I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but this one looks pretty good.
The Confessions of Nat Turner, written by William Styron, is historical fiction in a sense. The novel recounts the first-person narrative of Nat Turner, who led a slave revolt in Virginia in 1831.
Here are a few quick facts about The Confessions of Nat Turner and William Styron:
- The Confessions of Nat Turner was published in 1967 and won the Pulitzer Prize that same year.
- The novel is inspired by a confession the historical Nat Turner gave to the white lawyer, Thomas Gray.
- The novel received mixed reviews from African Americans. While Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin praised the book, other African Americans felt Styron’s characters were caricatures.
- In an interview with CBS News, former President Bill Clinton said The Confessions of Nat Turner was one of his favorite books.
- Styron was most famous for having written Confessions, as well as Sophie’s Choice.
- He passed away from pneumonia in 2006 at the age of 81.
Again, guys, I’m really excited about diving into this fairly lengthy novel, nearly 600 pages.
Anyone read it?