Jonathan Safran Foer Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Chapbooks

Publication Order of Anthologies

An American writer with a string of plaudits to his name, the author Jonathan Safran Foer has been writing for many years now, with his semi-biographical works that delve into human nature, taking his own experiences and fictionalizing them to some degree. This is why both critics and the general public alike have been keen to lavish him with praise, something which can be seen reflected in the release of each subsequent novel release. Not only has he brought out fictional accounts and stories though, but he’s also published non-fiction tomes as well, such as his look into vegetarianism and kosher meals, something which he holds extremely close to his heart, along with his Jewish cultural heritage, a theme which continually crops up throughout his work, ever since his first book ‘Everything is Illuminated’ which was also madeinto a 2005 film adaptation starring Elijah Wood in the lead role.

Early and Personal Life

Born on the 21st of February, 1977, the American writer Jonathan Safran Foer was brought up in Washington, D.C., and was brought up in a Jewish family, something which was to heavily influence his later writing career. With his grandparents being camp survivors born in Poland, this would also be something that he would later put into his work as well, as he took his heritage seriously, a factor which can be clearly seen reflected in his work. The middle child of three, he had two brothers who he grew up with, one being Franklin his older brother and editor of The New Republic, whilst his younger brother Joshua founded Atlas Obscura. Growing up with them, he’d managed to harbor a passion for reading and writing, but never took it seriously as a career, not until attending university that is.

Going to Princeton he met the author Joyce Carol Oates whilst he was a freshman there, as he was taking an introduction to writing course, and she then proceeded to encourage him to take it further. Seeing an energetic spark in him, she worked on nurturing his talent and gift for the written word, as he started to flourish as a writer, bringing his work into fruition. Later, after doing his thesis on his grandfather Louis Safran and his experiences as a survivor, he went on to gain Princeton’s much coveted Senior Creative Writing Thesis Award, something which quickly saw him well on his way to becoming the well respected writer that he is today.

He later went on to travel extensively, most notably to Ukraine, an experience and country which would serve as the backdrop to his 2002 breakout novel ‘Everything is Illuminated’. Interested in his past and his heritage, he looked into his past there, along with a trip in 1994 whereby he traveled to Israel whilst taking part in a program that was sponsored by the Bronfman youth fellowships. This would all help lead to him becoming one of the most prolific voices of his generation later on, speaking on a major part of his cultural heritage, as well as communicating who he is and where he came from.

Still writing to this very day, he continues to put out work with more books and awards being garnered every year, along with his appointment in 2013 to the U.S. Memorial Council. Living in America still he continues to write, including raising his daughter Sasha Foer who he had with the fellow noted writer Nicola Krauss. As more books are set to be released on the horizon it appears that he’s not stopping anytime soon, with his career growing from strength-to-strength every day.

Writing Career

Releasing his first book ‘Everything is Illuminated’ in 2002, he was well on his way to becoming an extremely highly regarded writer, as this was soon made into a film in 2005 starring Elijah Wood. Later he wrote the 2005 novel ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’ in 2005, which was based on a child’s experience of losing his father in the 9/11 attacks, a novel which was also adapted into a film in 2012. Alongside this he has also written extensively on his lifelong affinity with vegetarianism, with his 2009 non-fiction book ‘Eating Animals’, which also included accounts of how to manage eating kosher.

Gaining awards and recognition for his work, he has gained huge amounts of critical acclaim for his material over the years, something which he has managed to maintain throughout his career. With the general public as well, he’s also managed to garner huge amounts of commercial success, a factor which was proven with his big-screen adaptations. There seems to be a lot more to come from Jonathan Safran Foer as a writer, as he continues writing on into the foreseeable future for some time to come.

Everything is Illuminated

First published in 2002 on the 16th of April through the Houghton Mifflin publishing label, it was the first novel to come from Foer as a writer, and is what broke his name. Using dual narratives it works to weave two stories together, as it manages to capture the horrors of the holocaust, whilst simultaneously working in fictionalized and autobiographical elements into the story. This was the novel that really helped establish who Foer was as an author, setting him to be one of the foremost authors of his entire generation.

Taking place in the Ukraine, it charts Foer’s time there as he attempts to trace back his lineage and the tragic events that unfolded during the second world war. It then takes the semi-fictionalized story of Trochenbrod as he looks into its horrific past, laying witness almost through its narrative to the terrible events that unfolded in the shtetls there. During this time the narrator, Foer, is attempting to find the woman named Augustine who helped save the life of his grandfather in the real life town of Trachimbrod, which was liquidated by the Nazis.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Published in 2005, this was brought out on the 1st of April through the Houghton Mifflin publishing label once again, setting up what was to be a return to form for Foer. Charting the loss a nine year old child named Oskar Schell feels after losing his father in the 9/11 terroist attacks, as he attempts to overcome the feelings of dread and terror accompanied by insomnia that he feels. He soon finds a key in an envelope with the word ‘Black’ on it left by his father, and he then proceeds to go on a journey as he attempts to question everyone with the surname Black in New York City, all whilst coming to terms with the past and the future.