William Faulkner quit his job with a savage 'hall of famer' resignation letter
'As long as I live under the capitalistic system, I expect to have my life influenced by the demands of moneyed people.'
Not many know, but William Faulkner, a famous American writer who even has a Nobel Prize to his name, was once the most terrible postmaster of his time. Yes, that's right! After dropping out of the University of Mississippi in 1920, he took charge as a postmaster and worked there for three years. However, Faulkner hated his job and spent most of his time playing cards, writing poems, or even drinking, Mental Floss reported.
Faulkner was least bothered by his responsibilities; in fact, he opened the post office only when he felt like working and closed it whenever he wanted to go hunting or play golf. "He would throw away the advertising circulars, university bulletins, and other mail he deemed junk. The magazines he liked, he’d keep in the back for a few days for his friends to read. Some friends he’d hire as part-time clerks so he’d have someone with whom he could play mah-jongg and bridge," Bill Peschel, an author, said. Eventually, when Faulkner realized that the university had had enough of him and would fire him at any moment, he decided to quit with a dramatic resignation letter instead. In his letter, he wrote, "As long as I live under the capitalistic system, I expect to have my life influenced by the demands of moneyed people. But I will be damned if I propose to be at the beck and call of every itinerant scoundrel who has two cents to invest in a postage stamp. This, sir, is my resignation."
Later, whenever Faulkner recalled his time as a postman, he loved to retell the story much more intensely. "I reckon I’ll be at the beck and call of folks with money all my life, but thank God I won’t ever again have to be at the beck and call of every son of a bitch who’s got two cents to buy a stamp," he said. Eudora Welty, another American writer, who had a rather funny way of describing Faulkner as a postman, said that instead of doing his job, he would be hiding in the back, writing poetry. Faulkner isn't an exception, who was working a job that didn't fit his skills or qualifications, as many were and are today. In fact, according to research by BCG, more than 1.3 billion people across the globe work in jobs for which they are either underqualified or overqualified. Now, this 'skill mismatch' not only makes them less satisfied but also substantially affects the world economy, as they aren't able to commit 100% to their jobs.
Faulkner, however, wasn't somebody who could be okay doing something he was least interested in. He finally found success when his novel "The Sound and the Fury" was published in 1929. Born on September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi, Faulkner was also involved in writing movie screenplays during the 1930s and 1940s. Notably, the legendary writer has won several awards in his life, including the Nobel Prize and two Pulitzer Prizes. Faulkner left earthly life on July 6, 1962, after a heart attack in Byhalia, Mississippi, but his contribution to literature will shine on forever.
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