So Long, See You Tomorrow
Encyclopedia
So Long, See You Tomorrow is a novel by American author William Maxwell
. It was first published in The New Yorker
magazine in October 1979 in two parts and appeared in book form the following year published by Knopf.
It won the National Book Award for Fiction (paperback)
and the William Dean Howells Medal and has been lauded as "the most magnificently praised novel of the decade" and by Michael Ondaatje
as "one of the great books of our age".
The novel is based on fact and has been described as an 'autobiographical metafiction'.
and tells of a murder that occurred in 1921. Fifty years later the guilt-ridden narrator recounts how the relationships between two neighbouring families led to the murder and how he himself failed to support Cletus, a close schoolfriend who was the son of the murderer.
William Keepers Maxwell, Jr.
William Keepers Maxwell, Jr. was an American novelist and editor.-Life:Maxwell was born in Lincoln, Illinois, and as a child, he survived the 1918 Influenza epidemic. He attended the University of Illinois and Harvard University...
. It was first published in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine in October 1979 in two parts and appeared in book form the following year published by Knopf.
It won the National Book Award for Fiction (paperback)
National Book Award for Fiction
The National Book Award for Fiction has been given since 1950, as part of the National Book Awards, which are given annually by the National Book Foundation. Of all the awards given, the Fiction award is the only one that has been given consistently for the entire history of the Award...
and the William Dean Howells Medal and has been lauded as "the most magnificently praised novel of the decade" and by Michael Ondaatje
Michael Ondaatje
Philip Michael Ondaatje , OC, is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet of Burgher origin. He is perhaps best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel, The English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film.-Life and work:...
as "one of the great books of our age".
The novel is based on fact and has been described as an 'autobiographical metafiction'.
Plot introduction
It is set in Maxwell's hometown Lincoln, IllinoisLincoln, Illinois
Lincoln is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. It is the only town in the United States that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president; he practiced law there from 1847 to 1859. First settled in the 1830s, Lincoln is home to three colleges and two prisons. The three...
and tells of a murder that occurred in 1921. Fifty years later the guilt-ridden narrator recounts how the relationships between two neighbouring families led to the murder and how he himself failed to support Cletus, a close schoolfriend who was the son of the murderer.