Somebody put a Stribling obituary on the net. Here's a quote
that shows his writing:
"Every rustic in the Southern hill country believes that if
he can get to the nearest village and set up a grocery store,
his fortune is made. A groceryman doesn't have to work; he
simple sits in his store and waits for customers. He pays
nothing for bed and board; he can eat free out of his stock
and sleep in the back of his store. Every penny he takes in
is pure profit because he buys on a credit. More Southern
hill men sell their lean acres, go to town and set up a
grocery store than commit any other form of financial
suicide."
This powerful declarative prose reminds me not so much of
Faulknerian Southern but of mountain talk (if you've ever
heard Ralph Stanley talk you'll know what I'm talking
about).
Stribling is our kind of guy. The Store is a great novel.
Stribling was as good as Erskine Caldwell but without so much
melodrama and anger. Now I am curious about his pulp
fiction.
Best,
MrT
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