It was not the kind of book
Lie Down in Darkness had led readers to expect. However, the poetic power of description and the dramatic power of narration and characterization were evident, more refined, and the story was far less derivative than the first novel. Some felt that this was the book Styron needed to get out of his system before going on to his best work. Again the public waited—seven years this time, filled with a trickle of essays, reviews, and excerpts from work in progress—for the appearance of the next novel. When
The Confessions of Nat Turner was published in 1967, the critics generally agreed that this one had been worth the long wait. Styron had found a subject for which his style and moral vision were perfectly suited. The novel received a great deal of publicity and favorable criticism, and Styron was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1968.
After The Confessions of Nat Turner, Styron began work on a novel about the military, "The Way of the Warrior." Excerpts appeared in Esquire and American Poetry Review, but the project ceased to compel Styron and he put it aside.
