“ My wife Rose is head of the committee that is responsible for matters of censorship and she and her fellows have done a very good job. Marks - What about censorship in the United States at this time in history? Styron - I would say in general we are remarkably free in matters of censorship, but there are many caveats I would add to that. We certainly are not totally invulnerable to individual attacks. As an example, about three years ago my novel, Confessions of Nat Turner, was yanked off the shelves of a school district in Northern Iowa. ”

“ Of course the best example in modern times is the Soviet Union and its complete blackout of art until recent times. I think things are looking better in Russia because of the counter-revolution that is occurring there at this time. ”

“ Her best example being her new novel John Dollar, which is an extremely vivid work of fiction. But for her to get saddled into this absolute nightmarish situation of hiding out as she apparently had to do with her husband, in and around London where they are forced to exist, is an appalling and unique event in history. Marks - So we have this precedence of sorts where a leader of a country places a death sentence on a writer. Do you see this as possibly being a future trend? Styron - I don't see it as a clear and present danger that will become epidemic. ”

“ Throughout the world, many of the leaders are men of culture. Mitterrand, who is widely read, is a writer himself. Traditionally, Americans have put a relatively low premium on literary and artistic achievement. ”

“ It is very far down the priority list of our national aspirations. I mean we admire rich surgeons; we admire gynecologists who can amass a million dollars a year. We admire golfers. Look at the presidents of recent years - their admiration has been for movie stars, athletes, and so on. ”

“ Marks - It is curious that Russia appears to be opening its doors to the West as a Communist country while at the same time China is doing the exact opposite. Styron - Yes, I think China certainly has demonstrated the truth that Communism is unpredictable. However, there are entirely different historical forces at work in the China phenomenon. Marks - I notice that you entertain various political personages from time to time on Martha's Vineyard. ”

“ And the fact that this apartheid, this racially segregated society impinged itself on my consciousness very vividly, I think that's the reason why I got fascinated with Nat Turner. Marks - Was the American South as bad as today's South Africa? Styron - In many ways, but not entirely. South Africa is a replica of the American South during its time of oppression. Of course, the major difference being that in South Africa the blacks are in an overwhelming majority everywhere. ”

“ The arts really don't count for much in this country. And maybe that's the way it should be. Because, if artists and writers were beginning to count for too much, they'd possibly lose their incentive to be artists. And perhaps too, they'd lose some of their freedom. Marks - When I visited you at your house, I saw the little cubbyhole you write in off the kitchen. You mentioned that you purchased an old school desk at a Vineyard garage sale and you've been using it as a writing table for 24 years. ”

“ It is justifiably one of the freedoms that Americans have but should not be taken, however, for granted. Because I think there are always a Senator Jesse Helms and other primitive and Neanderthal types ready to undermine our First Amendment rights. ”