Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning, autobiographical play, Long Day's Journey into Night (1956), features one day in the life of the dysfunctional Tyrone family. The youngest son, Edmond, suffers from tuberculosis and hates his father; the mother is addicted to drugs; and the older son is an alcoholic.

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Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs (1982) is the first of his so-called autobiographical trilogy, which also includes Biloxi Blues (1984) and Broadway Bound (1986). Brighton Beach Memoirs features a Jewish family, the Jeromes, who face financial crises and relationship issues while living together during the Great Depression.

Simon's second memoir, The Play Goes On (1999), examines his mature life and career, beginning with the days following the death of his beloved wife, Joan.

Simon's first memoir, Rewrites: A Memoir (1996), is a critically acclaimed work that examined the beginnings of Simon's life and career, up to and including the death of his wife.