Thursday, November 13, 1997
Oliver Stone discusses the years of emotional and artistic
struggle that went into his autobiographical novel,
‘A Child’s Night Dream’By Emily Forster
Daily Bruin Contributor
Some 30 years ago, a disturbed 19-year-old student dropped out
of Yale to write his autobiography. When it was rejected by the
publishing powers that be, he offered himself up to fight for his
country in Vietnam. After returning to American soil, he went to
New York University’s film school with the hope of making films
unlike any others.
Few would deny that Oliver Stone has accomplished this goal.
He capitalized on his own war experiences with his
ground-breaking work in "Platoon," but then moved on to making
films based on other men’s life stories in "The Doors," "JFK" and
"Nixon."
But now Stone has decided to focus on himself with the
publishing of his first novel, "A Child’s Night Dream." Taken from
the autobiography he left Yale to write, it has given Stone a
chance to study himself with the same unusual intensity that he
puts into his innovative movies.
"It started out about 1,000 pages, and going through it gave me
a chance to re-pattern my life and find a theme," Stone says after
finishing an exhausting book-signing session in Ackerman Union’s
BookZone. "It’s really framed as a suicide note. It’s really about
that  whether the boy wants to go on or not."
Originally the work was written and typed on random pages, many
of which were lost. Stone and editor Robert Weil took it upon
themselves to find a common thread that would tie all of his work
together, and they decided on the theme of suicide.
"It was always there, but it was scattered," Stone says. "So I
was trying to do a 230-page version of it to put the spine in. I
gave it a beginning, a middle and an end. In the beginning, it
didn’t even have that. That’s why I did away with a chronological
style. So I was able to incorporate all the aspects of the writing,
all the styles that existed. It’s a composite style, like my
movies. It’s a bit like ‘Natural Born Killers.’"
Of course, Stone’s writing style developed long before he
created his unique visual vocabulary for films. But garnering
praise and success through his movies gave him confidence that his
mirror-image writing style was of equal worth.
"The style existed before the cinema, but I was more aware of it
because I’d been working in films," Stone says. "So I went with it.
If I had gone back 10 years earlier, let’s say, when I was 40, I
may not have had the boldness to do it in this style, changing and
shifting styles in the course of the book. The movies have made me
bolder about it and confirmed me in this style. Before, I was
embarrassed about it because it was so weird. And a lot of people
don’t get it. Some of these critics just don’t get it at all."
Stone has found a rather strong response to his writing in the
literary circle, much of it negative. It was something he expected,
but also something he is conditioned to ignore.
"I’ve gotten the cheapest shots you can imagine from the
literary community," Stone says. "They just resent anybody coming
in from another world. It’s their world, it’s their turf. You are
bound to get the cheap shots from the people who don’t want to
understand. I’ve been criticized for my movies by so many different
sources that I think I’ve hardened my ability to withstand that.
And that allows me also to function in the book world like this,
because I knew that I’d get some shots. I didn’t expect to have the
cheapest ones like I’ve seen. I’ve seen some stuff that I can’t
believe. But I expected it."
Although Stone has been reamed by some critics, there are those
in the literary world that appreciate his work.
And then there are the fans from his generation who applaud his
attempt to go back to that time.
"I’ve had some very good reviews," Stone says. "I can’t
complain. Some people I respect have spoken out in terms of the
beauty of the language and the madness of the quest. I’ve had some
really nice comments from older people who lived in this period,
but these people have to be really in touch with their feelings and
remember what it’s like to be 19. This is written through the voice
of a 19-year-old. It’s filled with naiveté, it’s filled with
embarrassment, it’s filled with shame and disgrace and
passion."
Stone’s target audience, however, is not those that experienced
the tumultuous era from which his writings sprung. He feels that
college students will be the ones that truly appreciate and
identify with his novel.
"I’ve been doing a college tour and I went to almost 35
colleges," Stone says. "It was fascinating because they’re really
in touch. A lot of people my age  not all, but a lot Â
just don’t understand this work. They don’t understand me, because
I’m out of sync. It’s another generation that’s found me."
Not being understood seems to be the core of Stone’s problems
when it comes to harsh critics. He finds that their lack of
understanding results in anger toward his work.
"My movies are much misunderstood," Stone says. "There’s a lot
of criticism of a lack of subtlety, but if they had a lack of
subtlety, they would be PG-13. My movies are complicated and have
many levels. For example, ‘Natural Born Killers’ is still not
understood by most of the people who see it.
"But I’ll take what I can get. If 30 percent of the audience
gets ‘Natural Born Killers,’ that’s very important. If 1,000 out of
50,000 people really get this book, that’s great. You make a
commitment to do it, and when you do that sometimes you have to
give up a larger audience. That’s just a given. The important thing
is a few people really get it well. That’s all that matters."
BOOK: Oliver Stone’s "A Child’s Night Dream," published by Saint
Martin’s Press, is currently in bookstores and costs $21.95.
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Director Oliver Stone signs copies of his book, "A Child’s Night
Dream" in Ackerman Union’s BookZone on Wednesday afternoon.