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Regional Writers Continued - William Humphrey

I don’t recall exactly when I realized that William Humphrey and I had the same birth date. In my mind there was something fascinating about this association. Initially, though my awareness of William Humphrey and his work was limited, it caused me to wish to become acquainted with this personality who hailed from my part of Texas and had gained a fairly substantial reputation as a writer.

William Humphrey, native of Clarksville, Red River County, Texas, noted author of Home from the Hill, along with other works, was born on June 18, 1924. Time and circumstance allowed me the opportunity to have some familiarity with the life and works of William Humphrey. And, even if there was not something compelling about our having the same birth date, just being acquainted with someone that I admired had telling impact.

William T. Pilkington in his “Imagining Texas: The Literature of the Lone Star State” refers to William Humphrey in a section dedicated to ‘The Texas Writer as Expatriate.’ Humphrey saw early on that to be successful as a writer he would have to leave Texas and take up residence at the capital of American publishing, which was considered to be New York City. Almost from the outset his work was stereotyped as Southern or Texan, supposedly following in the footsteps of the likes of Katherine Ann Porter, if not William Faulkner himself. This turned out to be a stereotyping which Humphrey did not appreciate and to which he often reacted.

Those of you who have read some of Humphrey’s works, what do you think of the regional stereotyping? Or, are we dealing with universal themes which Humphrey contended he strove to incorporate in his writings?

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