At the risk of minor heresy, and perhaps the hope of controversy, I'm
going to admit that I don't particularly think of Willeford as a
Florida writer. An odd statement, you might think, when he not only
lived in Florida, but wrote about the state. On the other hand, he
grew up in Los Angeles and lived in the same proto-condominium where
my grandmother lived, near USC. One of my favorites among his work,
written at what I suspect was a stream-of-consciousness pace, was
High Priest of California. I'll simply suggest that Willeford was a
MAJOR WRITER whose gifts transcended any plot or setting. There's no
commonality there. I'd suggest that Willeford represents nothing so
much as Willeford himself. Does anyone know if Willeford considered
himself a Florida writer?
David Laurence Wilson
Downieville, CA
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