Overview

Robert Penn Warren is one of the best-known and most consequential Kentucky writers of the twentieth century and the only American writer to have won three Pulitzers in two different genres. All the King's Men, generally considered one of the finest novels ever written on American politics, transcends sensationalism and topicality to stand as art. It was a bestseller, won the Pulitzer Prize, and became an Academy Award--winning movie. Depicting the rise and fall of a dictatorial southern politician -- modeled on Huey Long of Louisiana -- the timeless story and memorable characters raise questions about the importance of history, moral conflicts in public policy, and idealism in government. In Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men: A Reader's Companion, author Jonathan S. Cullick considers the themes of this famous novel within the context of America's current political climate. He addresses the novel's continuing relevance and interviews a cross-section of elected and appointed officials, as well as journalists, in Kentucky to explore how Warren's novel has influenced their work and approach to politics. By focusing on what Warren's novel has to say about power, populism, ethics, and the force of rhetoric, Cullick encourages readers to think about their own identities and responsibilities as American citizens. This volume promises to be not only an indispensable companion to All the King's Men but it also provides context and a new diverse set of perspectives from which to understand this seminal novel.

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9780813175928

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Reviews

This slim volume fulfills its purpose of helping readers navigate All the King's Men. It is a testament to both the importance of the public intellectual service that humanities faculty perform and the invaluable roel that university presses play in the intellectual health of the states in which they operate. -- Anne E. Marshall, The Journal of Southern History

Author Information

Jonathan S. Cullick is professor of English and former chair of the English Department at Northern Kentucky University. He is the author of several books including Religion in the Twenty-First Century: A Longman Topics Reader and Making History: The Biographical Narratives of Robert Penn Warren, as well as many articles on William Faulkner, Walker Percy, Robert Penn Warren, and other southern and American writers and topics.

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