James L. W. West III

James L. W. West III is a book historian, scholarly editor, and biographer.

Books By James L. W. West III

William Styron, A Life By James L. W. West III

A compelling and authoritative portrait of an American literary master.

William Styron was one of the most highly regarded and controversial authors of his generation. In this illuminating biography, James L. W. West III draws upon letters, papers, and manuscripts as well as interviews with Styron’s friends and family to recount in rich detail the experiences that shaped each of his groundbreaking books. From Styron’s Southern upbringing, which deeply influenced the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Confessions of Nat Turner and National Book Award–winning Sophie’s Choice, to his feud with Norman Mailer and the clinical depression that led to his acclaimed memoir Darkness Visible, West’s remarkable biography provides invaluable insight into the life and works of a giant of American literature.

If one wishes to know William Styron, one must walk with him.

  • Fred Hobson

    “Superbly written.” —Fred Hobson, author of Mencken: A Life

  • Entertainment Weekly

    “Mesmerizing.”

  • The New York Times

    “Unflinching.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  • Biography

    • James L. W. West III, a native of Virginia, is Sparks Professor of English at Pennsylvania State University. West is a book historian, scholarly editor, and biographer. He has written books on F. Scott Fitzgerald and on the history of professional authorship in America, along with an acclaimed biography of William Styron. He has also held fellowships from the J. S. Guggenheim Foundation, the National Humanities Center, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Fulbright appointments took him to England (at Cambridge University) and to Belgium (at the Université de Liège). He is the general editor of The Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and is at work on a volume of essays.
  • On the Web
  • Awards

    • 2005 - Life Member, F. Scott Fitzgerald Society

    • 1998-99 - National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for University Teachers for completion of the edition of Trimalchio

    • 1998 - Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts and Humanities

    • 1997 - American Philosophical Society Research Grant for work on an edition of Fitzgerald's Trimalchio

    • 1994-95 - National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for University Teachers for completion of William Styron: A Life for William Styron: A Life

    • 1994 - Visiting Scholar, American Academy in Rome for research on William Styron: A Life

    • 1991 - Society for Textual Scholarship, Fredson Bowers Memorial Prize: Distinguished Essay on Textual Scholarship, "Editorial Theory and the Act of Submission"

    • 1991 - National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend for work on William Styron: A Life

    • 1989-90 - Fulbright Senior Teaching Award in American Literature, University of Liège, Belgium

    • 1988 - American Council of Learned Societies Grant-in-Aid, for research on William Styron: A Life

    • 1987 - Fellow, Institute for the Arts and Humanistic Studies, Pennsylvania State University

    • 1987 - Elected Life Fellow, Clare Hall, Cambridge University

    • 1985-86 - Fulbright Senior Research Award, United Kingdom

    • 1985-86 - Guggenheim Fellow

    • 1983-84 - American Philosophical Society Research Grant

    • 1983 - Rosenbach Fellow in Bibliography, University of Pennsylvania

    • 1981-82 - Fellow, National Humanities Center

    • 1981 - American Council of Learned Societies Grant-in-Aid

    • 1978-79 - National Endowment for the Humanities Grant, Research Tools and Editing Program

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