Hamlet
William Faulkner
Paperback
(Vintage Books, March 15, 1958)
from back cover: In the over-all design of the trilogy devoted to the origin, rise, and dominance of the Snopes family, The Hamlet is the first novel. The chronicle of the Snopeses, who took root in Yoknapatawpha County and proliferated through and beyond it until they outmaneuvered and overpowered a society and a culture that had little defense against their invincible rapacity, is continued in The Town and concluded in The Mansion. The Hamlet describes how the Snopses first came to Frenchman's Bend, how Flem Snopes established himself there, and how, by his viciously ruthless pursuit of power, he destroyed the fabric of the entire village. Shocking incident and wry humor lend arresting force to this book, which by itself is a distinct entity. As the first part of the Snopses triptych, it is a unit conceived and executed in an undertaking that, in its entirety, is an impressive addition to the slowly growing list of distinguished American novels.