Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Joan Didion
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Joan Didion made an impact.
Joan Didion was a prominent American writer and journalist, recognized as a pioneer of New Journalism. Her work is characterized by its distinctive style, blending personal experience with sharp social and cultural commentary. She explored themes of American identity, morality, and the disintegration of societal values, often focusing on the anxieties and alienation of modern life. Her notable works include essays and novels reflecting on her own life, California culture, and the political landscape of the United States. Didion's incisive observations and introspective prose have cemented her legacy as a significant voice in contemporary literature.
1956: Started working at Vogue
In 1956, Joan Didion began her seven-year tenure at Vogue, starting as a promotional copywriter and eventually becoming an associate feature editor.
1956: Graduation from Berkeley and Vogue Essay Contest Win
In 1956, Joan Didion graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley. During her senior year, she won first place in the "Prix de Paris" essay contest, sponsored by Vogue, which led to her being awarded a job as a research assistant at the magazine.
January 1960: Publication of "Berkeley's Giant: The University of California" in Mademoiselle
In January 1960, Joan Didion's article, "Berkeley’s Giant: The University of California" was published in Mademoiselle magazine.
1963: Publication of Run, River
In 1963, Joan Didion published her first novel, Run, River, which tells the story of a Sacramento family falling apart. Her friend John Gregory Dunne helped her edit the book.
1968: Publication of Slouching Towards Bethlehem
In 1968, Joan Didion published her first nonfiction book, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, a collection of magazine pieces about her experiences in California.
1970: Publication of Play It as It Lays
In 1970, Joan Didion's novel Play It as It Lays, which is set in Hollywood, was published.
1971: Screenplay for The Panic in Needle Park
In 1971, Joan Didion and her husband John Gregory Dunne wrote the screenplay for The Panic in Needle Park.
1972: Film Adaptation of Play It as It Lays
In 1972, Joan Didion and her husband co-wrote a film adaptation of her novel Play It as It Lays. The movie starred Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld.
1976: Screenplay for A Star Is Born
In 1976, Joan Didion and her husband John Gregory Dunne wrote the screenplay for A Star Is Born.
1976: "Why I Write" Published
In 1976, Joan Didion's article "Why I Write" was published in The New York Times, in which she discussed the importance of sentence structure to her work.
1977: Publication of A Book of Common Prayer
In 1977, Joan Didion published her novel A Book of Common Prayer.
1979: Publication of The White Album
In 1979, Joan Didion published The White Album, which is another collection of her magazine pieces from various publications.
1983: Publication of Salvador
In 1983, Joan Didion's book-length essay Salvador was published after a two-week trip to El Salvador with her husband.
1987: Publication of Miami
In 1987, Joan Didion's nonfiction book Miami, which looked at the different communities in that city, was published.
1991: Article on the Central Park Five
In 1991, Joan Didion wrote a piece in the New York Review of Books dissecting serious flaws in the prosecution's case against the Central Park Five, suggesting they were wrongfully convicted due to a sociopolitical narrative with racial overtones.
1991: Earliest Mainstream Media Article on the Central Park Five
In 1991, Joan Didion wrote the earliest mainstream media article to suggest that the Central Park Five had been wrongfully convicted.
1992: Publication of After Henry
In 1992, Joan Didion published After Henry, a collection of twelve geographical essays and a personal memorial for her friend and editor, Henry Robbins.
1996: Screenplay for Up Close & Personal
In 1996, Joan Didion and her husband John Gregory Dunne wrote the screenplay for Up Close & Personal.
1996: Publication of The Last Thing He Wanted
In 1996, Joan Didion published The Last Thing He Wanted, a romantic thriller.
October 4, 2004: Began Writing The Year of Magical Thinking
On October 4, 2004, at the age of 70, Joan Didion began writing The Year of Magical Thinking, a narrative of her response to the death of her husband and the severe illness of their daughter. She completed the manuscript in 88 days, on New Year's Eve.
2006: Publication of We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live
In 2006, Everyman's Library published We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, a compendium of much of Joan Didion's writing, including her first seven published nonfiction books, with an introduction by John Leonard.
2007: Stage Adaptation of The Year of Magical Thinking
In 2007, Joan Didion began working with playwright David Hare on a one-woman stage adaptation of The Year of Magical Thinking. The Broadway play was produced by Scott Rudin and featured Vanessa Redgrave.
2007: Broadway Premiere of The Year of Magical Thinking
In 2007, Joan Didion's book The Year of Magical Thinking was adapted into a play that premiered on Broadway.
2011: Publication of Blue Nights
In 2011, Joan Didion wrote about her daughter Quintana's death in the book Blue Nights.
2012: Screenplay Collaboration with Todd Field
In 2012, Joan Didion and Todd Field collaborated on writing a screenplay titled As It Happens, a political thriller, but the project never came to fruition due to a lack of studio backing.
2021: Publication of Let Me Tell You What I Mean
In 2021, Joan Didion published Let Me Tell You What I Mean, a collection of 12 essays she wrote between 1968 and 2000.
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