September 17, 1998

Contact:
Press Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189

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William Styron and Biographer James West To Speak at Library

William Styron, one of America's leading novelists, and James L.W. West III, author of William Styron: A Life (Random House, 1998), will present a joint program at the Library on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 5:30 p.m. in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the Madison Building. Following the discussion, the new feature film Shadrach, based on Mr. Styron's short story and produced by his daughter Susanna Styron, will be shown in the Mumford Room. The program is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Center for the Book as part of its "Books & Beyond" author series.

Mr. Styron is known primarily for his novels Lie Down in Darkness (1951), The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967), and Sophie's Choice (1989). Mr. West, who has studied Mr. Styron's life and career for more than 20 years, used the Styron papers at the Library and at Duke University in producing his well-received biography. Mr. West is Distinguished Professor of English at Pennsylvania State University and general editor of the Cambridge edition of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress was established in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. For information about the center's acitivities and publications, visit its site on the World Wide Web at: www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook.

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PR 98-146
9/17/98
ISSN 0731-3527