Anthony Doerr Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Writing short stories and novels the American writer Anthony Doerr was an influential author who became a well known Pulitzer Prize winning novelist for his contributions to the field of fiction in 2014, giving him recognition and success on a massive and unprecedented scale. Creating works that have become highly regarded by critics, he has a vast oeuvre of work that has not only impressed the critical establishment, but the general public as well, gaining him popularity overseas as well. The work he creates is noted for its highly unique and idiosyncratic style that sometimes relies on memoirs providing stories that are semi-autobiographical in their nature.

Early and Personal Life

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on the 27th of October, 1973, Anthony Doerr gained an interest in writing early on when his mother would read to him, proving him with a love and passion for literature and the written word. Reading such books as the Chronicles of Narnia, he remembered how they would transport him giving him a window into an alternative world created by a writer, a concept that immediately grabbed his attention early on. Crafting his voice over the years, he took then took the time to hone and refine his tone, creating what would become his outlook and style in his adult career as a writer.

Attending University School, a prestigious institution near to where he lived and grew up, he soon graduated in the year of 1991, gaining a qualification that would help on his path to becoming a highly regarded author. This was then furthered with him majoring in history, which he did at the Bowdoin College which was situated in Brunswick, Maine, then graduating in 1995. After this he then went on to Bowling Green State University, where he was to be awarded an MFA for his time there, something which also played a strong part in creating the writer and novelist that he has become today,

Selling his first short story to The Atlantic in 2001, he spent a number of the intervening years gaining perspective on his craft whilst building upon his body of experience as a writer, giving him plenty of material to write in the process. Taking the time to really find himself as an author he quickly became the successful writer he had always wanted to be in 2001 with that short story, as it fast grabbed the attention of many influential people within the publishing industry. It also helped him to establish who he was and what he had to offer in the many years to come, setting up the style and the tone for who he was as a writer.

Still writing to this day, he continues to bring out his novels to great acclaim both critically and commercially, as he lives in Idaho in the area of Boise. Married with two sons, they both work together, as he gains more and more recognition for his novels, including the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for fiction. With more books planned on the horizon, it looks like there is plenty more to come from this writer yet, as he has a lot of books set to be released in the near future.

Writing Career

In 2015 Anthony Doerr won the much coveted Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his 2014 book, ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ which also made an impact upon its initial release as well. Gaining the National Book Award for Fiction it also went to the top of the New York Times bestseller list as well, leading to it being lauded as the most notable book of the year by the same publication. This then shows that it was not only a critically acclaimed novel, but a commercial success as well, gaining mass appeal with the general public at large.

With his column on science books that he writes for the Boston Globe as well, Anthony Doerr has a variety of different outlets for his writing talents. Maintaining a number of these, he also contributes to ‘The Morning News’ as well, which is an online publication where he also gains exposure for his work. As his writing career grows from strength-to-strength now, it appears that he will not be stopping any time soon either, with a lot more books planned for publication.

About Grace

Initially published in 2004 through Penguin Books, this piece of speculative fiction was the first novel to come from Anthony Doerr as a writer. Reaching the very top of the New York Times bestseller list, it managed to draw in readers from far and wide, gaining acclaim from such outlets as NPR’s Fresh Air and the Washington Post. Setting the style and the tone of what was to come from him as a writer, it manages to herald the arrival of a fresh and innovative voice in the world of fiction.

Featuring the story of David Winkler as its protagonist, it tells of how he becomes not only obsessed with snow and the weather from an early age growing up in Anchorage, Alaska, but he also finds he can see things before they occur. At first these things are happening to strangers, like someone carrying a hatbox getting himself hit by a bus, but soon he witnesses his infant daughter tragically drowning in a freak accident. Believing this to then be his inescapable destiny he runs away to the Caribbean, but it is another couple on an island and their own daughter who lead him into facing up to things and returning home. Is the future already written? Can he ever return back to his old life? What will become of David Winkler as he asks about Grace?

All the Light We Cannot See

First published in 2014 on the 6th of May through the Scribner publishing label, this was to be the book which really brought Anthony Doerr to prominence as a writer. Winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction the following year, it really managed to break new ground as an important work of literature, discovering new and interesting themes for him to explore. Whilst there is a lot of his trademarked style from before evident here, it is really apparent that he has developed greatly as an author over the intervening years since his last book.

Set in occupied France during the Second World War, it tells the story of a young German boy and a blind French girl who find that their paths happen to cross. As both try to survive the horrors of the war the boy, an orphan named Werner is sought after by the Hitler Youth, as he shows an intelligence in building. This then leads him into France as he starts to question the human cost of what it is that he is doing, all the while his journey taking him towards the French blind girl Marie. Will they survive this terrible war? Can they overcome the tragedy of it all if they do? What will become of all the light we cannot see?