William Styron Interview The Writers Workshop @ the University of South Carolina

"Why one wants to be a writer is always a puzzle, because it doesn't offer the same rewards to everyone; it's something you have to do, I think." Styron recalls his beginnings as a writer of "not very good" short stories, and explains how his first novel came into being. Styron also examines the world of literature in general, bringing to light an "underground" American classic and making a surprising confession about his own reading tastes.