William Styron

William Styron is an American novelist, born in Newport News, Virginia on June 11, 1925. He is best known for two controversial novels: the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967), narrated by Nat Turner, the leader of an 1831 Virginia slave revolt, and Sophie's Choice (1979) which deals with the Holocaust.

The Nat Turner controversy

Wounded by his first truly harsh reviews, Styron spent years researching and composing his next novel, the fictitious memoirs of the historical Nat Turner. During this period, James Baldwin was his guest for several months, composing his novel Another Country. Ironically, Another Country would be criticized by some African-American groups for black author Baldwin?s choice of a white protagonist, leading Baldwin to foresee even greater problems ahead for Styron; ?Bill?s going to catch it from both sides? he told an interviewer immediately following the novel?s 1967 publication.

Related Topics:
Another Country - African-American - White - Protagonist - 1967

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Baldwin?s words proved prophetic. Despite public defenses of Styron by both Baldwin and Ralph Ellison, a large group of African-American critics reviled Styron?s portrayal of Turner as racist stereotyping. Particularly controversial was a passage in which Turner fantasizes about raping a white woman, which several critics pointed to as a dangerous perpetuation of a tradional Southern justification for lynching. On the other hand, many critics have argued that despite his flaws, Turner remains a strong, sympathetic, and heroic figure throughout Styron?s novel. Despite the controversy, the novel became a runaway critical and financial success, eventually winning the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Related Topics:
Ralph Ellison - Racist - Stereotyping - Raping - Lynching - 1968 - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

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