🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Denis Johnson
Denis Johnson was an American author famously known for his novel Tree of Smoke published in 2007 and a short story collection titled, Jesus’ Son published in 1992. Johnson also wrote poetry, plays, non-fiction, and journalism. Born in 1949 Munich, Germany, and spent part of his childhood in Japan, in the Philippines and the suburbs of Washington, D.C. His father worked as a liaison between the CIA and USIA while his mother was a homemaker. Denis earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1971 from the University of Iowa and masters in fine arts from Lowa Writers Workshop where he also took classes from Raymond Carver. Johnson’s debut book, The Man Among Seals, was a collection of poetry published in 1969 at the age of nineteen.
All Book Series by Denis Johnson
The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations Millennium General Assembly
Book 4 of 7 · published 1995
Car Crash While Hitchhiking and Emergency
Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 2020
Real Things: An Anthology of Popular Culture in American Poetry
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1999
The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction
Book 2 of 5 · published 1999
Object Lessons: The Paris Review Presents the Art of the Short Story
Book 4 of 5 · published 2012
Breaking into Blossom: Poems with Extraordinary Endings
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2025
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Denis Johnson?
Denis Johnson was an American author famously known for his novel Tree of Smoke published in 2007 and a short story collection titled, Jesus’ Son published in 1992. Johnson also wrote poetry, plays, non-fiction, and journalism. Born in 1949 Munich, Germany, and spent part of his childhood in Japan, in the Philippines and the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
Which Denis Johnson series should I start with?
Denis Johnson's books stand alone rather than forming a numbered series, so there is no reading order to follow. The natural first pick is Angels (1983).
How many books has Denis Johnson written?
Denis Johnson has 25 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1983 and 2025. They are filed under 6 categories rather than in numbered series — chiefly Standalone Novels, Collections and Anthologies.
In what order should Denis Johnson's series be read?
No reading order is needed: none of the 25 books catalogued here do not form a numbered series, so any title can be picked up first. Within each category they are listed by publication year.
How are Denis Johnson's books organised into series?
This guide splits Denis Johnson's 25 books into categories rather than numbered series: Standalone Novels (9 books); Collections (7 books); Anthologies (5 books); Plays (2 books); Short Stories/Novellas (1 book), plus 1 more.