Joan Didion, seen here in 2009, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease, according to her publisher. (Photo by Rick Gershon / Getty Images)
NEW YORK (AP) – Joan Didion, respected author and essayist whose provocative social commentary and aloof, scientific voice have made her the only discerning critic of a tumultuous time, passed away. She was 87 years old.
Didion’s Penguin Random House announced the author’s death on Wednesday. The company said she died from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
“Didion is one of the country’s most prolific writers and keen observers. Her bestselling novels, commentary and memoirs have received numerous accolades and are considered modern classics,” Penguin Random House said in a statement.
Small and weak even as a teenager, with her big and sad eyes, she is a novelist, journalist, playwright and essayist.
She is known for her cold and ruthless dissection of culture and politics, from hippies to presidential campaigns to the kidnapping of Patty Hearst. Her collection of essays, “The White Album,” became standard reading, and “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” and “Play It As It Lays” became essential anthologies of literary journalism.
Didion’s grief classic won the 2005 National Book Award.
https://kfor.com/news/joan-didion-peerless-prose-stylist-dies-at-87/ Joan Didion, peerless prose stylist, dies aged 87
