The only published work by Caribbean-born author Eric Walrond, Tropic Death was acclaimed by Langston Hughes for its "hard poetic beauty." After having lived in Panama at one point during his early years, Walrond considered himself a spiritual native of the country, and in many of these stories, he portrays the diverse mix of workers who labored to build the Panama Canal. He also captures the beauty and danger of nature, especially the sun, in such tropical climates as Guiana and Barbados.
In "Drought," a man grieves his dead daughter, while in "Panama Gold," a tragic fire deprives a lonely woman of a chance at love. Two boys risk shark-infested waters to dive for coins thrown by tourists in "The Wharf Rats." Seven more stories are included in the collection, which ends with the autobiographical "Tropic Death."
