Charlie Kaufman Screenplays books in order

Q: "How many Charlie Kaufman screenplays have been published as books?"

"Six Kaufman screenplays have been published in book form: Being John Malkovich (2000), Human Nature (2002), Adaptation (2002), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2003), Synecdoche New York (2008), and Scenes of Anomalisa (2016)."

Q: "Which Charlie Kaufman screenplay won an Oscar?"

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2004. Being John Malkovich and Adaptation were also nominated for Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplay, respectively."

Q: "What order should I read Charlie Kaufman's screenplays?"

"Publication order works well since it tracks Kaufman's development as a writer. Start with Being John Malkovich, his breakthrough, and work through to Anomalisa. Each screenplay builds on the metafictional and surrealist ideas of the ones before it."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	Being John Malkovich	2000	Charlie Kaufman	Buy
2	Human Nature	2002	Charlie Kaufman	Buy
3	Adaptation.	2002	Charlie Kaufman	Buy
4	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	2003	Charlie Kaufman	Buy
5	Synecdoche, New York	2008	Charlie Kaufman	Buy
6	Scenes of Anomalisa	2016	Charlie Kaufman	Buy

Charlie Kaufman has had six of his screenplays published as books. The scripts read differently from most published screenplays because Kaufman’s stories depend on structure as much as dialogue. Being John Malkovich, his first produced screenplay, put a portal into a famous actor’s head and played the premise straight. Spike Jonze directed it in 1999, and Kaufman was nominated for an Oscar.

Adaptation followed in 2002, crediting a fictional twin brother named Donald Kaufman as co-writer. The Academy nominated Donald for an Oscar alongside Charlie. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry, won Kaufman the actual award in 2004. Synecdoche, New York was his directorial debut, a film about a theater director building a life-sized replica of New York City inside a warehouse. Roger Ebert called it the best film of the 2000s decade.

The published screenplays include stage directions, notes, and structural choices that are invisible on screen. They work as reading material because Kaufman writes prose as much as he writes dialogue. Three of these scripts appear on the Writers Guild of America’s list of the 101 Greatest Screenplays.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Charlie Kaufman screenplays have been published as books?

Six Kaufman screenplays have been published in book form: Being John Malkovich (2000), Human Nature (2002), Adaptation (2002), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2003), Synecdoche New York (2008), and Scenes of Anomalisa (2016).

Which Charlie Kaufman screenplay won an Oscar?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2004. Being John Malkovich and Adaptation were also nominated for Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplay, respectively.

What order should I read Charlie Kaufman's screenplays?

Publication order works well since it tracks Kaufman’s development as a writer. Start with Being John Malkovich, his breakthrough, and work through to Anomalisa. Each screenplay builds on the metafictional and surrealist ideas of the ones before it.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order