Thomas Wolfe 8-16

Is Thomas Wolfe the problem child of American literature? I think he was the last big American writer I read before giving up the idea of doing my own writing. I liked his Look Homeward, Angel better than You Can't Go Home, Again. Now I understand he is not highly esteemed at all (I got this loud and clear from William Styron).  But there is The Thomas Wolfe Society and I cannot think of any other writer with a similar kind of recognition.

I was surprised the Modern Novel site had an entry for Wolfe. This is what  it has to say about Look Homeward, Angel:

This is a book you either love or hate. Frankly, I find it overdone and, despite the valiant attempts of Maxwell Perkins, still in need of a lot of editing. It is said that this is a book you should read before the age of twenty-five and this is probably the case. Nevertheless, there is much to admire in the book – the wonderful recreation of the early 20th century North Carolina, the superb portrait of the avaricious Eliza and her effect on all other family, the telling though often excessive symbolism of Wolfe’s writing and, of course, the self-portrait of the developing and sensitive Eugene. But try to read it before you are twenty-five.

I meant to re-read Thomas Wolfe in prison. I did not get the opportunity thanks to Covid shutting down the inter-library loan program. I am still interested in reading him again now that I am long past twenty-five.

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