Early Life and Education of Joan Didion: A Complete Timeline

How education and upbringing influenced the life of Joan Didion. A timeline of key moments.

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.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Legacy & Impact

December 5, 1934: Joan Didion's Birth

On December 5, 1934, Joan Didion, the American writer and journalist, was born. She later became known as one of the pioneers of New Journalism.

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1943: Family returned to Sacramento

In 1943, Joan Didion's family returned to Sacramento, California, and her father went to Detroit to negotiate defense contracts for World War II.

1944: Family returned to Sacramento

In early 1944, Joan Didion's family returned to Sacramento, California, and her father went to Detroit to negotiate defense contracts for World War II.

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.

1957: Relationship with Noel E. Parmentel Jr. begins

In 1957, Joan Didion began a relationship with Noel E. Parmentel Jr., a political pundit. The relationship lasted for several years.

1962: Relationship with Noel E. Parmentel Jr. ends

In 1962, Joan Didion's relationship with Noel E. Parmentel Jr. ended. During their relationship, Didion wanted to have a child, but Parmentel did not.

January 1964: Marriage to John Gregory Dunne

In January 1964, Joan Didion married John Gregory Dunne. They remained together until his death in 2003.

1964: Move to Los Angeles

In 1964, Joan Didion and her husband John Gregory Dunne moved to Los Angeles, California. Although they initially intended to stay only temporarily, California became their home for the next 20 years.

1964: Marriage to John Gregory Dunne

In 1964, Joan Didion married writer John Gregory Dunne, who had helped her edit her first novel. At the time of their marriage, Dunne was writing for Time magazine.

1966: Adoption of Daughter Quintana Roo Dunne

In 1966, Joan Didion and her husband, John Gregory Dunne, adopted a daughter and named her Quintana Roo Dunne.

1968: Psychiatric Evaluation

During the summer of 1968, Joan Didion underwent psychiatric evaluation after experiencing an episode that included vertigo and nausea.

1972: Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

In 1972, after experiencing periods of partial blindness, Joan Didion was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but she remained in remission throughout her life. She also experienced chronic migraines.

1979: Death of Henry Robbins

In 1979, Henry Robbins, who was Joan Didion's friend and editor, passed away.

1988: Move to New York City

In 1988, Joan Didion and her husband moved from California to New York City.

1996: Noel E. Parmentel Jr. Interview

In 1996, Noel E. Parmentel Jr. was interviewed for an article in New York magazine, breaking a long-held silence on Joan Didion. He had been angered in the 1970s by what he felt was a thinly veiled portrait of him in Didion's novel, A Book of Common Prayer.

A Book of Common Prayer

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2003: Daughter's Illness and Husband's Death

In 2003, Joan Didion's daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne, developed pneumonia that progressed to septic shock and was comatose in an intensive-care unit. While her daughter was ill, Didion's husband, John Gregory Dunne, suddenly died of a heart attack on December 30.

2003: Death of John Gregory Dunne

In 2003, John Gregory Dunne, Joan Didion's husband, died from a heart attack.

2004: Quintana's Fall at the Airport

In 2004, after her father's funeral, Quintana Roo Dunne fell at the airport in Los Angeles, hit her head, and required brain surgery for hematoma.

August 26, 2005: Death of Quintana Roo Dunne

On August 26, 2005, Quintana Roo Dunne, Joan Didion's daughter, died of acute pancreatitis at the age of 39 during Didion's New York promotion for The Year of Magical Thinking.

2005: Living in Manhattan

In 2005, Joan Didion was living in an apartment on East 71st Street in Manhattan.

2011: Smoking Habit

As late as 2011, Joan Didion smoked precisely five cigarettes per day.

December 23, 2021: Joan Didion's Death

On December 23, 2021, Joan Didion, the American writer and journalist, passed away.

2022: Joan Didion: What She Means Exhibition Organized

In 2022, the Hammer Museum at University of California, Los Angeles, organized the exhibition Joan Didion: What She Means. The group show was curated by Hilton Als.