William Gay (1) (1941–2012)
Author of Twilight
About the Author
William Gay was born in Hohenwald, Tennessee on October 27, 1941. After graduating from high school, he joined the United States Navy and served during the Vietnam War. Before becoming a writer at the age of 57, he worked as a carpenter, drywall-hanger and house painter. His first short story, I show more Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down, was published in the Georgia Review literary journal in 1998. In 2009, it was adapted into a film entitled That Evening Sun starring Hal Holbrook. His first novel, The Long Home, was published in 1999 and won the James A. Michener Memorial Prize. His other works include Twilight, The Lost Country, and Provinces of Night, which was also adapted into a film, entitled Bloodworth starring Val Kilmer and Kris Kristofferson in 2010. He died of a heart attack on February 23, 2012 at the age of 70. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by William Gay
Associated Works
The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Fiction (2008) — Contributor — 130 copies, 1 review
Best of the South: From the Second Decade of New Stories from the South (2005) — Contributor — 48 copies
Best of The Oxford American: Ten Years from the Southern Magazine of Good Writing {anthology} (2002) — Contributor — 43 copies
Don't Quit Your Day Job: Acclaimed Authors and the Day Jobs They Quit (2010) — Contributor — 41 copies
The Best of the Best American Mystery Stories: The First Ten Years (2014) — Contributor — 31 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Gay, William Elbert
- Birthdate
- 1941-10-27
- Date of death
- 2012-02-23
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Country (for map)
- USA
- Birthplace
- Hohenwald, Tennessee, USA
- Place of death
- Hohenwald, Tennessee, USA
- Cause of death
- heart attack
- Places of residence
- Hohenwald, Tennessee, USA
New York, New York, USA
Chicago, Illinois, USA - Occupations
- carpenter
U.S. Navy - Organizations
- United States Navy (Vietnam War)
Members
Reviews
Little sister death by William Gay
Teenager Kenneth Tyler and his sister Corrie suspect something is amiss with their father's grave. They investigate, and end up finding out some pretty disgusting stuff about the local undertaker. This leads to them learning more about how the undertaker has buried many bodies, and them seeking to take revenge on the undertaker, who has some ideas about how to deal with them, and how hires the town villain to take care of things.
This is a very dark Southern Gothic novel that takes some turns that I didn't expect. Gay really draws the Tennessee territory around the novel well, and the characters are drawn really well with lots of dark scenes. Recommended, and I'll be sure to read more by this author.… (more)
This is a very dark Southern Gothic novel that takes some turns that I didn't expect. Gay really draws the Tennessee territory around the novel well, and the characters are drawn really well with lots of dark scenes. Recommended, and I'll be sure to read more by this author.… (more)
Twilight is a good gothic mess. It's got graves, mud, blood, murder, necrophilia, and a community of folks who have the misfortune of coming across Granville Sutter. Tyler and his sister, Corrie, are determined to make the undertaker pay for the things he's done to bodies of the town's loved ones. It doesn't go well, and the result is a horrible long bloodthirsty chase through the local wilderness.
Looking at William Gay's photo on the back , I got a chill. I bet he is the nicest person, and would be a pleasant someone to just stt down and have a glass of iced sweet tea with on a boiling hot day.… (more)
Looking at William Gay's photo on the back , I got a chill. I bet he is the nicest person, and would be a pleasant someone to just stt down and have a glass of iced sweet tea with on a boiling hot day.… (more)
One of the most highly respected writers of southern fiction, William Gay wasn’t published until he was fifty-nine. A group of editors, friends and fans sorted through remnants, scraps and notebooks found by Gay’s family in at least two houses after his death in 2012, much of it from the years he was honing, before he was published. Several books and collections have come from that trove. This may be the last.
Here there are short stories, unfinished fragments, bits of memoir. The Trace is a Faulkner-like fragment of an epic trip taken by a man and his brother’s wife to find the brother. The Ascension of Pepper Yates is the story of a wanna-be cop who stumbles into a real police job. There are stories of family strife, men loving the wrong women, men screwing up by way of drink and losing jobs.
Gay writes of his love of reading and the endless quest to find enough books as a child. He writes about Faulkner and his influence on Gay’s own writing. A highly satisfying collection that adds to Gay’s catalog.… (more)
Here there are short stories, unfinished fragments, bits of memoir. The Trace is a Faulkner-like fragment of an epic trip taken by a man and his brother’s wife to find the brother. The Ascension of Pepper Yates is the story of a wanna-be cop who stumbles into a real police job. There are stories of family strife, men loving the wrong women, men screwing up by way of drink and losing jobs.
Gay writes of his love of reading and the endless quest to find enough books as a child. He writes about Faulkner and his influence on Gay’s own writing. A highly satisfying collection that adds to Gay’s catalog.… (more)
Lists
Five star books (3)
Same Title (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 16
- Also by
- 22
- Members
- 1,782
- Popularity
- #14,448
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 68
- ISBNs
- 102
- Languages
- 5
- Favorited
- 12
