Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| On Suicide: Great Writers on the Ultimate Question |
1992 |
Buy |
| The Vintage Book of Amnesia |
2000 |
N/A |
Dr. Tom More Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Love in the Ruins |
1971 |
Buy |
| The Thanatos Syndrome |
1987 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Message in the Bottle |
1975 |
Buy |
| Lost in the Cosmos |
1983 |
Buy |
| Conversations with Walker Percy |
1985 |
Buy |
| State of the Novel |
1987 |
Buy |
| Signposts in a Strange Land |
1991 |
Buy |
| Symbol and Existence |
2019 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Moviegoer |
1961 |
Buy |
| Lancelot |
1977 |
Buy |
| Diagnosing the Modern Malaise |
1985 |
Buy |
Will Barrett Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Last Gentleman |
1966 |
Buy |
| The Second Coming |
1980 |
Buy |
Walker Percy was a Southern novelist and essayist whose fiction explored questions of identity, faith, and the search for meaning in modern America. A medical doctor who contracted tuberculosis and turned to writing during his recovery, Percy brought a clinical observer’s eye to characters struggling with malaise, alienation, and spiritual emptiness amid the comforts of middle-class life.
His six novels include The Moviegoer (1961), which won the National Book Award, and two pairs of linked novels — the Will Barrett books (The Last Gentleman and The Second Coming) and the Dr. Tom More books (Love in the Ruins and The Thanatos Syndrome). His non-fiction, particularly The Message in the Bottle and Lost in the Cosmos, applied his interest in semiotics and existential philosophy to questions about language, consciousness, and what it means to be human. Percy died in 1990, leaving behind a body of work that continues to attract readers interested in the intersection of literature and philosophy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Walker Percy written?
Walker Percy has written fifteen books across five series.
What was Walker Percy's first book?
Walker Percy’s first book is The Moviegoer, published in 1961.
What is Walker Percy best known for?
Walker Percy is best known for The Moviegoer (1961), which won the National Book Award. The novel follows Binx Bolling, a stockbroker in New Orleans who searches for meaning through movies and philosophical reflection. It’s considered one of the great American novels of the twentieth century.