Reminiscences of William Styron : oral history, 1986-1987.

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Reminiscences of William Styron : oral history, 1986-1987.

Styron, William Clark (1925-). Childhood in Newport News, Virginia: Presbyterian upbringing, father's stern discipline, mother's early death of cancer; student at Davidson College; A.B., Duke University, 1947; work in disciplinary barracks on Hart's Island, New York [NY]: basis of story "Blankenship"; United States Marine Corps [USMC] in Officer Candidate School and as drill instructor, 1944-1945, 1951; military experience as basis of novella "The Long March"; student of writing at New School for Social Research, New York City, 1947; writing of novel "Lie Down in Darkness" in Brooklyn and Manhattan, NY, 1949-1951; relationship to traditional image of Southern Gothic writer; troubled friendship and falling-out with Norman Mailer; writing of "Confessions of Nat Turner", discussions of race with friend James Baldwin; novel "Sophies Choice", Holocaust survivor upon whom character in story is based; struggle with clinical depression: hypochondriacal elements, addiction to prescription anti-depressants, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, dependence upon wife and friends, hospitalization; reminiscences of fellow writers.

transcript: 178 leaves.

Related Entities

There are 4 Entities related to this resource.

Baldwin, James, 1924-1987

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6d03zjf (person)

James Baldwin was a novelist, essayist, short story writer and playwright. Born in Harlem, he provided a literary voice during the period of civil rights activism in the 1950s and 1960s. His first novel, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (1953) is a partially autobiographical account of his youth. His other novels include "Giovanni's Room" (1956) and "Another Country" (1962), both concerned with homosexuality as a theme. Baldwin's highly personal and analytical essay collections, "Notes of a...

Mailer, Norman

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6057fch (person)

American writer. From the description of Letters to Theodore S. Amussen [manuscript], [ca. 1948?]. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647823381 Norman Mailer was an American author and celebrity, admired for his novels and social commentary, and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. Born in New Jersey and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mailer became interested in writing while studying aeronautical engineering at Harvard. He served in World War II, which led to the acclai...

West, James L.W.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66d6r40 (person)

English professor and William Styron biographer. From the description of Papers, 1946-1991. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 36005112 ...

Styron, William, 1925-2006

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cr60m5 (person)

American novelist William Styron was born in Virginia and graduated from Duke. After serving in World War II, he worked as an editor while writing his first novel. His work has been both controversial and timely; his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner, explored the theme of slavery, and benefitted from being released during the racially-charged 1960s, and his American Book Award-winning novel, Sophie's Choice, examined a World War II concentration camp survivor. His styl...