Story of a novel

Contemporary American literary historians believe that Wolfe’s literary style had a profound influence on modern American literature, inspiring prominent writers such as William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, Philip Roth, and others. Story of a Novel was first published in 1936 and is an autobiographical account of the American writer’s experience with publishing houses and their rejection of his first novel manuscript. It also narrates his struggles with creative writing, highlighting the important role of literary editors. The book is the result of discussions between the author and a friend who was both a publisher and an editor, covering fascinating topics such as how to write a novel, revising and editing, rewriting chapters, organizing events, and developing characters.

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I would like to share with you how I wrote this book, and my account will be as personal as possible. Writing it drained my energies to the utmost over many long years, and it became an inseparable part of my being. It does not include matters of a theoretical or literary-critical nature; rather, it is a story of sweat, pain, and despair, and a touch of success.
The truth is that I still do not know how stories and novels are composed, yet I have learned something about myself and the process of creative writing through this book, and I would like to convey, as much as I can, how things unfolded.