Center for Faulkner Studies

A section of The Faulkner Mural in Kent Library.

The Center for Faulkner Studies (CFS) is devoted to the study of William Faulkner, sole owner and proprietor of Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi.

The CFS is located on the fourth floor of Kent Library in Room 406 on Southeast Missouri State University’s campus in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

It was established at Southeast Missouri State University in 1989 under the leadership of its founding director, Dr. Robert Hamblin, following the University's acquisition of the Louis Daniel Brodsky Collection of William Faulkner Materials, assembled over 30 years by Louis Daniel (L.D.) Brodsky of St. Louis.

The Brodsky Collection

Housed in the Rare Book Room of Southeast Missouri State University's Kent Library, the Louis Daniel Brodsky William Faulkner Collection is one of the four largest collections of Faulkner materials in the world.

Explore the Brodsky Collection

A framed picture of William Faulkner from The Brodsky Collection.

The Jane Haynes Collection

Jane Isbell Haynes was a Faulkner scholar. This collection includes publications, correspondence, photographs, and research materials for Haynes' books.

View the Collection List

Antique magazines from The Jane Haynes Collection.

L.D. Brodsky’s dream for his marvelous Faulkner collection was that it might be made available to the public for research and study. The Center for Faulkner Studies has admirably fulfilled that dream, attracting scholars and readers from around the world to the Center to conduct research and expand their knowledge of Faulkner’s life and writings. It was my great privilege to collaborate with L.D. for 36 years and to assist in the establishment and development of the Center. It is a great joy to see the outstanding work of the Center continue.

Dr. Robert W. Hamblin

Founding Director of the Center for Faulkner Studies

The Faulkner Mural

As part of its celebration of the William Faulkner Centennial, the Center for Faulkner Studies commissioned Dr. Grant Lund, a Southeast Missouri State University professor of art, to design and execute a mural of Faulkner.

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The Faulkner Mural and a William Faulkner quote on walls in Kent Library.

Scholars Programs

The Visiting Japanese Scholar program allows scholars to visit Cape Girardeau to study the Brodsky Collection. Chinese Faulkner scholars are also invited to study the collection and can be given Visiting Research Scholar status.

The Visiting Japanese Scholar Program Visiting Chinese Scholars