New Orleans, Orleans Parish story
A Home for a Literary Giant
In the nineteen-twenties, a young writer named William Faulkner lived in a townhouse at six-twenty-four Pirates Alley. It was here, in the ground-floor room, that he completed his…
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In the nineteen-twenties, a young writer named William Faulkner lived in a townhouse at six-twenty-four Pirates Alley. It was here, in the ground-floor room, that he completed his very first novel, Soldiers' Pay. Faulkner's time in New Orleans was a formative period, during which he also worked for the literary journal Double Dealer.
Today, that same building houses Faulkner House Books, a shop specializing in fine literature and rare editions. Founded in nineteen-eighty-eight, the bookstore opened its doors on September twenty-fifth, which was Faulkner's birthday. Standing here, you're not just in a bookstore, but in a national literary landmark where one of America's greatest authors first found his voice.
Updated June 2026