Drown. Signed by Junot Diaz. First Edition, First Printing. Riverhead Books. New York, 1996.

Junot Diaz is one of the most celebrated American authors living today. His several works are noted for their vivid characterization, natural and beautiful prose, and rich portrayals of the immigrant experience. Diaz immigrated to the United States from Santo Domingo as a child, and went on to acquire degrees from Rutgers and Cornell, and to become a professor at MIT. But in 2018, Diaz’s career became embroiled by accusations of misogyny and abuse–accusations which publicly damaged his reputation yet did not result in institutional punishments. He has not published any novels since then, but prior to the controversy, his literary career was punctuated by several major successes. The first was Drown, his acclaimed debut short story collection. It contains several stories with perfectly captured characters whose experiences as immigrants to the U.S. encompass numerous cultural challenges, coming-of-age challenges, and expectations of masculinity. The work immediately set Diaz apart. Critics hailed the work, ranking it among the best short story collections of the era.

This first edition, first printing is signed by Diaz on the title page. It is in fine condition. In the original quarter cloth, fine. Text block fine. In the original dust jacket, fine. With the errata slip laid in.

A fine signed first edition of Drown.