Joyce Carol Oates

Oates, Joyce Carol (1938– ), prolific U.S. novelist, short-story writer, poet, playwright, and critic whose work often deals with insanity, violence, and other nightmarish aspects of society. Among her many books are the novels A Garden of Earthly Delights (1967), Them (1969; National Book Award, 1970), Bellefleur (1980), Solstice (1985), Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart (1990), Black Water (1992), and Foxfire (1993).