Selected Letters of William Styron by William Styron

by William Styron

In 1950, at the age of twenty-four, William Clark Styron, Jr., wrote to his mentor, Professor William Blackburn of Duke University. The young writer was struggling with his first novel, Lie Down in Darkness, and he was nervous about whether his “strain and toil” would amount to anything. “When I mature and broaden,” Styron told Blackburn, “I expect to use the language on as exalted and elevated a level as I can sustain. I believe that a writer should accommodate language to his own peculiar personality, and mine wants to use great words, evocative words, when the situation demands them.”   In February 1952, Styron was awarded the Prix de Rome of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which crowned him a literary star. In Europe, Styron met and married Rose Burgunder, and found himself immersed in a new generation of expatriate writers. His relationships with George Plimpton and Peter Matthiessen culminated in Styron introducing the debut issue of The Paris Review. Literary critic Alfred Kazin described him as one of the postwar “super-egotists” who helped transform American letters.   His controversial The Confessions of Nat Turner won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize, while Sophie’s Choice was awarded the 1980 National Book Award, and Darkness Visible, Styron’s groundbreaking recounting of his ordeal with depression, was not only a literary triumph, but became a landmark in the field.   Part and parcel of Styron’s literary ascendance were his friendships with Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, John and Jackie Kennedy, Arthur Miller, James Jones, Carlos Fuentes, Wallace Stegner, Robert Penn Warren, Philip Roth, C. Vann Woodward, and many of the other leading writers and intellectuals of the second half of the twentieth century.   This incredible volume takes readers on an American journey from FDR to George W. Bush through the trenchant observations of one of the country’s greatest writers. Not only will readers take pleasure in William Styron’s correspondence with and commentary about the people and events that made the past century such a momentous and transformative time, they will also share the writer’s private meditations on the very art of writing.Advance praise for Selected Letters of William Styron  “I first encountered Bill Styron when, at twenty, I read The Confessions of Nat Turner. Hillary and I became friends with Bill and Rose early in my presidency, but I continued to read him, fascinated by the man and his work, his triumphs and troubles, the brilliant lights and dark corners of his amazing mind. These letters, carefully and lovingly selected by Rose, offer real insight into both the great writer and the good man.”—President Bill Clinton“The Bill Styron revealed in these letters is altogether the Bill Styron who was a dear friend and esteemed colleague to me for close to fifty years. The humor, the generosity, the loyalty, the self-awareness, the commitment to literature, the openness, the candor about matters closest to him—all are on display in this superb selection of his correspondence. The directness in the artful sentences is such that I felt his beguiling presence all the while that I was enjoying one letter after another.”—Philip Roth   “Bill Styron’s letters were never envisioned, far less composed, as part of the Styron oeuvre, yet that is what they turn out to be.

Genres: Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

William Styron (1925–2006), born in Newport News, Virginia, was one of the greatest American writers of his generation. Styron published his first book, Lie Down in Darkness, at age twenty-six and went on to write such influential works as the controversial and Pulitzer Prize–winning The Confessions of Nat Turner and the international bestseller Sophie’s Choice.

Reviews

[James Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Styron wrote some of the most critically-acclaimed novels of our times. Lie Down in Darkness, the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Confessions of Nat Turner, and Sophie's Choice have been widely read and admired for decades. This selection of letters, though, is a bit of a disappointment. It's not the letters themselves--Styron was an engaging correspondent who wrote with intelligence and wit to those he cared for while not reluctant to verbally bloody other writers or critics who exasperated him. It's the lack of supporting information which I thought limited the edition. Though there is a five-page biographical "Timeline," and footnotes, both are sketchy and don't provide what explanatory text could have. The facts of his biography during the course of these letters aren't noted except in the briefest of annotations. One has to intuit details of personality, politics, attitudes, and preferences from the letters. Personal narrative, too, such as family, homes, pets. He was a friend to such people as Philip Roth, James Jones, Willie Morris, and Peter Matthiessen, and the dialogue he had with them is fascinating. However, Styron didn't admire everyone, particularly if they were critical of his work. Styron himself might have appreciated more editorial explanation surrounding letters concerning or written to such people as Norman Mailer or Shelby Foote because his opinions were sometimes sharp and could register as ungenerous. I also thought the treatment of his two serious bouts with depression cursory. That story is well told in his brilliant account of his illness in Darkness Visible, though. The details can be found there, just as the best Styron prose can be found in the fiction.

[Lorrie Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much affection, support, and richness in these letters. This really is the image I have of The American Writer, trading thoughts with other notable writers, dancing in bars with Jackie Kennedy, hosting world leaders for dinner, grumbling about critics. I read some letters and skimmed the rest. It was lovely to see the success of Sophie's Choice through his eyes after all the difficult work. My favorite letters were the proud, loving ones to his oldest child. Knowing all the letters had been handwritten added significantly to the pleasure of the reading.

It's so wonderful to know that sometimes, people undertake staggeringly ambitious books, manage to complete them, and watch the books win deserved acclaim. Wonderful to know that writers can make money with novels.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

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These notes are raw and personal, they are funny and sad, mostly referring to deeply personal subjects, his depression, his writer's block and his concerns about money. His value for friendships, family, and his craft also shine through. This book is a real treasure and it has opened to me a window to one writer's life.

Alicia - The Book Grocer

[The American Conservative]

'The Selected Letters of William Styron reflect the man. They can be warm, transcendent, and sublime, as well as vindictive, profane, and petty. Yet they are never anything less than a joy to read.'

Read the full review, "Greatness Visible," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm interested in William Styron (same hometown), but less (a couple hundred pages) would have been more. Too much ink is devoted to his feud with Norman Mailer and responses to critical reviews. I did learn about the inspirations for a couple of fictional characters and a court case involving a former neighbor.

[Goke Pelemo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good writer

It’s hard to give an accurate rating since this was a collection of letters, but it’s astounding how a person’s communication with others is a more accurate representation of who they are than a biography could ever be. These letters represented his reality, hopes, and aspirations, as well as his vices and flaws. In this collection, everyone can see a little piece of themselves in William Styron’s life.

I’d like to read more from him.