Greenville in Washington County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Walker Percy
| | Mississippi Writers Trail | |
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, October 5, 2020
1. Walker Percy Marker
Walker Percy was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1916, orphaned in late childhood, and adopted at age thirteen by kinsman William Alexander Percy, a poet and patron of the arts from Greenville, Mississippi. After acquiring an MD degree from Columbia University, Walker Percy contracted tuberculosis. While convalescing he read the works of Kierkegaard and other existentialist philosophers, whose influence caused him to change course. He gave up medicine, married Mary Townsend, converted to Catholicism, and became a writer. His first published novel, The Moviegoer, won the 1962 National Book Award. In a gently ironic voice, Percy satirizes American life through characters who struggle to find meaning to their existence. His six novels, two non-fiction books, and numerous scientific and philosophical essays further explore his ideas and assure him a firm place in American literature. He died May 10, 1990, in Covington, Louisiana.
Erected 2019 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History/Mississippi Writers Trail.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi Writers Trail series list.
Location. 33° 24.254′
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Mississippi Delta, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Shelby Foote (here, next to this marker); The King's Daughters Hospital (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Courthouse Arboretum (approx. 0.2 miles away); Washington County Courthouse (approx. Ό mile away); Washington County Confederate Monument (approx. Ό mile away); Greenville (approx. 0.3 miles away); New Jerusalem M.B. Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hebrew Union Congregation (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Walker Percy (Wikipedia). (Submitted on October 10, 2020.)
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, October 5, 2020
2. Walker Percy Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2020, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 708 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 10, 2020, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. 3. submitted on October 10, 2020.
