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Remembering writer Joan Didion

December 29, 2021

Mary Lucia reflects on writer Joan Didion and on the documentary 'Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold.'Mary Lucia; Luke Taylor | MPR

Mary Lucia was on her annual holiday visit to New York City when the news came down that one of Mary's personal heroes, writer Joan Didion, had died. Coincidentally — or perhaps not — Mary had just happened to bring along Didion's book The Year of Magical Thinking.

Reflecting on Didion's life, Mary recommends the documentary Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold, available on Netflix and directed by Didion's nephew, Griffin Dunne. "It's really a beautiful look at her life," Mary says. "How she dealt with some impossible loss, [yet] kept her creativity, her wit, her unique vision." Watch more of what Mary Lucia has to say in the video above.

Netflix

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold | Official Trailer

Gallery

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Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold graphic — "Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold" is directed by Griffin Dunne, Didion's nephew.
Netflix

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Joan Didion with husband John Gregory Dunne and daughter Quintana Roo Dunne — Joan Didion at home with her husband John Gregory Dunne and their daughter Quintana Roo Dunne, as seen in the documentary, "Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold," streaming on Netflix.
Julian Wasser

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Writer Joan Didion during commencement ceremonies at Harvard — Writer Joan Didion receives an Honorary Doctor of Letters during commencement ceremonies June 4, 2009 in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Darren McCollester/Getty Images

External Links

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold - Netflix

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