September 17, 1998
Contact:
Press Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189
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