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Joan Didion was trending on Twitter yesterday, giving many of her admirers a mild heart attack. When a literary legend's name suddenly pops up among One Direction tweets, one can't help but pray that it's not to announce a great loss. Luckily, that wasn't the case.
Didion ascended to a lauded intersection of many worlds yesterday when Céline released the first image for its latest ad campaign. "Did you sense the earth trembling beneath your feet?" Vogue gushed about the photo. "Céline Casts Didion, Women's Brains Explode," The Cut headlined its write-up. Flowery sensory descriptions aside, Didion's ad is badass, and Céline made a great call in aligning the brand with her.
We've all read Didion's work — and if you want a refresher, check out "On Self-Respect," "The Women's Movement," and "Holy Water." Her packing list from The White Album is still perfect.
Which authors inspired Joan Didion, though? Thanks to a handwritten list her nephew Griffin Dunne shared with Brain Pickings, we now know her essential reads. The list skews heavily towards male authors, which is somewhat surprising, but all of the works are well worth having in your own literary canon.
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