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Notes
See Louis Daniel Brodsky, "The 1961 Andrés Bello Award: William Faulkner's Original Acceptance Speech," Studies in Bibliography, 39 (1986), 277-281.
See Faulkner: A Biography, by Joseph Blotner (1974). The notes accompanying pages 1779-1786 detailing Faulkner's Venezuelan trip in April 1961 appear on pages 213-214 of the Notes section of the second volume. Blotner cites "Charles Harner, American Embassy, Caracas, to Dept. of State, 27 Apr. 1961; Hugh Jencks, 'Report to the North American Association on the Visit of Mr. Faulkner,'" as his sources for the description of events and for the specific fact that Faulkner "wrote out a short speech of thanks to the dancers." But Blotner does not date the Jencks' report (it was May 10, 1961) and he supplies no supporting evidence that Faulkner ever delivered a "speech." Furthermore, from the information disclosed in footnote 3 below, it would seem unlikely that Faulkner had his thoughts formulated in time to present them that night to the dancers; in fact, not earlier than Friday, April 7, 1961.
From the reference to "last night's program," there seems little question that the sheet containing "Notes which may be of help in writing a few lines on 'Danzas Venezuela'," was typed out on Friday, April 7, 1961, and given to Faulkner, doubtless by Hugh Jencks, his interpreter and go-between. This sheet and the holograph manuscript of Faulkner's impressions of "Danzas Venezuela," cited below in footnote 4, were clipped together, apparently as they had been joined and set aside by Faulkner twenty-four years before I discovered them.
I found both the "Notes" cited in footnote 3 and this holograph document while examining myriad family effects and artifacts in the possession of Victoria Fielden Johnson, daughter of William and Victoria Franklin Fielden, Faulkner's son-in-law and step-daughter, his hosts on that 1961 trip to Caracas, Venezuela. I am deeply indebted to Victoria F. Johnson for graciously welcoming me on my visit to her in Cape Coral, Florida, from May 20-24, 1985, and for letting me inspect and acquire these and various other documents, letters, manuscripts, and photographs relating to William Faulkner and his family which formerly had belonged to her parents.
I wish to acknowledge my appreciation of Jill Faulkner Summers for allowing me to make public the texts of the outline and William Faulkner's "impressions" of "Danzas Venezuela," as well as all other items in my Faulkner collection in intervening scholarly publications which call attention to the multi-volume series, Faulkner: A Comprehensive Guide to the Brodsky Collection, edited by Louis Daniel Brodsky and Robert W. Hamblin, and in which subsequently they will appear.
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