Picture a Southern storyteller spinning gritty tales of Alabama’s backwoods and Mississippi’s small towns—meet Tom Franklin! Born in 1963 in rural Alabama, this crime fiction maestro transformed his blue-collar roots into award-winning novels like Poachers and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. With a knack for blending Southern gothic with heart-pounding mystery, Franklin’s stories have captivated readers worldwide.
Now an Associate Professor at the University of Mississippi, Franklin’s journey from a small-town dreamer to a literary star is as compelling as his novels. Let’s dive into the life and legacy of this master of Southern noir!
The Making of Tom Franklin
Thomas Gerald Franklin grew up in Dickinson, Alabama, a tiny town split evenly between Black and White residents. Raised in a hunting family, young Tom preferred books, drawing, and writing over rifles. His imagination ran wild with sci-fi comics and tales of Conan the Barbarian. After graduating high school in 1981, he moved to Mobile, working odd jobs—like a hospital morgue clerk and chemical plant inspector—to fund his studies at the University of South Alabama. His passion for writing ignited after winning third place in a 1991 Playboy College Fiction Contest, leading him to pursue an MFA at the University of Arkansas, where he met his wife, poet Beth Ann Fennelly.
Tom Franklin’s Unforgettable Stories
Franklin’s debut, Poachers (1999), a collection of ten short stories set in rural Alabama, stunned critics with its raw, vivid portrayal of desperation and survival. The title story, inspired by real-life poachers Franklin knew, snagged an Edgar Award for Best Mystery Short Story. His first novel, Hell at the Breech (2003), fictionalized a violent 1892 feud in Clarke County, Alabama, earning comparisons to Cormac McCarthy for its grim, lyrical prose.
Franklin’s 2006 novel Smonk took a darker, wilder turn, weaving a violent, darkly comedic tale of a syphilitic rapist’s trial in Old Texas, Alabama. His masterpiece, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (2010), a poignant crime novel about two boyhood friends—one Black, one White—torn apart by a girl’s disappearance, won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award. Co-authored with Fennelly, The Tilted World (2013) tackled the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, showcasing Franklin’s versatility.
His style—gritty realism infused with Southern gothic—digs deep into themes of poverty, race, and redemption. Franklin’s characters, flawed and human, navigate a South where hope flickers amid violence and hardship, making his stories both thrilling and profoundly moving.
Why Tom Franklin Matters
Tom Franklin’s work has redefined Southern crime fiction, blending literary depth with noir’s pulse-pounding stakes. His authentic voice, rooted in his Alabama upbringing, resonates globally—Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter was even chosen as a high school text in Germany. As a Guggenheim Fellow and professor, Franklin shapes the next generation of writers, cementing his influence on contemporary literature.
Beyond awards, Franklin’s legacy lies in his ability to humanize the marginalized, from poachers to outcasts, giving voice to the South’s untold stories. His novels aren’t just mysteries; they’re windows into the complexities of race, friendship, and survival.
- Born: July 7, 1963, Dickinson, Alabama
- Key Works: Poachers, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, Hell at the Breech, Smonk
- Awards: Edgar Award (1999), Guggenheim Fellowship (2001), Los Angeles Times Book Prize (2010)
- Current Role: Associate Professor, University of Mississippi
Snag Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and dive into Tom Franklin’s thrilling Southern noir—you won’t put it down!