Lewis called it "the only unflinching story of an alcoholic that I have ever read". Anthony Slide, a modern editor, notes the work is obviously semi-autobiographical It is sometimes seen as the seminal addiction memoir in American literature, a precursor to such works as Augusten Burroughs' Dry or David Carr's The Night of the Gun. Malcolm Lowry, who had been working for more than 10 years on the novel that appeared as Under the Volcano in 1947, resented Jackson's success with The Lost Weekend, especially Jackson's use of an alcoholic to represent the modern man's condition. The book has also been noted for having homosexual overtones with a strong implication that Don Birnam, just like Charles Jackson, is bisexual. Film adaptation The book was adapted into a 1945 film directed by Billy Wilder featuring Ray Milland as Don Birnam. The film was critically acclaimed, winning the Oscar for Best Picture and the Palm D'or, one of only three films to do so. Ray Milland's portrayal of Birnam won him Best Actor, and is still considered one of the greatest winning performances ever. Although the movie adaptation hews closely to the novel, the film's ending is more optimistic, and the homosexual incident in college that Birnam is described in the novel as being tormented by is omitted from the film. References Notes Bibliography External links 1944 American novels American novels adapted into films Farrar & Rinehart books Fiction set in the 1930s Novels about alcoholism Novels set in New York City