Emblems of Conduct
 | |
| Author | Donald Windham |
|---|---|
| Original title | Emblems of Conduct |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Publisher | Scribner |
Publication date | 1963 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback), e-book |
| Pages | 224 (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). |
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.
Background
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
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