Lie Down in Darkness is a 1951 novel by American novelist William Styron. It was his first novel, written when he was 26 years old, and received a great deal of critical acclaim. After his 1947 graduation, Styron took an editing position with McGraw-Hill in New York City. After provoking his employers into firing him, he set about writing his first novel in earnest. Three years later, he published the novel, Lie Down in Darkness. Styron had first written the book under the title "An Inheritance of Night". He made two revisions of the draft before publishing it under its eventual title. ...