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Book ReviewAuthor Eudora Welty Unlocks ‘ShelteredLife’Best Sellers ListCompiled By The New York TimesNONFICTION1. The Kennedys: An American Drama, by Peter Collier and David Horowitz.2. Wired, by Bob Woodward.3. In God’s Name, by David A. Yallop.4. The Nightmare Years: 1930-1940, by William L. Shirer.5. Good Morning, Merry Sunshine, by Bob Greene.6. One Writer’s Beginnings, by Eudora Welty.7. The Fire From Within, by Carlos Castaneda.8. Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession, by Erma Bombeck.9.The March of Folly, by Barbara W. Guchman.10. First Lady From Plains, byRosalynn Carter.FICTION1. “...And Ladies of the Club,’’ by Helen Hooven Santmyer.2. Lincoln, by Gore Vidal.3. First Among Equals, by Jeffrey Archer.4. Full Circle, by DanielleSteel.5. The Aquitaine Progression, by Robert Ludlum.6. The Butter Battle Book, byDr. Seuss.7. Deep Six, by Clive Cussler.8. The Haj, by Leon Uris.9. The Walking Drum, by Louis L’Amour.10. The Gremlins Storybook, by Mary Carey.ONE WRITER’S BEGINNINGS, by Eudora Welty, Harvard University Press; 104 pages.by Margaret WatsonIf you have ever wondered about the influences in the life of a major writers of fiction which contribute to the attitude, perspective and insight insuring a successful career, One Writer's Beginnings gives answers. Pulitzer Prize winner Eudora Welty gave a series of lectures at Harvard University for graduate students last year which were the origin of her beautifully written, marvelously nostalgic and intimate little book.Miss Welty was born in 1909 in Jackson, MS, and still lives in the house in which she was born on North Congress Street. Fortunately for her and her two younger brothers, both of her parents loved books and knowledge and the enjoyment of reading. Even when times were difficult financially for the Weltys, books were a favored Christmas and birthday gift, and the children were read to and sung to long before they could read themselves.A desire to experience and feel what one observed was fostered, and family discussions and trips were “learning experiences long before psychologists supplied such a label. Undoubtedly of primary value and interest to would-be writers. One Writet's Beginnings is also delightful reading and a picture of growing up in a small Southern town after the turn of the century. Life was harder physically but simpler- sociologically.The author dedicates her book to her parents, Christian, an Ohioan of Swiss parentage, and Chestina, who was an ex-schoolteacher from West Virginia. It is to these two independent and gentle people she gives great credit for her rather unusual childhood, which encouraged her to write stories when still a child. There are wonderful descriptions of life in a small Southern town; of teachers who demanded the best and, if not loved, were respected and obeyed. Her piano teacher — Miss Eckhart, — swatted her hands with a fly swatter when she heard a mistake; Miss Duling, principal of the Davis School, had taught most of the town leaders and never hesitated to telephone the powers-that-were when she disagreed with policies made. Once she even challenged the Mississippi Legislature to compete in a spelling bee with her fourth grade class. They accepted and they lost.Her mother’s primary emotion, she says, was pity; when Chestina Welty saw pictures of Chinese carrying all the books of a library on their backs over the mountains to save the books from bomb destruction during World War II, she cried. But pity is the natural outbirth of the ability to insert oneself into another’s pain and discomfort, and it is obvious Miss Welty learned to do this also. She tells of a thread-bare book carried always by her father which his mother had inscribed to him on the day of her death, telling him to be a good boy and to meet herin heaven — and how she treasures this book for what it had meant to her father.Writing a story, Miss Welty says, is the writer’s discovery of sequence in experience, and finding causes and effects in one’s own life. Greater than scene is implication, and greater than implication is a single human being who cannot be housed in any one scene. Writing fiction, shesays, causes a great abiding respect for that which isunknown in others; one must look for threads which memory can unravel. As we grow older, we realize so much we were not able to when younger or could not accept when younger; characters made up by a writer are given substance by the writer’s own experiences and insights (“else how could he make them real?”) Life is an inwaro journey allowing us to discover ourselves as well as those we know.One Writer's Beginnings is wonderfully descriptive andThe Okaloosa-Walton Junior College Proscenium Playhouse and Music Theatre will present two award winning productions. The Good Doctor and The Wizard of Oz, as its 1984-85 theater season.The Good Doctor, chosen as Best Play on Broadway, is Neil Simon’s hilarious adaption of various works by Anton Chekhov.The audition dates for this comedy have been set for Aug. 20-21, 3-7 p.m., in Room K-151, in the College MalL The performance is scheduled for Oct. 25-27.tender, brutally honest and selfprobing. It is a book to love for its human implications for living in the world around you. “As you can see, I am a writer who came of a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all daring starts from within.” Miss Welty’s life has been honored not only by the Pulitzer, but by the American Book Award for Fiction, and the Gold Medal for the Novel, given to her by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters for her entire work in Action.Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, will be making their musical debut in Niceville on Feb. 29, March 1-2, 1985. Auditions are slated for Nov. 26-28./U1 area residents are cordially invited to audition. Further information may be obtained by calling OWJC, 678-5111 ext. 259 or ext. 330.Complimentary Bar Privecy Glass VCR-Stereo-TVEmerald Coast Limousine Service•New Stretch Cadillac* Weddings • Night Out VIP Service • Airport24 Hour Xorvtoo863-7221/ia) 0 aNOW OPENOpen 11 a.m. Daily[jpen 11 a.m. uauy +'VP/JUnSeafood Restaurant and OeliJUNE’S DUNESDELICIOUS BREAKFASTS • LUNCH SNACKS SOFT DRINKS, BEER WINEEnjoy Informal Outdoor DiningDIRECTLY ON THE GULF 1 MILE EAST OF 0ESTIN OPEN 6 AM - TILL For Take-out Orders Call837-9938Playhouse Has Plans
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Destin Log
Destin, Florida, US
Sat, Aug 11, 1984
Page 19
Full Page
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Melissa F.
USA 15 Feb 2025
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