''Knight’s Gambit'' is a 1949 short story collection by American author

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most ...

. Including the titular story, the book collects six of Faulkner’s stories about attorney

Gavin Stevens Gavin Byron Stevens (born 29 February 1932) is a former Australian cricketer who played in four Tests in the 1959–60 season. An opening batsman, Stevens made his debut for South Australia in 1952–53. He scored consistently in the Sheffield ...

, who also takes a leading part in his novel '' Intruder in the Dust'' (1948). Gavin Stevens is the county attorney in Jefferson in Faulkner’s fictional

Yoknapatawpha County Yoknapatawpha County () is a fictional Mississippi county created by the American author William Faulkner, largely based upon and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi, and its county seat of Oxford (which Faulkner renamed "Jefferson"). Faul ...

, Mississippi. Stevens is shrewd, observant and tolerant of the quirks and foibles of his fellow Southerners. He takes part in the detection and prevention of crime in the county community, and in handling the human passions released by violence in the community. The stories are narrated by his nephew, who calls him Uncle Gavin. He finally marries the Widow Harriss, the sweetheart of his youth. The first five stories were published in various magazines; the six stories published together in 1949 can be regarded as a novel. "Tomorrow" was adapted into a film of the same name in 1972 starring

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

List of stories

* "Smoke" (1932) (''Harper’s'', April 1932; also in Dr Martino) * "Monk" (1937) (''Scribner’s'', May 1937) * "Hand Upon the Waters" (1939) (''Saturday Evening Post'', November 4, 1939) * "Tomorrow" (1940) (''Saturday Evening Post'', November 23, 1940) * "An Error in Chemistry" (1946) (''Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine'', June 1946) * "Knight’s Gambit" (1949)

References

{{Faulkner 1949 short stories Short stories by William Faulkner Short story collections by William Faulkner