Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

STYR from black intellectuals. The question was bound to arise: "Why did blacks object to The Confessions of Nat Turner? Was it because of the homosexuality?" "No," responded Styron. "If they objected to the homosexuality, they were off the mark because it's not in the book. I think much had to do with historical reasons--when the book came out (1967). The black revolution was at its most volatile and dynamic stage; there had been recent riots in Detroit and Newark. "Theirseethingresentment was well taken," Styron continued. "They objected that white people were defining the'black experience', which was especially disturbing to black intellectuals. But in defense, I would have to say that it was only the idea that a white man had written it. And I got a splendid defense from many of the most distinguished historians who acknowledged that it was a novel and, although I had taken liberties with historical fact, I hadn't disturbed the historical record. Still I got very shrill attacks publically and privately." Styron is an expatriated Southerner, having been born in Virginia and currently residing in Connecticut. Nevertheless, all his novels are distinctly Southern without being regional. I asked him about the Southern sensibility, which I went out on a limb to say had produced the greatest writing of the century. "There's an acronym, NYLE, for the New York Literary Establishment, which, along with the academic establish ment, would quarrel with that. But even then, those who attack it would have to acknowledge the great richness deriving from the South. I mean, you can't put down Faulkner. "But with regard to a 'Southern sensibility'-up until 1950 or '60 the relationship between the races never ceases to astound me, remembering a totally segregated up-bringing how I lived through a world where every facit of public life was defined by one's relationship with the other race. "Having lived in a segregated world, being taught in church and elsewhere the precepts of 'loving they neighbor' and all that, and having it constantly betrayed-I mean, for example, look at Faulkner. It's in conceivable that he could have written a single word out of that context." The exchange between Styron and the students had not become sluggish; but James Dickey wanted more excitement. He pointed to one student and said, "All right now! If you could ask a great writer one question which would, for you, unlock all the secrets, reveal all the mysteries, what would it be? 'Cause we've got the man." "Have you ever considered suicide?" the student quickly ON responded. Styron was taken aback, but understood. The suicide rate among the World War II-initiated writers, especially poets, is phenomenal. Among novelists of this generation, the rate is not nearly asd high. "I'll say 'no', " replied Styron. "But you know, novelists, I mean those who went from World War II into poverty, committed what I'll call a kind of synthetic suicide. There was an identity crisis--I mean, poverty was tantamount to celebacy. And feeling constantly you had to prove your manhood, you turned to writing. This was the novelist's answer." 'Up until 1950 'or '60, the relation ship between the races never ceases to astound me.' William Styron In Dickey's seminar in verse composition, much emphasis is placed on "dreams" and how they relate to the creative process. With this in mind, the exchange turned to dreams. Styron, who acknowledged the creative process is a "perpetual mystery,'' nevertheless acknowledged the importance of dreams. "I don't know whether they function on a level immediately availabl,e to oneself," he said. "I've just sent a new novel to the typist, which I interrupted a much longer one to write. But, and I don't mean to sound too pompous, I had this revelation--I saw the story, splintered for so many years in my head, sud denly come together." Dickey interjected: "I think it's important for the writer, especially in his formative stage, to commit himself whole heartedly to his vision, regar dless of the sequence of events, and not to ask too many questions. Just go do it." Styron gave an example. "You know the 'white temple' at the opening of Nat Turner and which is an image throughout well my nine-year old daughter dreamed it and told me about it and said, 'I think I can show it to you.' She thought it was near Woodbury, so we got in the car and went there. And sure enough, on a hillock, a bluff, From Page 4 iSy4 I2 A Novelist William Styron there stood a Masonic temple, the Dickeys for L white and without windows and they were promis the sunlight shining down on it. of oyster-eating And I told her, 'Thanks for Inlet--something dreaming that dream.'" were anticipating Friday, the Styrons left with and receptive Calendar Distrik The South Carolina Arts Letrs Commission has announced Th caed plans to distribute the new Eye dsrbtdt h on the Arts calender for 5,0 sucrb F'ebruary and March sometime SotCalia this week.Amnthma The calender which lists fo th Coub events sponsored by the com- promneb mission has been redesigned and Ble nTws t'nlarged and the commission is learly identified on the mast head . Bob Rowland, Pr s i :Iirector of public information for he commission who designed D.Jh ct he new calender said, "On the hitrdeame >ld calender the commission's 'rsttio-h iame appeared in the return trd"ongta iddress section and was hard to Gle pr u rind. We shouldn't have that Telcu,se roblem with the new one."ofKliscp The new calender is multi- srdb h d ~olored and on a white Cmite nv >ackground. It is printed onl fcsonte"h >oster size paper andI is divided frm11-3 nto five geographic sections. Events for the months are listed Drn hs ni chronological saider"fccording to category; D)ance, Music, Arsadpol Film, Vsual Ats,eTceternan And James Dickey tchfield where Columbia, a father in Florida, ed an evening and fresh oysters about three at Murrell's hours away surely the Styrons both eagerly have reason enough to revisit the With friends university soon. students in ution Coming at 8 p.m., March 11 and a lecture will be on the American artist Winslow commission's Homer at the Columbia Museum s throughout of Art on March 28. Copies of the Eye on the Arts y events listed calendar can be obtained from :: area is a The South Carolina Arts Corn the Harkness misssion, 1205 Pendleton St., ip Auditorium Columbia, S.C. 29201. 'ution Lecture Set Wilson, of the this was a precurser of the Mafia. t, will lecture on Of course most of these girls were a white slave professional prostitutes , but there p.m. in the Old was, and is today, an international ell House. trade with women." nd in the series Lectures spon- Wlo ilsekfo h as and Issues Wlo ilsekfo h sity Union, will viewpoint of an historian. His te slave scare" lecture will concern also the so called"needle men" in New York years," Wilson City during the early decades of s were disap- this century, who people supposed g up in Buenos kidnapped women off the streets, were convinced landing them in brothels.