Erskine Preston Caldwell

American novelist. Born in a remote village in the southern state of Georgia. His father was an itinerant preacher, so he wandered from place to place as a boy, and even after he became independent, he went to three different universities, dropping out of all of them. He began writing in college, and published two long novels, "Tobacco Road" (1932) and "God's Little Land" (1933), which determined his direction as a writer, and he quickly became famous. Both novels humorously portray the stark nature of poor white farmers in the South - their ignorance, laziness, cunning, materialism, and sex - but at their core they are social criticisms that denounce the miserable lives brought about by poverty. "The Itinerant Preacher" (1935) and "A Thrill in July" (1940), which are also set in the Deep South, also caricature the crazy behavior of poor white people through fraudulent preachers and lynchings of black people. Many of his other works also show an interest in poor farmers in the South and racial issues. During World War II, he was briefly inclined towards Marxism, and the reportage he co-authored with his ex-wife, photographer Bourke-White, has a strong anti-fascist consciousness. His collections of short stories include many excellent works, such as Kneeling in the Rising Sun (1935) and Georgia Boy (1943). Experience is Like This (1951) is an autobiography outlining his career as a writer.

[Isao Sekiguchi]

"Land Devoted to God, translated by Fukuo Hashimoto (Kadokawa Bunko)" ▽ "E. Caldwell : Essays on the Life of E. Caldwell, translated and edited by Osamu Kato, written by J.W. Beach et al. (1977, Eichousha Publishing)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

アメリカの小説家。南部ジョージア州の僻村(へきそん)に生まれる。父が巡回牧師だったために少年期から各地を放浪、自立後も三つの大学を転々とし、どれも中退した。大学時代から創作を始め、やがてこの作家の方向を決定的にした二つの長編『タバコ・ロード』(1932)、『神の小さな土地』(1933)を相次いで発表し、一躍名声を博した。いずれも南部の白人貧農の赤裸々な姿――無知、怠惰(たいだ)、狡猾(こうかつ)、物欲、セックスなどをユーモラスに描いているが、その根底には貧困のもたらす悲惨な生活を告発する社会批判がある。同じ深南部を背景にした『巡回牧師』（1935）、『七月の騒動』（1940）も、いかさま牧師や黒人リンチ事件を通して、貧乏白人の狂態ぶりを戯画化している。ほかの多数の作品も南部の貧農や人種問題に関心を示したものが多い。第二次世界大戦中、一時マルクス主義へ傾斜した時期もあり、写真家の前夫人バーク・ホワイトとの共著によるルポルタージュには、反ファシズムの意識が濃厚である。また短編集には『昇る朝日に跪(ひざまず)く』（1935）、『ジョージア・ボーイ』（1943）をはじめ秀作が多い。『経験とはこんなもの』（1951）は作家経歴を述べた自伝である。

［関口　功］

『橋本福夫訳『神に捧げた土地』（角川文庫）』▽『J・W・ビーチ他著、加藤修訳・編『E・コールドウェル論集』（1977・英潮社出版）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例