Swampland:Pat Conroy Has Always Been a Favorite Writer of Mine

Pat Conroy Has Always Been a Favorite Writer of Mine

Posted: Sep 10, 2009

It’s no secret how much I love reading. I guess that holds true for any writer. It sure does for me. Now, one of my favorite writers is fellow South Carolinian Pat Conroy.

Conroy was once a teacher in Beaufort, SC, which just happens to be one of my favorite cities in the whole USA. I was lucky enough to meet Conroy back in 1995 when he was touring book stores with Beach Music. He stopped in Greenville at our family owned indie book store The Open Book. Beach Music is a great novel about a South Carolina man who tries to get on with his life after his wife’s suicide.

I have been a Conroy fan for years, really enjoying his books The Lords of Discipline, based on his tenure at The Citadel, and The Prince of Tides and the excellent true story of his senior year basketball team at The Citadel, My Losing Season.

Of course my all time favorite is The Great Santini, the story of his Marine Corp father who was abusive to the family both physically and emotionally. Sadly, the highly successful and deeply personal book was responsible for not only the divorce of Conroy and his wife, bit also that of his father and mother.

Santini also remains in my all time top ten movies list, with Robert Duvall as Santini. This in due in part to the fact that I read the book twice before the film was ever made, and also because Duvall is one of my top favorite actors.

It wasn't until years after that movie when I visited Beaufort for the first time, visiting the famous tree from the movie and other shooting sites, as well as the house from The Prince of Tides film and the big house from Santini. (Which, incidentally, was also the house from The Big Chill). Beaufort is great. I remember driving in the first time and yelling out to my kids in the back seat, “Here we ar sports fans! Beaufort, SC!” Duvall’s line from Santini.

Conroy pours his very soul into his work, and I have a feeling his newest book, South of Broad, is going to be a great novel. I have yet to read it, but I will. It’s a love letter to the city of Charleston, SC, and in a complete turnaround, the story of a loving father. I can hardly wait to read it.

Now comes the good news. Swampland, our Writers of the South Facebook group and Nan A. Talese/Doubleday Books want to give you a free first edition copy of South of Broad. The contest couldn’t be easier. Just follow the rules spelled out here, and you could be easing into fall reading a Pat Conroy novel by the firelight. Check out the contest and win. And to Pat Conroy, thank you for being a major iinfluence on a fellow Carolinian with a head full of dreams, a sharp number two pencil, and a pack of legal pads. You are indeed an inspiration.

Keep it Real. Keep it Southern, Sports Fans!
Buffalo

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Not too long ago, two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, "We don't know how lucky we are." And the Cuban stopped and said, "How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to." And in that sentence he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.

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gravyboat says...

Pat Conroy is an awesome writer. Prince of Tides is still my favorite!

michaelbuffalo says...

Pirate... I totally forgot to mention meeting Santini at The Open Book, He was touring with Pat and drawing a LOT of interest! Hope you will enter the contest!

palmettopirate says...

Wow, Buffalo it never cease's to amaze me how much we have in common. Except politics of course! oh well we wont get into that here lol. Anyway's I too I'm a huge Pat Conroy fan. I have been ever since seeing The Great Santini in High School. I've read all his book's and was fortunate enough to meet him, along with his father (the real Great Santini) in Charlotte when Beach Music came out. I can't wait to read South of Broad I'm sure it's another master piece and a virtual travel log to the great state of South Carolina! I remember my first vist to Beaufort was as a Marine recruit at Parris Island. It wasn't untill after graduating boot camp that I really got a chance to visit the city and see it's beauty. I've since been back many times and it's one of our families favorite destinations.

copperhead says...

Spot on Buff he is great. I have started his new book and its great. Love his books

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