12 literary one-hit wonders we wish had written more

Gabbi ShawAug 7, 2020, 23:33 IST

Oscar Wilde's sole novel was "The Picture of Dorian Gray."Wikipedia and Amazon

When we talk about one-hit wonders, it's assumed that musicians and songs are being discussed.
However, there are a fair few literary one-hit wonders — authors who wrote one huge hit novel, and then nothing ever again.
Ahead of National Book Lovers Day on August 9, we've compiled a list of these one-hit wonders.
JD Salinger wrote multiple short stories and novellas, but only one novel: the classic "Catcher in the Rye."

For every author that churns out dozens of books, like Stephen King or Jodi Picoult, there are those who have one great idea, and are never published again.

Sometimes, an author's life is cut short before they get the chance to write another novel. Others are perfectionists who are never satisfied enough with their writing to put it out into the world again.

From Oscar Wilde to Margaret Mitchell, here are 12 authors who can only be described as literary one-hit wonders.

Emily Brontë died in 1848, just one year after writing her one and only novel, "Wuthering Heights."

Brontë and "Wuthering Heights." Public domain

Anna Sewell's only novel, "Black Beauty" was completed just one year before she died.

Sewell and "Black Beauty." Public domain and Penguin Random House

Oscar Wilde wrote many plays, short stories, and poems — but only one novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

Wilde and "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Public domain and Amazon

Margaret Mitchell only published "Gone with the Wind" during her lifetime.

Mitchell and "Gone with the Wind." AP Images and Amazon

Ross Lockridge Jr. wrote one novel in his short life, "Raintree County." Some consider it to be the Great American Novel.

Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor in the movie adaptation, and "Raintree County." Apic/Getty Images and Amazon

JD Salinger wrote multiple novellas and short stories, but "Catcher in the Rye" was his only novel.

Salinger and "Catcher in the Rye." Amy Sancetta/AP Images

Ralph Ellison's only novel to be published in his lifetime was "Invisible Man." He struggled to complete a second.

Ellison and "Invisible Man." Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images and Penguin Random House

For 55 years, Harper Lee's only published novel was American classic, "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Lee and "To Kill a Mockingbird." Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images and HarperCollins

Sylvia Plath wrote dozens, if not hundreds, of poems, but only published one novel, "The Bell Jar," before dying by suicide.

Plath and "The Bell Jar." Bettmann/Getty Images and Amazon

Arthur Golden completed "Memoirs of a Geisha" in 1997 and hasn't written anything since.

Golden and "Memoirs of a Geisha." Vince Bucci/Getty Images and Penguin Random House

Mary Ann Shaffer's lone novel, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society," was published posthumously in 2008.

Lily James in the film and "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society." Netflix and Amazon

Kathryn Stockett's debut novel "The Help" remains her only novel, 11 years after its publication.

Stockett and "The Help." Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images for Doha Film Institute and Penguin Books

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