“I think the Asheville I knew died for me when Ben died,” author Thomas Wolfe wrote in a 1929 letter. Wolfe’s older brother Ben perished on Oct. 19, 1918, from complications resulting from influenza.
Tag: Thomas Wolfe
Showing 1-21 of 34 results
The Whining
Letter: Asheville should address redlining’s tragedies
“We cannot in good faith be praised for tourism, gentrification or other tributes to the mostly white recipients of American hospitality and opportunity without showing up in other ways to expunge, however minimally it is possible for a small city to do so, the mistakes — the tragedies — that our deliberate or ignorant behavior as a society keeps compounding year after year after year.”
Asheville Archives: City residents dream big in 1920
“Western North Carolina is confident, optimistic in the highest degree, and eager to be busy with the tasks that will come to our hands in 1920,” declared local banker W.B. Davis, in a Jan. 1, 1920, interview with The Asheville Citizen.
Locally owned bookstores flourish in the region’s fertile literary landscape
In WNC, say bookstore owners, size doesn’t matter so much as a deep well of literary history and residents and visitors who simply love to read.
Letter: Echoes of ‘Boom Town’
“Shouldn’t Asheville catalog and zone protections for all our beautiful views now that we know City Council could care less about them? Otherwise developers will stomp out as much beauty as they can.”
On the trail of Thomas Wolfe and the Fitzgeralds
Part biography, part travel guide, Bruce Johnson’s latest book highlights key landmarks and locations the three literary icons visited or frequented during their respective stays in Asheville in the 1930s.
Asheville Archives: Thomas Wolfe befriends F. Scott Fitzgerald
Shortly after the 1929 publication of Look Homeward, Angel, author Thomas Wolfe met fellow writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The two did not always see eye-to-eye.
Asheville Archives: Thomas Wolfe returns for a summer in the woods
After eight years in self-exile, writer Thomas Wolfe returned to his hometown of Asheville.
Asheville Archives: The formation of the Asheville Fire Department, 1882
Prior to the formation of the Asheville Fire Department in 1882, residents and business owners had only themselves and their neighbors to rely on.
Remembering the fire that nearly destroyed the Old Kentucky Home
July marks the 20-year anniversary of the unsolved arson that nearly destroyed one of Asheville’s historic landmarks.
Asheville Archives: The deaths of Thomas Wolfe
It’s not often that two men, unrelated, share both a name and a profession. But this was the case for writers Thomas Wolfe.
Asheville Archives: Look Homeward, Julia Wolfe
Not only did Look Homeward, Angel result in Thomas Wolfe’s own literary fame, but it also propelled his mother Julia to a level of local and national recognition.
Tuesday History: ‘We are born alone’
October was a significant month in writer Thomas Wolfe’s life. The Asheville native was born Oct. 3, 1900. Decades later, his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel came out on Oct. 18, 1929. Local responses were not favorable to Wolfe’s book.
It takes a village to preserve a city
Various tax credits and preservation easements offer financial benefits to owners of historic properties; advocates also tout broader benefits, such as job creation, the reduced environmental impacts of restoration versus demolition, and the intangible value of connecting the present with the past.
Tuesday History: Bringing the Old Kentucky Home to Black Mountain College
We continue with the letters of Frank Wolfe, older brother of Thomas Wolfe. This particular batch, written in 1947, examines Frank’s unique relationship with Black Mountain College. It also touches on the challenges Frank faced in preserving his younger brother’s literary legacy. He would play a major role in the creation of The Thomas Wolfe Memorial Association, […]
Tuesday History: The hermit of Dixieland
The Thomas Wolfe Memorial recently acquired a series of letters written by Frank Wolfe, older brother of Thomas Wolfe. Frank is portrayed as Steve Gant in Look Homeward, Angel. He was the last member of the Wolfe family to live in the Old Kentucky Home, at 48 Spruce St. Frank played a crucial role in keeping […]
Tuesday History: The Will Harris murders, part I
On Tuesday, Nov. 13, 1906, near the midnight hour, shots rang out in downtown Asheville.
Smart bets: Thomas Wolfe reading
The free performance, which hinges around the author’s parents, takes place at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Tuesday History: Thomas Wolfe’s last letter
This Thursday, Sept. 15 will mark the anniversary of Thomas Wolfe’s death.
Tuesday History: Thomas Wolfe and his “queer talk,” 1938
We were never taught, for example, to question the life around us, which was the little world of Asheville, which in its turn is the whole world of America.