A white southerner by birth, Styron scorned the label of regional author—the world was his territory and the bigger the subject the better, from American slavery to the Holocaust. When Philip Caputo went to profile William Styron for Esquire in the mid-’80s, the two men had something to talk about other than writing—they were both Marines. Ultimately, though, writing occupied the heart of their discussion. Styron, author of the well-loved novels Lie Down in Darkness, The Confessions of Nat Turner, and Sophie’s Choice, was then working on a novel about World War II called The Way of the Warrior. He was notorious for long gaps between books and this one was turning out to be no different. But...
↧