“Excerpt from "Language of Illiteracy" address,” Appalachian State University Libraries Digital Collections, accessed May 8, 2024, https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/items/show/14963.
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Title
Excerpt from "Language of Illiteracy" address
Description
Excerpt from Romulus Linney's address, Language of Illiteracy, in which he talks about Cratis Williams' influence on his life
Source
Romulus Linney Papers
Language
English
Transcription
Cratis Williams died before I was able to tell him how much I owe him because it wasn't just folklore this gentle professor and Appalachian magis gave me. It was a taste for blunt drama the folk of the world express in their art. Since that man singing of that ballad fifty-five years ago, it has been something to look for, something to want, star to wandering bark. It is the spirit of illiterate imagination. It is curt, even savage, sometimes lethal. It is funny, even hilarious, often ironic. It is awkward, unpretentious, and, for me anyway, profound. If I can only seek it, enjoy it, learn from it, and perhaps use it, but never create it that's alright. Thanks to Cratis Williams, the mountains of Appalachia, and the language of illiteracy, I know it is there and I can keep on looking. Thank you.
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