An Evening with Bill Styron Is Filled with Insights

Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Bill Styron was born and raised in Newport News, my old stamping ground before I settled in the town of Urbanna, and when the Library of Virginia invited me to attend the big bash they threw for the world famous author who now lives in Martha's Vineyard and Connecticut, I dressed in my finest duds and headed for Richmond. What a gem of an evening awaited me.

Bill had aged quite a bit since I had last seen him and I felt shocked like the young always are when they see the old. At 75 his fine head of hair is completely white, his skin pale, he stands with a stoop and his eyes have a sad expression, as if he has been to the wars. Perhaps all writers who produce as much work as he has over the long years come to such a state. I took his hand and told him how proud we were of him back home in Virginia and his great work. We chatted this way for a few minutes and then Bill looked up at me and told me the "Black Dog" had come back in his life. I was at first mystified as to what he meant and then realized he was referring to the terrible depression that he had suffered from on and off for so many years.

I had read all of his books starting with "Lie Down in Darkness," the book that had been set in Hampton Roads and had disturbedso many locals including my very own family and launched his career right up through the sad pages of Invisible Darkness, the story of his battle with depression. His last book, the glorious "A Tidewater Morning," is a collection of three breathtakingly poignant and beautifully written tales based on childhood memories.

The evening was filled with illustrious speakers and guests who addressed what Styron's work had meant to them. Governor Gilmore began the evening's tributes by simply telling us how effected he had been by Styron's book. Rabbi Jack Spiro followed by remembering once meeting Bill and asking him what his underlining message was. Styron had answered that his major theme revolved around his definition of the greatest evil in this world and that is one man's domination over another.

The book "Sophie's Choice" had been the selection for this year's All Virginia Reads program sponsored by the Virginia Library and two of the Hollywood stars who appeared in the lead roles in the movie recalled what that film produced in 1982 had meant to them. The book revolves around the choice Sophie had to make in a Nazi concentration camp when told only one of her two children could live. Meryl Streep, looking as glamourous as she does in the movies, said in spite of all the many roles she had played during her long career, the role of Sophie was the greatest role she had ever played. She was initially impressed that Styron had known, as authors always do, so much about the inner pain that Sophie had to carry throughout her life. She reminded the audience an actor can walk out of a film and completely forget the pain in a character played but that a writer can never leave the pain in a character that he has created and must carry that pain throughout life.

Kevin Kline said the role of "Stingo," which was based on the young Styron who had moved to New York City and was struggling to become a great writer, launched him in his movie career. Kline told us he had spent the last 18 years waiting for another part to come his way that could match the part Styron had written for him. But so far, he said with a laugh, nothing that good had come his way.

In addition to seeing Bill, his wife Rose and all his family, I was charmed to meet his close friends Mike Wallace and Diane Sawyer who had come to honor Styron. Both told me their friend was still troubled by childhood memories revolving around the loss of his mother and the emergence of a stepmother into his young life.

Other speakers during the evening were the authors Dr. James L.W. West 111 who wrote Styron's biography, Peter Matthiesen, and Mike Wallace. Bruce Hornsby provided a special Virginia musical tribute to the famous native son. As each of the over 1000 guests left, we were given a special 20th anniversary edition of "Sophie's Choice" as a memento of the evening. On the title page were three signatures: Bill Styron, Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline.

As I drove home to Urbanna I thought of Styron's books and the terrible human pain and struggle that were characterized so well in each novel. Styron introduced this avid reader to the dark side of human nature in a way that no other writer had ever done. When I read his work, I recognized myself and I understood that this dark side was in all humanity. I felt this knowledge was not only important to my full development as a human being, but that it was crucial.

Even though Bill Styron left Virginia long ago to pen his great books and to live his life, Bill Styron is a still a Virginian. An evening with William Styron was a night to make Virginia proud.