Shelby Foote

Acquaintance of Faulkner and friend of Walker Percy…Foote gained national prominence as a guest commentator in Ken Burns’ Civil War series. I loved the series but mostly, I loved Shelby Foote and his Southern accent. He was a modern man deeply steeped in another century…a man transparent in his views about the tragedy of the Civil War and the galvanizing subject of race.

I don’t have an elegant Southern accent...few people do anymore and to me there’s no middle ground…Southern accent-wise. It’s either elegant or off putting and please; rarely do actors do Southern accents very well. Here’s Foote sharing stories about his friend Faulkner.

Shelby Foote passed away in 2005 but only this past weekend did his estate sale manifest. Memphis88 sent me a link to the sale and I reveled in seeing Foote’s random assemblage of collectibles…so much so that I decided to share some of it with you. Oh, and Foote wrote all of his book drafts in longhand...in hardbound journals...with a dip-pen. Beautiful.

 I’m sure I’d have reveled in sitting with Foote and just hearing any damn thing he’d want to talk about. And his collections just add to my intrigue with him.

 Here's a visit with Foote that you might enjoy...

Onward. In Philly.

ADG II