'Reading, and living, multiple lives'

 

“A great book should leave you withmany experiences, and slightly exhausted. You should live several lives whilereading it.” – William Styron

Born in Virginia on this date in 1925, Styron started his publishing career asa book editor right after graduating from Duke University in 1947.  But, it quickly became apparent to him thatbeing an editor was not what he wanted.   So,he set about writing his first novel and three years later published, LieDown in Darkness, a multi-award winning story about a dysfunctionalVirginia family (who some thought reflected on his own growing up years). 

 

After a stint in the Marine Corpsduring the Korean War he wrote a short novel The Long March thenmoved to Europe in 1953 where he helped found the magazine Paris Review,still a celebrated literary journal more than 70 years later.

 

Styron wrote 15 novels, the best-knownand most awarded being Sophie’s Choice, which also won anAcademy Award for actress Meryl Streep after being adapted into a movie.  Winnerof the National Book Award, it cemented his reputation as one of the 20thcentury’s great novelists.  Despite his many successes, he battleddebilitating depression and called writing a catharsis for overcoming it.    

 

 "I get a fine warmfeeling when I'm doing well, but that pleasure is pretty much negated by thepain of getting started each day,” he said.  “Let's face it, writingis hell.”