Literary Landmark: William Faulkner’s New Orleans house

New Orleans, La.

Dedicated: June 25th, 1993

Partners: Friends of New Orleans Public Library

624 Pirate’s Alley was designated a Literary Landmark by the Friends of New Orleans Public Library on June 25th, 1993 in honor of American author William Faulkner. Faulkner lived on the ground floor of the house in 1925.

It was at this house in the French Quarter that Faulkner completed his first novel Soldier’s Pay. This was the novel that made Faulkner a famous author. Up until that point he was a starving artist struggling to make it in New Orleans. After the publishing of his first novel, Faulkner left for Paris, however the time spent in the shadow of the St. Louis Cathedral and the gardens in his backyard inspired some of his later novels including Mosquitoes, The Wild Palms, and Pylon.

The house is now a private residence and store for rare books. It was purchased in 1988 and the owners completed renovation on it in 1990. The house is not open for viewing; however visitors can drop in on the bookstore, Faulkner House Books. The building sustained $200,000 worth of damage from Hurricane Katrina but remain open today.

Resources:

Faulkner House Books (website)

William Faulkner House in New Orleans has a story in every room (Times-Picayune)