In 1951, on the jacket of the first edition of this work, the publisher made the following statement: “Once in a quarter of a century or so, there appears a book of so extraordinary a quality, there emerges a writer of so fertile and magnificent a gift, that his publisher finds it difficult, in a time of easy superlatives, to express effectively his enthusiasm. Such a book is Lie Down in Darkness. Such a writer is William Styron."

The extraordinary achievement of that first novel-which was awarded the Prix de Rome of the American Academy of Arts and Letters-has been followed by the equally impressive achievements of the author’s short novel and his immensely important Set This House on Fire.

The Modern Library is honored to include Lie Down in Darkness in its series.