Uploaded April 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Listen to author William Styron reading from his 1951 debut novel Lie Down in Darkness, a classic portrait of one Southern family's tragic spiral into destruction.
Published to wide critical acclaim, Lie Down in Darkness centers on the Loftis family—Milton and Helen and their daughters, Peyton and Maudie. The story, told through a series of flashbacks on the day of Peyton's funeral, is a powerful depiction of a family doomed by its failure to forget and its inability to love. Written in masterful prose, Styron's novel offers unflinching insight into the ineradicable bonds of place and family. The story of Milton, Helen, and their children reveals much about life's losses and disappointments.
Lie Down in Darkness, poignant and compelling, is a classic of modern American literature.
Audio recording courtesy of Calliope Author Readings: calliopeauthorreadings.com
For more information about William Styron: openroadmedia.com/william-styron
Listen to author William Styron reading from his 1951 debut novel Lie Down in Darkness, a classic portrait of one Southern family's tragic spiral into destruction.
Published to wide critical acclaim, Lie Down in Darkness centers on the Loftis family—Milton and Helen and their daughters, Peyton and Maudie. The story, told through a series of flashbacks on the day of Peyton's funeral, is a powerful depiction of a family doomed by its failure to forget and its inability to love. Written in masterful prose, Styron's novel offers unflinching insight into the ineradicable bonds of place and family. The story of Milton, Helen, and their children reveals much about life's losses and disappointments.
Lie Down in Darkness, poignant and compelling, is a classic of modern American literature.
Audio recording courtesy of Calliope Author Readings: calliopeauthorreadings.com
For more information about William Styron: openroadmedia.com/william-styron
