A rare auction of signed William Faulkner books and personal items has drawn international interest, but few on the town square of the author's hometown were aware of the bidding set for Tuesday at Christie's in New York. It's not as if Oxford's famous son is forgotten at home. Inside Off Square Books, a poster of the fiercely private writer hangs on an entrance wall. Down the street is the home where Faulkner's mother lived and nearby is Rowan Oak, the author's Greek Revival house owned and operated as a museum by the University of Mississippi. Rowan Oak draws about 26,000 visitors each year. Bill Griffith, Rowan Oak's curator, is among those who would love to own Faulkner's Canadian Royal Air Force Uniform or signed, first editions of some his works. Griffith, however, said tight finances won't allow him to place a bid. The auction could be the last chance to acquire such a large collection of the Noble Prize-winning author's work, said Louis Daniel Brodsky, a poet and Faulkner scholar, who lives in St. Louis. Brodsky, who donated his own private collection to the Center for Faulkner Studies at Southeast Missouri State University, said he once owned the extremely rare copy of Faulkner's first novel, “Soldier's Pay,” in a dust jacket that's part of the lot up for auction. Also included in the collection are signed copies of “The Wild Palms” and “Absalom, Absalom!” In keeping with common auction house practice, Christie's didn't identify the owner, but said he was an American. A few items offer a glimpse into the personal side of the author, whose stream of consciousness writings explored the complicated social system of the South. Ironically, Faulkner likely would have cringed to know his personal items are to be part of a public bidding war, Griffith said. “I think he would be shocked that a telegram to his daughter is going up for auction for $2,000,” Griffith said. “When I first took over as curator, I thought his privacy thing was a little coy, but he was serious about it. He wanted to be left alone.” In his 1936 Western Union telegram to his 3-year-old daughter, Faulkner wished her “plenty of ghosts, goblins, witches and cats and owls on Halloween.” In a 1951 copy of “Sartoris,” Faulkner scribbled, “For Joan, it was all for her, even while she was asleep.” The author was referring to the writer Joan Williams, with whom he had an affair.
