Joan Didion

American writer (1934-2021)
Person human Q267691
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Joan Didion

Summary

Joan Didion is a human[1]. Born in Sacramento[2], she… she was born on December 5, 1934[3]. She died in Manhattan[4]. She died on December 23, 2021[5]. She worked as a screenwriter[6], novelist[7], journalist[8], writer[9], and essayist[10]. She ranks in the top 0.42% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (8,137 views/month, #4,153 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Joan Didion was born in Sacramento[2].
  • Joan Didion passed away in Manhattan[4].
  • Joan Didion was born on December 5, 1934[3].
  • Joan Didion died on December 23, 2021[5].
  • Among Joan Didion's spouses was John Gregory Dunne[12].
  • Joan Didion held citizenship in United States[13].
  • Joan Didion's professions included screenwriter[6].
  • Joan Didion's professions included novelist[7].
  • Joan Didion's professions included journalist[8].
  • Joan Didion's professions included writer[9].
  • Joan Didion worked as an essayist[10].
  • Joan Didion's field of work was creative and professional writing[14].
  • Joan Didion's field of work was journalism[15].
  • Joan Didion's field of work was film screenwriting[16].
  • Joan Didion's education included a stint at University of California, Berkeley[17].
  • Joan Didion's education included a stint at C. K. McClatchy High School[18].
  • A notable work attributed to Joan Didion is Slouching Towards Bethlehem[19].
  • A notable work attributed to Joan Didion is Play It as It Lays[20].
  • A notable work attributed to Joan Didion is The Year of Magical Thinking[21].
  • Joan Didion received the National Humanities Medal[22].
  • Joan Didion received the George Polk Award[23].
  • Joan Didion received the Prix Médicis essai[24].
  • Joan Didion received the California Hall of Fame[25].
  • Joan Didion received the St. Louis Literary Award[26].
  • Joan Didion received the National Medal of Arts[27].

Product Details

The following facts are restated verbatim from public-domain and CC0 open-data sources — every line is independently verifiable against the named source's catalog.

MusicBrainz — CC0 open music encyclopedia

  • Type: Person[28]

  • Country: US[29]

  • Began / founded: 1934-12-05[30]

  • Ended / dissolved: 2021-12-23[31]

  • MusicBrainz ID: c77b6ec0-36e2-4b03-96f8-5bcf49717cbc[32]

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Sacramento[2], Joan Didion… she was born on December 5, 1934[3].

Education

Educated at University of California, Berkeley[17], a public research university[33], in United States[34], founded in 1868[35], headquartered in Berkeley[36] and C. K. McClatchy High School[18], a high school[37], in United States[38], founded in 1937[39].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include screenwriter[6], novelist[7], journalist[8], writer[9], and essayist[10]. Fields of work include creative and professional writing[14], an academic discipline[40]; journalism[15], an industry[41]; and film screenwriting[16], an occupation[42].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Slouching Towards Bethlehem[19], Play It as It Lays[20], and The Year of Magical Thinking[21].

Recognition

Awards received include National Humanities Medal[22], an award[43], in United States[44], founded in 1988[45]; George Polk Award[23], a journalism prize[46], in United States[47], founded in 1949[48]; Prix Médicis essai[24], a class of award[49], in France[50]; California Hall of Fame[25], a hall of fame of a state or province[51], in United States[52]; St. Louis Literary Award[26], a literary award[53], in Mexico[54], founded in 1967[55]; and National Medal of Arts[27], a medallion[56], in United States[57], founded in 1984[58].

Personal Life

Among Joan Didion's spouses was John Gregory Dunne[12].

Death and Burial

Joan Didion died on December 23, 2021[5]. She died in Manhattan[4]. The cause of death was Parkinson's disease[59].

Why It Matters

Joan Didion ranks in the top 0.42% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (8,137 views/month, #4,153 of 1,000,298).[11] She has Wikipedia articles in 27 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[60]

She has been cited as an influence by Ann Scott[61], a novelist[62], b. 1965[63], of France[64], awarded the Prix Renaudot[65], specialised in creative and professional writing[66].

Works attributed to her include The Year of Magical Thinking[67], a written work[68].

FAQs

Where was Joan Didion born?

Joan Didion's place of birth was Sacramento[2].

Where did Joan Didion die?

Joan Didion passed away in Manhattan[4].

Who was Joan Didion married to?

Joan Didion's spouses include John Gregory Dunne[12].

What did Joan Didion do for work?

Joan Didion worked as screenwriter[6], novelist[7], journalist[8], writer[9], and essayist[10].

Where did Joan Didion go to school?

Joan Didion was educated at University of California, Berkeley[17] and C. K. McClatchy High School[18].

What awards did Joan Didion receive?

Honors received include National Humanities Medal[22], George Polk Award[23], Prix Médicis essai[24], and California Hall of Fame[25].

Who did Joan Didion influence?

Joan Didion has been cited as an influence by Ann Scott[61].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . theguardian.com. theguardian.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . The New York Times. Retrieved . nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  3. [12] . The New York Times. Retrieved . nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  4. [13] . NNDB. nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  5. [17] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. wikidata.org.
  6. [18] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  7. [14] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  8. [15] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  9. [16] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [6] . Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [7] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. wikidata.org.
  12. [8] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. wikidata.org.
  13. [9] . American Women Writers. wikidata.org.
  14. [10] . wikidata.org.
  15. [22] . neh.gov. Retrieved . neh.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  16. [23] . wikidata.org.
  17. [24] . prixmedicis.wordpress.com. Retrieved . prixmedicis.wordpress.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  18. [25] . bookforum.com. bookforum.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  19. [26] . wikidata.org.
  20. [27] . hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved . hollywoodreporter.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  21. [59] . The New York Times. Retrieved . nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [3] . IMDb. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [5] . The New York Times. Retrieved . nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  24. [19] . wikidata.org.
  25. [20] . wikidata.org.
  26. [21] . wikidata.org.

Product details (FDA / USDA / NHTSA public-domain catalog data)

  1. [28] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  2. [29] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  3. [30] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  4. [31] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  5. [32] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [61] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [67] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [60] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Joan Didion. Retrieved April 11, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/joan-didion
MLA “Joan Didion.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 11 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/joan-didion.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_joan-didion_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Joan Didion}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/joan-didion}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-11}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 8d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation screenwriter, novelist, journalist +2
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32082|batch #32082]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (24)"
  2. 21d ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image unavailable reason
    Image needs reharvest
    Image purged license
    Image purged at
    + 1 other property edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30468|batch #30468]]: add P1810 to P5739 2/3"
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