Joy Williams is the author of four novels, including her debut, "State of Grace" (1973), which earned a National Book Award for Fiction nomination, and "The Quick and the Dead" (2000), a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist. Her short fiction has been widely celebrated, with collections such as "Taking Care" (1982), "Escapes" (1990), and "Honored Guest" (2004) showcasing her mastery of the form. Her 2001 essay collection, "Ill Nature: Rants and Reflections on Humanity and Other Animals," was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism.
Williams has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the Harold and Mildred Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Rea Award for the Short Story. Her works, often characterized by sharp wit and incisive commentary on human nature and the environment, have been widely anthologized. In 2008, her novel "The Changeling" was reissued in a 30th-anniversary edition with an introduction by novelist Rick Moody, further cementing her legacy in contemporary literature.
Standalone Novels
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
State of Grace
1973
2
The Changeling
1978
3
Breaking and Entering
1988
4
The Quick and the Dead
2000
5
Harrow
2021
Short Story Collections
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Taking Care
1982
2
Escapes
1990
3
Honored Guest
2004
4
99 Stories of God
2013
5
The Visiting Privilege: New and Collected Stories
2015
6
Concerning the Future of Souls
2024
7
The Pelican Child: Stories
2025
Non-Fiction Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Florida Keys: A History & Guide
1987
2
Ill Nature
2001
Joy Williams Anthologies
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Short Story: 30 Masterpieces
1992
2
Florida Stories
1993
3
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
1998
4
The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction
1999
5
100% Pure Florida Fiction
2000
6
The Eloquent Short Story: An Anthology of Narrative Styles
2004
7
The New Granta Book of the American Short Story
2007
8
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me
2010
9
Object Lessons: The Paris Review Presents the Art of the Short Story