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 (19,697 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 worked as an editing staff[14].
  • Joan Didion's field of work was creative and professional writing[15].
  • Joan Didion's field of work was journalism[16].
  • Joan Didion's field of work was film screenwriting[17].
  • Joan Didion's education included a stint at University of California, Berkeley[18].
  • Joan Didion was educated at C. K. McClatchy High School[19].
  • A notable work attributed to Joan Didion is Slouching Towards Bethlehem[20].
  • A notable work attributed to Joan Didion is Play It as It Lays[21].
  • A notable work attributed to Joan Didion is The Year of Magical Thinking[22].
  • Joan Didion received the National Humanities Medal[23].
  • Joan Didion received the George Polk Award[24].
  • Joan Didion received the Prix Médicis essai[25].
  • Joan Didion received the California Hall of Fame[26].
  • Joan Didion received the St. Louis Literary Award[27].

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[18], a public research university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1868[30], headquartered in Berkeley[31] and C. K. McClatchy High School[19], a high school[32], in United States[33], founded in 1937[34].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include screenwriter[6], novelist[7], journalist[8], writer[9], essayist[10], and editing staff[14]. Fields of work include creative and professional writing[15], an academic discipline[35]; journalism[16], an industry[36]; and film screenwriting[17], an occupation[37].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Slouching Towards Bethlehem[20], Play It as It Lays[21], and The Year of Magical Thinking[22].

Recognition

Awards received include National Humanities Medal[23], an award[38], in United States[39], founded in 1988[40]; George Polk Award[24], a journalism prize[41], in United States[42], founded in 1949[43]; Prix Médicis essai[25], a class of award[44], in France[45]; California Hall of Fame[26], a hall of fame of a state or province[46], in United States[47]; St. Louis Literary Award[27], a literary award[48], in Mexico[49], founded in 1967[50]; and National Medal of Arts[51], a medallion[52], in United States[53], founded in 1984[54].

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[55].

Why It Matters

Joan Didion ranks in the top 0.42% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (19,697 views/month, #4,153 of 1,000,298).[11] She has Wikipedia articles in 27 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[56] She is known by 14 alternative names across languages and contexts.[57]

She has been cited as an influence by Ann Scott[58], a novelist[59], b. 1965[60], of France[61], awarded the Prix Renaudot[62], specialised in creative and professional writing[63].

Works attributed to her include The Year of Magical Thinking[64], a written work[65].

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[18] and C. K. McClatchy High School[19].

What awards did Joan Didion receive?

Honors received include National Humanities Medal[23], George Polk Award[24], Prix Médicis essai[25], and California Hall of Fame[26].

Who did Joan Didion influence?

Joan Didion has been cited as an influence by Ann Scott[58].

References

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

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . wikidata.org.
  3. [12] . wikidata.org.
  4. [13] . wikidata.org.
  5. [18] . wikidata.org.
  6. [19] . wikidata.org.
  7. [15] . wikidata.org.
  8. [16] . wikidata.org.
  9. [17] . wikidata.org.
  10. [6] . wikidata.org.
  11. [7] . wikidata.org.
  12. [8] . wikidata.org.
  13. [9] . wikidata.org.
  14. [10] . wikidata.org.
  15. [14] . wikidata.org.
  16. [23] . wikidata.org.
  17. [24] . wikidata.org.
  18. [25] . wikidata.org.
  19. [26] . wikidata.org.
  20. [27] . wikidata.org.
  21. [51] . wikidata.org.
  22. [55] . wikidata.org.
  23. [3] . wikidata.org.
  24. [5] . wikidata.org.
  25. [20] . wikidata.org.
  26. [21] . wikidata.org.
  27. [22] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [58] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [64] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [65] . 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. [56] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [57] . Wikidata aliases. 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}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Joan Didion — https://4ort.xyz/entity/joan-didion (retrieved 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. 18h ago · Pharos · 2026-08-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Ohio university archivesspace agent id archivesspace.ohio.edu:people/1295
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1 */ [[Property:P13427]]: archivesspace.ohio.edu:people/1295"
  2. 12d ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Babelnet id 00026984n
    Arabic ontology lexical concept id 151059436
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||4 */ added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  3. 21d ago · Yirba · 2026-08-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14750 67B3-4967-F93E-9785-6990
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/46378|batch #46378]]: HAND ID (1)"
  4. 23d ago · Susmuffin · 2026-08-08 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag joan-didion
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P13772]]: joan-didion, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289938944|joan didion (#289938944)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7915|Harper's tag]] "
  5. 5w ago · ならちゃん · 2026-07-24 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14419 3339
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14419]]: 3339, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1784880373663"
  6. 5w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-23 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Cine21 person id 36255
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/43073|batch #43073]]: substitute P214 reference with P227 reference (2)"
  7. 7w ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14541 3dtVeT
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/40849|batch #40849]]: ZGBK ID"
  8. 7w ago · Robby · 2026-07-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Topic's main category Q140474140
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P910]]: [[Q140474140]]"
  9. 11w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id 0240987-Didion-Joan-19342021
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9322]]: 0240987-Didion-Joan-19342021, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259494|batch #259494]]"
  10. 14w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation screenwriter, novelist, journalist +3
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32082|batch #32082]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (24)"
  11. 16w 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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