Newmag Presents One of The New York Times' 20 Books of the 21st Century: Joan Didion's “The Year of Magical Thinking” (Trailer)
11/13/2024
Newmag presents “The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion, a deeply personal exploration of love, loss, and grief, written with stunning honesty. Didion, one of the most influential figures of the New York literary bohemia, opens the wounds of her soul for the first time, detailing her experience of becoming a widow.
“The Year of Magical Thinking”—the English title of the book—introduces the concept of "magical thinking," a psychological term describing a mindset in which a person believes their thoughts, words, or actions can influence external reality. Didion uses this term to describe her state of mind following the death of her husband. Although she consciously understood his passing, she subconsciously continued to believe she could somehow bring him back.
The story begins on the evening of December 30, 2003, when Didion's husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, died suddenly. Forty years of shared life, love, and collaboration ended in an instant.
To navigate the seemingly insurmountable emotional and psychological turmoil, Didion wrote “The Year of Magical Thinking”, a book that thoroughly examines her mental state, her attempts to reject reality, and her efforts to negotiate with it. She lays bare her sticky, sometimes morbid thoughts without fear of appearing vulnerable to others. This unflinching sincerity is what made the book so influential and universally relatable.
“The Year of Magical Thinking” won the prestigious National Book Award and was included in “The New York Times” list of the 20 best literary works of the 21st century. This recognition is no accident. Didion's book is not just about personal tragedy; it serves as a universal guide on how to cope with the pain of loss.
The author both exposes her pain through vivid details and heals with her raw sincerity. She helps readers accept grief and find the strength to move forward. This is a story about how love endures even after loss, and how literature can become a means of salvation.
The book was published by Newmag with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. “The Year of Magical Thinking” is now available on newmag.am and in bookstores.
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Joan Didion
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Description
In this book, Joan Didion tells the story of the most difficult year of her life. A year when her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, with whom she had lived for more than 40 years, suddenly passed away. The book is a moving memoir about the author's grief, about overcoming loss, understanding what happened, and about the signs that, if noticed, might have prevented it. The author immerses herself in the disorienting and surrealistic experience of loss, reflecting on the rituals and memories that shape our understanding of life and death. The memoir is not only a story of personal tragedy but also a study of grief, resilience, and the power of the human spirit.
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