Joan Didion is an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter. She is best known for her novels and essays exploring the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos. Her works include 'Play It As It Lays' (1970), 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem' (1968), and 'The Year of Magical Thinking' (2005). Didion has also written several screenplays, including 'Up Close & Personal' (1996) and 'The Panic in Needle Park' (1971). She has won numerous awards, including the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2005.