The European existentialists influenced American novelistWalker Percy, whose works, including The Moviegoer (1961), explore human alienation. This most prominent writers of the twentieth century began as the oldest of three brothers in an established Southern family that contained hero of Civil War and a United States senator. Acclaimed for his poetic style and moving depictions of the modern culture, Percy authored six bestselling fiction titles, including the aforementioned classic winner of the National Book Award, and fifteen works of nonfiction. In 2005, Time magazine named this novel among the best English-language books published since 1923.