William Styron: The Way of the Writer

Narrated by the actress Mary McDonnell, the portrait begins with Mr. Styron confiding how black people had “a constant hold on my boyhood.” Further, he says, “trying to understand black experience motivated much of my writing.” We see Mr. Styron attending service at a black church and embracing a black man in a “bonding ceremony.” Still, and quite justifiably, Mr. Styron has his enthusiastic admirers. In this documentary they include the novelists Peter Matthiessen and Carlos Fuentes and the playwright Arthur Miller. Mr. Styron does not always come off very admirably. One of his grown children recalls a family life in which “we were not very close, and that’s a source of sadness to this day.” Mr. Styron, accepting that “I’m an idealist to a certain extent,” is content to quote Albert Camus about living “constantly on the edge,” along with the Thornton Wilder echo that “we escape by the skin of our teeth.” With seeming reluctance, he’s a fascinating man. William Styron died on November 1st, 2006. He was 81 years old.