Next Up: The Confessions Of Nat Turner

By Robert Bruce @robertbruce76

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?