southern family, introduced readers to Faulkner’s fictional Yoknapatawpha County, a setting he would return to in many of his works. His ability to weave together multiple narratives, timelines, and perspectives marked a departure from traditional storytelling and challenged readers to engage with his work on a deeper level.
His subsequent novels, including “As I Lay Dying,” “Light in August,” and “Absalom, Absalom!” further explored themes of history, identity, and the human condition. Faulkner’s writing often grappled with the complexities of the South’s cultural legacy, addressing issues of race, class, and the region’s tumultuous history.
Faulkner’s contribution to literature was recognized in 1949 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. His acceptance speech, asserting the writer’s duty to explore the human heart in conflict with itself, remains a powerful statement on the role of the artist.
Throughout his career, Faulkner also worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter, yet he remained primarily a novelist deeply connected to his Mississippi roots. He passed away on July 6, 1962, leaving behind a body of work that continues to be celebrated for its innovation, depth, and profound insight into the American South and the human experience. Faulkner’s legacy endures not only in his own works but in the influence he has had on generations of writers who followed.