Styron, William Clark, Jr.

Styron, William Clark, Jr.
▪ 2007

      American novelist (b. June 11, 1925, Newport News, Va.—d. Nov. 1, 2006, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts), was noted for his treatment of tragic themes and his use of a rich, classical prose style. Styron served in the U.S. Marine Corps before graduating (1947) from Duke University, Durham, N.C. During the 1950s he was part of the community of American expatriates in Paris. From 1953 he served as advisory editor to the Paris Review. Styron's first novel, Lie Down in Darkness (1951), set in his native Tidewater Virginia, told of a young woman from a loveless middle-class family who fights unsuccessfully for her sanity before committing suicide. His next work, The Long March (1956), chronicled a brutal forced march undertaken by recruits in a Marine training camp. The novel Set This House on Fire appeared in 1960. Styron's fourth novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967), was an account of a historical incident, a black slave rebellion led by the title character in Virginia in 1831. Based on a transcript of Turner's testimony and told from his point of view, the book portrayed a sensitive, intelligent, and kindly man denied all normal human happiness because of his degrading enslavement. Embittered and alienated, he undertakes a bloody revolt that ends in his capture and execution. The novel was a tour de force of complex psychological presentation and a vivid evocation of slavery in the United States in the early 19th century. It was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1968. Styron's later works included a play, In the Clap Shack (1972), and the novel Sophie's Choice (1979; filmed 1982), which portrayed the growth of a friendship between a young Southern writer and a Polish woman who survived the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. This Quiet Dust (1982) was a collection of essays that treated the dominant themes of Styron's fiction. Darkness Visible (1990) was a nonfiction account of Styron's struggle against depression.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Styron — Infobox Writer name = William Styron caption = Author William Styron answers a question from the audience at a panel discussion on November 4, 1998. birthdate = June 11, 1925 birthplace = Newport News, Virginia deathdate = November 1, 2006… …   Wikipedia

  • William Styron — Nom de naissance William Clark Styron Jr. Activités écrivain et essayiste Naissance 11 juin 1925 Newport News, Virginie, États Unis Décès 1er novembre 2006 île de Martha s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Styron — William Clark Styron, Jr. (Newport News, Virginia, 11 de junio de 1925–Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, 1 de noviembre de 2006) fue un escritor estadounidense. Además de por su libro de memorias Esa visible oscuridad (Darkness Visible, 1990),… …   Wikipedia Español

  • William Styron — William Clark Styron, Jr. (* 11. Juni 1925 in Newport News, Virginia; † 1. November 2006 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts) war ein US amerikanischer Schriftsteller. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Biographie 2 Werke …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William — /wil yeuhm/, n. 1. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter W. 2. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning will and helmet. * * * (as used in expressions) Huddie William Ledbetter Aberhart William George William… …   Universalium

  • Styron — /ˈstaɪrən/ (say stuyruhn) noun William Clark, 1925–2006, US novelist; works include Sophie s Choice (1979) …  

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • List of people from Virginia — This is a list of notable people who were born in the U.S. state of Virginia, were raised or lived in Virginia, or for whom Virginia is a significant part of their identity. Those not born in Virginia are marked with §.A* Alden Aaroe WRVA talk… …   Wikipedia

  • Стайрон Уильям — (Styron) (р. 1925), американский писатель. Повесть «Долгий марш» (1952) об отчуждённости и несвободе личности (на сюжет из армейской жизни). Роман «Подожги этот дом» (1960) проникнут экзистенциалистскими мотивами. В романе «Признание Ната… …   Энциклопедический словарь

  • MEMORY — holocaust literature in european languages historiography of the holocaust holocaust studies Documentation, Education, and Resource Centers memorials and monuments museums film survivor testimonies Holocaust Literature in European Languages The… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”