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When I submitted a library request for One Writer's Beginnings, I chanced upon this book as well and made a second request simultaneously. I had long desired to peruse Welty's photos and thoughts at some juncture, and it truly was a wonderful experience.
This book was a labor of love, crafted near the end of Welty's life from the photographs she took during the 1930s and 40s in Mississippi churchyards. It is abundantly clear that she was captivated by the diverse gravestone motifs, many of which mirror 19th-century values and beliefs. All the photos are in black and white. Some are almost like portraits of folk art, bringing a smile to my face and recurring in my memory.
This book combines several of my intense interests: photography, old cemeteries, old buildings, the American South, and Eudora Welty. As Welty stated in the introduction, Mississippi had no art except in cemeteries. Having witnessed parts of the glorious cemeteries near Boston, I believe I fathom her sentiment. The art in old cemeteries is personal and so much more.
And Elizabeth Spencer, in her introduction, states: [Welty] is not, as she has told us in One Writer's Beginnings, a "believer" in the traditional sense of the word. What comes through to us here and in her fiction is her sense of reverence for life's mysteries, death being one of those. But sometimes, even in the grim face of it, we can't help but laugh. How not to when we see the little winged children racing about with wreaths on a matched pair of Jackson tombs, or a whole sheep, lying atop another, looking wildly astonished to be there? (p 20)
The photographs are accompanied by selections from Welty's writings. I wholeheartedly recommend this if it appears to align with any of your areas of interest.
This book was a labor of love, crafted near the end of Welty's life from the photographs she took during the 1930s and 40s in Mississippi churchyards. It is abundantly clear that she was captivated by the diverse gravestone motifs, many of which mirror 19th-century values and beliefs. All the photos are in black and white. Some are almost like portraits of folk art, bringing a smile to my face and recurring in my memory.
This book combines several of my intense interests: photography, old cemeteries, old buildings, the American South, and Eudora Welty. As Welty stated in the introduction, Mississippi had no art except in cemeteries. Having witnessed parts of the glorious cemeteries near Boston, I believe I fathom her sentiment. The art in old cemeteries is personal and so much more.
And Elizabeth Spencer, in her introduction, states: [Welty] is not, as she has told us in One Writer's Beginnings, a "believer" in the traditional sense of the word. What comes through to us here and in her fiction is her sense of reverence for life's mysteries, death being one of those. But sometimes, even in the grim face of it, we can't help but laugh. How not to when we see the little winged children racing about with wreaths on a matched pair of Jackson tombs, or a whole sheep, lying atop another, looking wildly astonished to be there? (p 20)
The photographs are accompanied by selections from Welty's writings. I wholeheartedly recommend this if it appears to align with any of your areas of interest.
