The notes are done in pencil and it was special to get to see the books which Eudora Welty read.

Books by Anton Chekhov in Eudora Welty's House

Touring the house I asked about the books by Chekhov. The list had about 30 items - almost every good translation of the Russian Writer printed in the United States since 1920. Wow! Some books are covered with Eudora Welty's notes. She did read into them!

Eudora Welty sure loved books. They are everywhere in the house. I was told that there were even more - some had to be removed to the storage. Everyone who wanted to sit down at Miss Welty's house had to move books to make room.

Tour of Eudora Welty House

It just worked out that way that the only day I could visit Eudora Welty's House was on Wednesday, September 9th. It was only that evening that I realised that the date was pretty special 09/09/09. The visit was special too. It is certainly one of the highlights of this year for me. Mary Alice White, the niece of Miss Welty, was really hospitable. She spent some time visiting with me and we had a picture taken. Here it is. I am very grateful to Mary Alice who by now retired from the position of the director of the House and feel very blessed that I met Mary Alice in person two weeks prior to the retirement.

Book Reviews by Eudora Welty

I have just finished reading Eudora Welty's reviews collected by Pearl McHaney under one title A Writer's Eye. The book collects all sixty-seven of Welty's reviews of seventy-four books. They are really beautiful. As Pearl McHaney puts it "Though they are in her own view, a minor chapter in her life's work, Welty's reviews are as sensory-laden, as thoughtful, and as well crafted as her stories". I can not agree more. I really enjoyed Welty's review of Nine Stories by J.D.Sallinger. Any student of William Faulkner should read Welty's reviews of Intruder in the Dust and Selected Letters of William Faulkner by Joseph Blotner. I checked the article on the photographs taken in Russia by Henri Cartier-Bresson, on the collection of Russian Fairy Tales and my only complaint is that she has not reviewed more books. I would love to know what she thought about some. Such an intelligent, knolegeable, tactful and sensitive lady of letters! I should probably work on copyright permission for translating of some of the reviews into Russian.

Back to Academic Writing

This year for the first time since 1990 (when my article on Louise Erdrich was published) I made two more "public appearances". The first one was in April. I posted a report on photography in Eudora Welty's life. The Conference took place in Perm (Southern Siberia) at Perm State University. Here is how it looks in Russian: "Фотография в жизни Юдоры Уэлти" Постерный доклад на международной научно-практической конференции "Пограничные процессы в литературе и культуре". Пермский государственный университет, 16-19 апреля 2009 г.

Encouraged by the success I had an article on Eudora Welty and Photography published in a book printed in Krasnodar. For me it is a major milestone. At some point I thought that I would never go back to academic life. If it were not for Miss Welty I probably wouldn't. And now the more I read the more I want to share what I have found out! Anyway I am proudly displaying the cover of the collection with a very learned name: "Inerdisciplinary Aspects of Linguistic Studies" Krasnodar, 2009. My article is in Russian and I have posted it on my Russian language website dedicated to Eudora Welty
http://sites.google.com/site/eudoraweltyinrussia/fotografia-v-zizni-udory-uelti

How Separate Are We ?

Are we more connected then we think we are? Henry Green's quote used in the title of this blog and then posted below came to my mind today as I was reading a book by Russian thinker, historian and specialist in medieval literature Petr Mikhailovich Bitsilli (Петр Михайлович Бицилли). In the Foreword to his book "Elements of Medieval Culture" (Элементы средневековой культуры) he says that "any scientific book is to some extent the result of mutual work of a group of people, though the members of this group might not be aware of their cooperation". This is so true!
As I am getting ready with my article on Eudora Welty and Anton Chekhov I am overwhelmed by the number of people whose work I use... Why are we so surprised when coincidences happen? Are we really that separate?

Petr Mikhailovich Bitsilli was born in 1879 in Russia. He became a professor in 1917 and taught and lectured in Odessa. He could not agree with the changes which took place in Russia after October Revolution of 1917 and in 1920 had to leave Russia. Since that time lived and taught history and literature in Sofia University, Bulgaria. In 25 years of his teaching career he developed 78 lecture courses on different historical issues. He is also an author of one of the most interesting works on Russian writers, Anton Chekhov included. P.M. Bitsilli he passed away in 1953 and is buried in Sofia. His books are gradually returning to Russia, the first one published in St.Petersburg in 1995.

White Heron

When asked if she had any favorite stories Eudora Welty would always say that her favorite was the one she was working on. But if the interviewer insisted she would often mention "A Still Moment" a story which was published in her collection The Wide Net and Other Stories (1943). It is about an imaginative meeting of three historical figures Lorenzo Dow, John James Auduborn and James Murell the Bandit. It is a very unusual story. There is a bird all the three see - it is a white heron. The heron in the story is snowy white, it is solitary and it feeds beside the marsh water. The time of the day is sunset and the bird is sen by the three in its serene, shy beauty. "But before them the white heron rested in the grass with the evening all around it, lighter and more serene than the evening, flight closed in its body, the circuit of its beauty closed, a bird seen and a bird still, its motion calm as if it were offered: Take my flight..." It seemed to me that this picture taken by Eric Lincoln is a perfect embodiment of what Eudora Welty described.