Emblems of Conduct

Emblems of Conduct is a book by American writer Donald Windham, first published in 1963. It is a personal memoir, an account of his early life in Atlanta.

Emblems of Conduct
AuthorDonald Windham
Original titleEmblems of Conduct
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreAutbiography
PublisherScribner
Publication date
1963
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback), e-book
Pages224 (paperback edition)
ISBN0-820-31841-8

Background

After publishing The Hero Continues, a novel based on the life of Tennessee Williams, in 1960, Windham started publishing recollections of his childhood in Atlanta in the New Yorker.[1] The series of recollections grew into the personal memoir Emblems of Conduct.[1][2] It was first published in book form by Scribner in 1963.[3][4] The book is thus an account of him growing up in the city of Atlanta, and it follows The Warm Country, a collection of stories about the same city, published in 1962.[5]

Plot

The book tells about Windham growing up in Atlanta during the Depression, as his family, which had once been prosperous, gradually becomes impoverished.[3] The Victorian home of the family, a remainder of their prosperous past, is demolished, and young Donald keeps a piece of stained glass as a reminder of "fading grandeur".[3][6] Meanwhile his mother is struggling to cope with the situation, and is forced to rely on her relatives.[3] The book covers Windham's childhood, through his graduation from high school and his decision to move to New York City thereafter.[7] It evokes "with faint but unmistakable nostalgia the Atlanta of the early decades of the modern century."[8]

Reception

Emblems of Conduct is a highly-regarded personal memoir by Windham. The book was warmly received.[1][2] The success of this work allowed Windham to publish the collection of short stories The Warm Country.[1]

References

  1. "Donald Windham and Sandy Campbell". Windham Campbell Prizes. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  2. Grimes, William. "Donald Windham, Novelist and Memoirist, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  3. Solomon, Charles (22 September 1996). "Emblems of Conduct by Donald Windham..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  4. Mattachine Society (1963). Mattachine Review - Volumes 9-12. Arno Press. p. 31. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  5. Ruppersburg, Hugh (2011). Ruppersburg, Hugh; Inscoe, John C. (eds.). The New Georgia Encyclopedia Companion to Georgia Literature. University of Georgia Press. p. 8. ISBN 9780820343006. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  6. "Donald Windham and Sandy Campbell". Windham Campbell Prizes. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  7. Kibler, James E.; Giles, James Richard (1980). American Novelists Since World War II - Second Series. Gale Research Company. p. 380. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  8. Ruppersburg, Hugh, ed. (1992). Georgia Voices: Nonfiction. University of Georgia Press. p. 220. ISBN 9780820316260. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
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