A Fable
William Faulkner · 1897–1962 · USA
Why it matters
A WWI regiment mutinies by refusing to keep fighting, led by a corporal whose Christlike defiance retells the Gospels inside the trenches. Faulkner's dense allegorical war novel took him a decade to write and won both the Pulitzer and National Book Award.
At a glance
war novelphilosophical novel
Difficulty 9/10slow pace437 pagesFaulkner's most overtly allegorical novel buries its plot in long, oratorical sentences.
Deep dive
Why Faulkner restages the Passion story inside a mutinous WWI regiment, and what it costs an old general to sit in judgment over a corporal who might be his own son.
Where to go next
William Faulkner · 1929The Sound and the FuryLvl 10Slow burn
William Faulkner · 1930As I Lay DyingLvl 9Medium pace
William Faulkner · 1936Absalom, Absalom!Lvl 10Slow burn
William Faulkner · 1950Collected Stories of William FaulknerLvl 7Slow burn
William Faulkner · 1962The ReiversLvl 4Medium pace
Cormac McCarthy · 1992All the Pretty HorsesLvl 6Medium pace