Emblems of Conduct

by Donald Windham

Emblems of Conduct is Donald Windham's moving memoir of his Depression-era youth in Atlanta, Georgia. Praised as "a masterpiece" by Georges Simenon, Windham's tale is not only a portrait of a bygone era but also a moving statement about the physical and spiritual need of youth to take risks.

Genres: Memoir, History

210 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 1964

About the author

His obituary-of-record here has a good summary of his personal and creative life.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir of Donald Windham's childhood during the Depression years until he leaves Atlanta permanently for New York at age nineteen. He went on to form friendships, affairs, and working relationships with many of the key gay writers and artists of the 20th century, among them Tennesse Williams, Truman Capote, and Gore Vidal. Emblems of Conduct is full of the wisdom of adulthood reflecting with clear understanding on his own youth. Yet he admirably allows the reader to fill in some of the details with his own, thus excercising an artistic restraint which allows us to see ourselves in him. Many times I said to myself while reading, "I felt the same way!"

For some reason, certainly not at all unique in literature, his novels and memoirs are rarely read, both at the time of publication and now, even though they received many outstanding reviews from famous writers at the time and continue to do so. I suspect this is because his works are deep and reflective, subtle and often times philosophical, and require slow reading and thinking to appreciate their beauty.

In Emblems of Conduct he wrote about learning at the end of his adolescence that "The wonder of beauty is that it does not lie in any identifiable quality. It cannot be isolated; it exists outside the sum of its parts; and until you are aware of it, nothing is wonderful. But once you are aware of beauty, the wonders goes out of it into all that is beyond your understanding. You may make no effort to understand it, or you may track it down as far as ‘wholeness,’ ‘harmony,’ ‘radiance.’ But it remains outside what you can pin down. And from it wonder enters life.”

Treat yourself to his work. Slow down, disconnect, and re-engage with an author that has something meaningful to say.

[Lilliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for my internship, and at first, I felt a little put off by the language! I wasn't sure if I wanted to read 200-something pages from the perspective of a child narrator. But once Windham began recounting these vivid memories in more detail, these scenes struck a sense of nostalgia that could only be triggered through Windham's honest and perfect portrayal of the young mind that involves so much unnecessary stubbornness and innocent naivety. It not only resonates on such a personal level but also made me invested in the life of an author, whom I had never heard of before. it's nice to stumble on special books like that because God knows if I would have ever found out about this author in any other way.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories of a young boy growing up in the South had much resonance with me. The definition of "growing pains" would apply. There were so many situations that many have glided through while it was painful for others.

I re-read this book recently, having thought of Donald Windham and how fortunate I was to be able to spend some time with him, and how unfortunate that we did not have many conversations during that time. What I could discern was that he was a person of sensitivity and virtue. I wish I had known him better.