Joan Didion, the prominent American journalist and author has passed away at the age of 87. Didion, known as the "young journalist" who explored culture and chaos, passed away at her home in Manhattan, New York.
Joan Didion was known as the pioneer of mixing personal and political elements in journalism or her essays. Her writings and reports received a huge boost in books and magazines during the years 1960-1970.
Her harsh views of American life in times of crisis played a very important role in her novels.
"Didion was one of this country's most prolific writers and observers. Her best-selling works, valuable comments and memoirs have been honored with endless awards, also being considered classic-modern," says her Penguin Random House publicist. .
Of all her works, some of the most famous are the essay group "The White Album" and "Slouching Towards Bethlehem", the novel "Play It As It Lays", and many others.
Her book The Year Of Magical Thinking, written in 2005, chronicles the death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, and won the National Book Award that same year. Didion also faced another loss that same year, losing his daughter at the age of 39 after battling a serious illness. In 2011, President Obama honored her with the National Humanities Medal, describing her as "one of the sharpest and most respected observers in American culture and politics." In total she was the author of 19 books, the last of which, written in 2011, recounted her reflections on the death of her daughter.
Source: The Guardian
