10 Famous Authors Who Only Wrote One Novel

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Readers often feel a unique frustration when they love an author’s novel but discover that it’s the only one the author has written. It leaves you wanting more even though you know it’s not possible.

Sometimes that work is the one great idea they have. Other times, their life is cut short before they can write another. Whatever the case, their novels have immortalized them and hold a special place in many people’s hearts.

Authors Who Only Wrote One Novel

The authors in this list may have also written other works such as plays, essays, and short fiction. For some reason, however, they were only able to write and publish a single novel in their lifetime.

1. Anna Sewell and Black Beauty

Black Beauty, considered one of the first novels to feature a nonhuman character, is the fictional autobiography of a horse. Though now considered a children’s classic, it was meant to educate people who work with horses on proper horse care.

The novel was published in 1877, with Sewell falling seriously soon after. She died a mere five months after it was published.

2. Boris Pasternak and Dr. Zhivago

Dr. Zhivago follows a doctor-poet as he navigates life amidst the whirlwind of Russia’s 20th-century history. Its publication was a source of much controversy, with Pasternak facing significant pressure and threats from the Soviet government.

His health declined soon after, with him dying of lung cancer just three years after his novel’s publication. 

3. J.D. Salinger and The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye follows a disillusioned teenager over a few days as he grapples with the complexities of adulthood and life. Its portrayal of angst and alienation made it one of the most controversial works in American literature.

Already somewhat reclusive, the unwanted attention from his novel’s success led to Salinger further retreating from public view. He published works less frequently, eventually stopping altogether.

4. Ralph Ellison and Invisible Man

Invisible Man is about an unnamed African-American man’s experiences with racial prejudice in early 20th-century America. It follows his journey from the South to Harlem, detailing his struggles with discrimination, identity, and activism.

It was the only novel Ellison completed in his lifetime. After his death, several manuscripts were found in his home and published posthumously. 

5. Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar explores the mental struggles of Esther Greenwood, who is dissatisfied and disillusioned with the expectations and roles forced onto women at the time. It’s a semi-autobiographical work that parallels Plath’s life and her battle with depression. 

The novel was published shortly before her suicide in 1963. At the time, she was already working on another title, Double Exposure, which went missing after her death.

6. Edgar Allan Poe and The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Poe’s only novel follows the title character, who stows away on a whaling ship called the Grampus. After many adventures and misadventures, it ends abruptly with him continuing to the South Pole.

The novel was a financial and critical failure at the time. It drove Poe to focus more on writing short stories and poetry. 

7. Emily Brontë and Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights follows the tragic tale of the Earnshaw and Linton families. It portrays the destructive effects of obsessive love, which leads to repercussions that span generations within these two families.

Emily died a year after her novel’s publication. It is unknown if she was working on a second one as no manuscripts have ever been found.

8. Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind

Set in the American South during the Civil War, Gone With the Wind chronicles the life of the strong-willed Scarlett O’Hara, who does everything to ensure her survival and prosperity.

This was the only novel Mitchell had published in her lifetime. However, a previously unknown work of hers, Lost Laysen, was discovered and published in 1996—eighty years after it was written.

9. Arthur Golden and Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha tells the story of Chiyo Sakamoto, who is sold to a geisha house where she rises in rank and becomes the legendary geisha Sayuri. First published in 1997, it remains Golden’s only published work. 

10. Oscar Wilde and The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray follows the title character’s introduction to a reckless, hedonistic lifestyle and eventual ruin. The book was criticized for its homoerotic and hedonistic themes, which got Wilde into a lot of trouble.

After writing this novel, he focused on writing plays and flourished as a playwright. His legal troubles after a few years may have also impacted his desire to write another novel.

Which other authors with only one novel do you know? Share them in the comments below!

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