Original artwork, not a still
I’m a failed poet. Maybe every novelist wants to write poetry first, finds he can’t, and then tries the short story, which is the most demanding form after poetry. And, failing at that, only then does he take up novel writing.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Faulkner jokingly ranks poetry, short stories and novels by difficulty, calling the novelist a poet who has fallen back through the forms. The self-mockery expresses respect for demanding writing rather than a literal rule for every writer’s career.
Context reviewed
