Archive of A day in literature items
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- 1560 - Joachim Du Bellay, French poet died
- 1648 - Elkanah Settle, English writer born
- 1704 - Soame Jenyns, English writer born
- 1714 - Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet born
- 1767 - Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish novelist born
- 1818 - Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is published.
- 1873 - Mariano Azuela, Mexican novelist born
- 1879 - E. M. Forster, English novelist born
- 1919 - J. D. Salinger, American novelist born
- 1928 - Ernest Tidyman, American writer born
- 1933 - Joe Orton, English writer born
- 1937 - Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg, Polish author born
- 1951 - Ashfaq Hussain, Urdu poet born
- 1836 - Mendele Moykher Sforim, Jewish writer born
- 1920 - Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author born
- 1938 - Hans Herbjørnsrud, Norwegian author born
- 2000 - Patrick O'Brian, British novelist died
- 1803 - Douglas William Jerrold, British playwright born
- 1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer born
- 1923 - Jaroslav Hasek, Czech novelist died
- 1930 - Marcel Dubé, Quebec playwright born
- 1944 - Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet died
- 1945 - Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish writer died
- 1988 - Rose Ausländer, German poet died
- 1804 - Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet died
- 1883 - Max Eastman, American writer born
- 1901 - C. L. R. James, writer and journalist born
- 1943 - Doris Kearns Goodwin, American writer born
- 1960 - Albert Camus, Algerian-born French philosopher and writer died
- 1965 - T. S. Eliot, American-born writer died
- 1986 - Christopher Isherwood, English writer died
- 2004 - Joan Aiken, English author died
- 2004 - Jeff Nuttall, English writer died
- 2005 - Humphrey Carpenter, English author died
- 2006 - Irving Layton, Canadian poet died
- 1465 - Charles, Duke of Orléans, French poet died
- 1524 - Marko Marulić, Croatian poet died
- 1902 - Stella Gibbons, English novelist born
- 1921 - Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer born
- 1932 - Umberto Eco, Italian writer born
- 1938 - Ngugi wa Thiongo, Kenyan writer born
- 1940 - Michael O'Donoghue, American writer born
- 1951 - Andrei Platonov, Russian writer died
- 1991 - Vasko Popa, Yugoslav poet died
- 2003 - Jean Kerr, American author died
- 1488 - Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet born
- 1840 - Fanny Burney, English novelist and diarist died
- 1848 - Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet born
- 1883 - Khalil Gibran, Lebanese writer born
- 1885 - Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian writer died
- 1905 - Idris Davies, Welsh poet born
- 1910 - Morris Wright, American writer born
- 1915 - Alan Watts, English writer born
- 1923 - Jacobo Timerman, Argentine writer born
- 1931 - E. L. Doctorow, American author born
- 1945 - Allen Appel, American novelist born
- 1981 - A. J. Cronin, Scottish writer died
- 1891 - Zora Neale Hurston, American author born
- 1910 - Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Pakistani poet born
- 1947 - Shobha De, Indian writer born
- 1957 - Nicholson Baker, American novelist born
- 1986 - P. D. Eastman, American children's book writer and illustrator died
- 1986 - Juan Rulfo, Mexican novelist died
- 2005 - Pierre Daninos, French novelist died
- 1601 - Baltasar Gracián y Morales, Spanish writer born
- 1824 - Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet born
- 1824 - Wilkie Collins, British novelist born
- 1867 - Emily Greene Balch, American writer born
- 1874 - Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French writer and historian died
- 1878 - Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet died
- 1896 - Paul Verlaine, French poet died
- 1897 - Dennis Wheatley, British author born
- 1934 - Andrei Bely, Russian writer died
- 1934 - Alexandra Ripley, American writer born
- 1944 - Terry Brooks, American writer born
- 1972 - Kenneth Patchen, American poet died
- 1989 - Bruce Chatwin, English novelist died
- 1993 - Eleanor Hibbert, British author died
- 1589 - Ivan Gundulic, Croatian poet born
- 1728 - Thomas Warton, English poet born
- 1790 - Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, Swedish poet born
- 1811 - Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English writer born
- 1873 - Hayyim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian poet born
- 1881 - Lascelles Abercrombie, British poet and critic born
- 1881 - Giovanni Papini, Italian writer born
- 1890 - Karel Čapek, Czech writer born
- 1908 - Simone de Beauvoir, French author born
- 1923 - Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand writer died
- 1928 - Judith Krantz, American author born
- 1929 - Brian Friel, Irish dramatist born
- 1931 - Algis Budrys, American author born
- 1936 - Anne Rivers Siddons, American writer born
- 1946 - Countee Cullen, American poet died
- 1961 - Emily Greene Balch, American writer died
- 1992 - Bill Naughton, British playwright died
- 1707 - Philibert, comte de Gramont, French writer died
- 1797 - Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, German writer born
- 1811 - Marie-Joseph Chénier, French poet died
- 1866 - Pyotr Pletnyov, Russian poet died
- 1887 - Robinson Jeffers, American poet born
- 1928 - Philip Levine, American poet born
- 1931 - Peter Barnes, English writer born
- 1936 - Stephen Ambrose, American historian born
- 1939 - William Levy, Dutch writer born
- 1951 - Sinclair Lewis, American writer died
- 1953 - Dennis Cooper, American author born
- 1956 - Antonio Muñoz Molina, Spanish writer born
- 1961 - Dashiell Hammett, American writer died
- 1986 - Jaroslav Seifert, Czech writer died
- 2004 - Alexandra Ripley, American author died
- 1641 - Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet died
- 1763 - Caspar Abel, German theologian, historian, and poet died
- 1771 - Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French writer died
- 1890 - Oswald de Andrade, Brazilian author born
- 1903 - Alan Paton, South African writer born
- 1928 - Thomas Hardy, English writer died
- 1961 - Jasper Fforde, British author born
- 1970 - Richmal Crompton, British author died
- 1978 - Ibn-e-Insha, Pakistani humorist and Urdu poet died
- 1980 - Barbara Pym, English novelist died
- 1999 - Brian Moore, Irish-born writer died
- 1576 - Petrus Scriverius, Dutch writer born
- 1876 - Jack London, American author born
- 1878 - Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian writer born
- 1915 - Paul Jarrico, American writer born
- 1948 - William Nicholson, English writer born
- 1949 - Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist born
- 1952 - Walter Mosley, American author born
- 1960 - Nevil Shute, English writer died
- 1962 - Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer died
- 1965 - Lorraine Hansberry, American writer died
- 1976 - Agatha Christie, English writer died
- 1997 - Jean-Edern Hallier, French author died
- 1547 - Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, English poet died
- 1562 - Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish poet born
- 1599 - Edmund Spenser, English poet died
- 1602 - William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor is published.
- 1832 - Horatio Alger, Jr., American author born
- 1893 - Clark Ashton Smith, American writer born
- 1903 - Irena Jurgielewiczowa, Polish writer and teacher born
- 1926 - Michael Bond, British writer born
- 1940 - Edmund White, American author born
- 1941 - James Joyce, Irish writer died
- 1955 - Jay McInerney, American writer born
- 1957 - Lorrie Moore, American writer born
- 1974 - Salvador Novo, Mexican writer and poet died
- 1818 - Zacharias Topelius, Finnish-Swedish writer born
- 1850 - Pierre Loti, French writer born
- 1886 - Hugh Lofting, English author born
- 1896 - John Dos Passos, American author born
- 1898 - Lewis Carroll, English writer died
- 1904 - Emily Hahn, American writer born
- 1925 - Yukio Mishima, Japanese writer born
- 1942 - Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian writer died
- 1949 - Mary Robison, American writer born
- 1952 - Sydney Biddle Barrows, American author born
- 1957 - Anchee Min, Chinese-born writer born
- 1977 - Anaïs Nin, French author died
- 2005 - Charlotte MacLeod, American writer died
- 1622 - Molière, French playwright born
- 1674 - Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French writer born
- 1747 - John Aikin, English doctor and writer born
- 1791 - Franz Grillparzer, Austrian writer born
- 1850 - Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet born
- 1872 - Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian writer born
- 1879 - Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author born
- 1885 - Huang Yuanyong, Chinese writer born
- 1891 - Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet born
- 1923 - Ivor Cutler, Scottish poet born
- 1933 - Ernest J. Gaines, American author born
- 1955 - Nigel Benson, British author born
- 2005 - Walter Ernsting, German author died
- 2005 - Elizabeth Janeway, American author died
- 1605 - The first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes was published in Madrid.
- 1634 - Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatter, Norwegian poet born
- 1747 - Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet died
- 1865 - Edmond François Valentin About, French writer died
- 1874 - Robert W. Service, Canadian poet born
- 1879 - Octave Crémazie, French Canadian poet died
- 1885 - Zhou Zuoren, Chinese writer born
- 1888 - Osip Brik, Russian writer born
- 1897 - Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet born
- 1918 - Nel Benschop, Dutch poetess born
- 1923 - Anthony Hecht, American poet born
- 1928 - William Kennedy, American author
- 1933 - Susan Sontag, American writer born
- 1686 - Archibald Bower, Scottish historian born
- 1820 - Anne Brontë, British author born
- 1871 - Nicolae Iorga, Romanian writer born
- 1899 - Nevil Shute, English author born
- 1903 - Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Assamese poet, playwright, film maker born
- 1914 - William Stafford, American poet and essayist born
- 1925 - Robert Cormier, American author born
- 1945 - Javed Akhtar, Indian lyricist, poet born
- 1964 - T. H. White, English author died
- 1967 - Paul Summers, English poet born
- 1968 - Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Dutch writer born
- 2001 - Gregory Corso, American poet died
- 2002 - Camilo José Cela, Spanish writer died
- 1672 - Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French writer born
- 1689 - Montesquieu, French writer born
- 1803 - Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet died
- 1840 - Henry Austin Dobson, English poet born
- 1848 - Ioan Slavici, Transylvanian writer born
- 1873 - Edward Bulwer-Lytton, English author died
- 1882 - A. A. Milne, English author born
- 1886 - Clara Nordström, German writer and translator born
- 1914 - Arno Schmidt, German author born
- 1932 - Robert Anton Wilson, American author born
- 1936 - Rudyard Kipling, British writer died
- 1940 - Kazimierz Tetmajer, Polish writer died
- 1966 - Kathleen Norris, American writer died
- 1978 - Hasan Askari, Pakistani philosopher, critic and writer died
- 2006 - Jan Twardowski, Polish poet died
- 1809 - Edgar Allan Poe, American writer and poet born
- 1879 - Boris Savinkov, Russian writer born
- 1913 - Rex Ingamells, Australian poet born
- 1921 - Patricia Highsmith, American author born
- 1924 - Jean-François Revel, French author born
- 1925 - Nina Bawden, English author born
- 2006 - Aoun Al-Sharif Qasim, Sudanese writer died
- 1664 – Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian writer born
- 1716 – Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French writer born
- 1804 – Eugène Sue, French novelist born
- 1850 – Adam Oehlenschläger, Danish poet died
- 1873 – Johannes V. Jensen, Danish writer born
- 1962 – Robinson Jeffers, American poet died
- 1699 - Obadiah Walker, English writer died
- 1773 - Alexis Piron, French writer died
- 1804 - Eliza Roxcy Snow, American poet born
- 1825 - Imre Madách, Hungarian writer born
- 1831 - Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet died
- 1867 - Ludwig Thoma, German writer born
- 1870 - Alexander Herzen, Russian writer died
- 1872 - Franz Grillparzer, Austrian writer died
- 1883 - Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet born
- 1932 - Giles Lytton Strachey, British writer died
- 1933 - George A. Moore, Irish novelist died
- 1950 - George Orwell, British writer died
- 1961 - Blaise Cendrars, Swiss writer died
- 1977 - Sandro Penna, Italian poet died
- 2004 - Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian writer died
- 2005 - Theun de Vries, Dutch writer died
- 1729 - Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German author born
- 1788 - Lord Byron, British poet and satirist born
- 1849 - August Strindberg, Swedish writer born
- 1887 - Helen Hoyt, American poet born
- 1904 - Arkady Gaidar, Russian children's writer born
- 1906 - Robert E. Howard, American author born
- 1922 - Howard Moss, American poet, dramatist, and critic born
- 1949 - William Thomas Walsh, American author died
- 1967 - Robert Henriques, English writer died
- 1993 - Abe Kobo, Japanese writer died
- 1783 - Stendhal, French writer born
- 1789 - Frances Brooke, English writer died
- 1789 - John Cleland, English novelist died
- 1813 - Camilla Collett, Norwegian writer born
- 1875 - Charles Kingsley, English writer died
- 1923 - Walter M. Miller, Jr., American writer born
- 1930 - Derek Walcott, West Indian writer born
- 1638 - Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet born
- 1670 - William Congreve, English playwright born
- 1724 - Frances Brooke, English writer born
- 1732 - Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, French playwright born
- 1776 - E.T.A. Hoffmann, German writer born
- 1862 - Edith Wharton, American writer born
- 1888 - Vicki Baum, Austrian writer born
- 1895 - Eugen Roth, German writer born
- 1934 - Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet born
- 1998 - Walter D. Edmonds, American author died
- 2005 - Vladimir Savchenko, Ukrainian writer died
- 1759 - Robert Burns, Scottish poet born
- 1864 - Julije Kempf, Croatian historian and writer born
- 1874 - William Somerset Maugham, English writer born
- 1882 - Virginia Woolf, English writer born
- 1900 - Yojiro Ishizaka, Japanese writer born
- 1908 - Ouida, English writer died
- 1938 - Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian poet born
- 1949 - John Cooper Clarke, British punk-poet born
- 1541 - Florent Chrestien, French writer is born
- 1781 - Achim von Arnim, German poet is born
- 1842 - François Coppée, French poet and novelist is born
- 1918 - Philip José Farmer, American writer is born
- 1949 - Jonathan Carroll, American author is born
- 2000 - Kathleen Hale, British author dies
- 2000 - A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-born author dies
- 1720 - Samuel Foote, English dramatist is born
- 1826 - Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian writer is born
- 1832 - Lewis Carroll, English author is born
- 1891 - Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian writer is born
- 1931 - Mordecai Richler, Canadian author is born
- 1949 - Ethan Mordden, American author is born
- 1988 - Massa Makan Diabaté, Malian author died
- 1998 - Geoffrey Trease, British writer died
- 1813 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was first published
- 1936 - Ismail Kadare, Albanian writer born
- 1939 - William Butler Yeats, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate died
- 1860 - Anton Chekhov, Russian writer born
- 1867 - Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Spanish writer born
- 1923 - Paddy Chayefsky, American writer born
- 1933 - Sara Teasdale, American poet died
- 1939 - Germaine Greer, Australian writer born
- 1963 - Robert Frost, American poet died
- 2004 - M. M. Kaye, British writer died
- 1661 - Charles Rollin, French historian born
- 1781 - Adelbert von Chamisso, German writer born
- 1869 - William Carleton, Irish novelist died
- 1878 - Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Estonian author born
- 1889 - Jaishankar Prasad, Hindi poet, dramatist and novelist born
- 1902 - Nikolaus Pevsner, German-born art historian born
- 1912 - Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian born
- 1924 - Lloyd Alexander, American writer born
- 1931 - Shirley Hazzard, Australian-born author born
- 1934 - Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher died
- 1935 - Richard Brautigan, American writer and poet born
- 1945 - Michael Dorris, American author born
- 1947 - Les Barker, English poet born
- 1955 - Judith Tarr, American author born
- 1994 - Pierre Boulle, French author died
- 1872 - Zane Grey, American Western writer born
- 1905 - John O'Hara, American writer born
- 1923 - Norman Mailer, American writer born
- 1933 - John Galsworthy, English writer died
- 1935 - Kenzaburo Oe, Japanese writer born
- 1944 - Jean Giraudoux, French writer died
- 2001 - Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian writer died
- 1734 - John Floyer, English physician and writer died
- 1851 - Mary Shelley, English author died
- 1874 - Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian writer born
- 1884 - Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian writer born
- 1902 - Langston Hughes, American writer born
- 1918 - Muriel Spark, Scottish author born
- 1941 - Jerry Spinelli, American children's author born
- 1882 - James Joyce, Irish author born
- 1905 - Ayn Rand, Russian-American writer born
- 1918 - Hella S. Haasse, Dutch writer born
- 1923 - James Dickey, American poet and author born
- 2002 - Claude Brown, American writer died
- 1842 - Sidney Lanier, American writer born
- 1866 - François-Xavier Garneau, French Canadian poet died
- 1874 - Gertrude Stein, American writer born
- 1887 - Georg Trakl, Austrian poet born
- 1899 - Lao She, Chinese writer born
- 1899 - Indra Bahadur Rai, Nepali writer born
- 1799 - Almeida Garrett, Portuguese writer born
- 1848 - Jean Aicard, French poet born
- 1882 - E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet born
- 1908 - Julian Bell, British poet born
- 1534 - Giovanni de' Bardi, Italian writer born
- 1626 - Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, French author born
- 1804 - Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet born
- 1848 - Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author born
- 1914 - William S. Burroughs, American author born
- 1941 - Banjo Paterson, Australian poet died
- 1972 - Marianne Moore, American poet died
- 1608 - António Vieira, Portuguese writer born
- 1793 - Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright died
- 1910 - Irmgard Keun, German author born
- 1989 - Barbara Tuchman, American historian died
- 1995 - James Merrill, American poet died
- 1693 - Paul Pellisson, French writer died
- 1812 - Charles Dickens, English novelist born
- 1823 - Ann Radcliffe, English novelist died
- 1839 - Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet died
- 1867 - Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author born
- 1873 - Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish writer died
- 1885 - Sinclair Lewis, American writer born
- 1905 - Paul Nizan, French author born
- 1998 - Lawrence Sanders, American author died
- 2001 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author died
- 2003 - Augusto Monterroso, Guatemalan author died
- 1552 – Agrippa d'Aubigné, French poet born
- 1577 – Robert Burton, English cleric and writer born
- 1612 or 1613 – Samuel Butler, English poet born
- 1819 – John Ruskin, English author born
- 1828 – Jules Verne, French author born
- 1955 – John Grisham, American writer born
- 1998 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author died
- 1783 - Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet born
- 1834 - Felix Dahn, German author born
- 1874 - Amy Lowell, American poet born
- 1906 - Paul Laurence Dunbar, American poet died
- 1923 - Brendan Behan, Irish author born
- 1931 - Thomas Bernhard, Austrian playwright and novelist born
- 1940 - J. M. Coetzee, South African author born
- 1944 - Alice Walker, American author and activist born
- 1609 – John Suckling, English poet born
- 1755 – Montesquieu, French writer died
- 1837 – Aleksandr Pushkin, Russian poet and novelist died
- 1898 – Bertolt Brecht, German author born
- 1930 – E. L. Konigsburg, American author born
- 1932 – Edgar Wallace, English novelist died
- 1934 – Fleur Adcock, New Zealand poet born
- 1957 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author died
- 1992 – Alex Haley, American author died
- 2005 – Arthur Miller, American playwright died
- 1568 – Honoré d'Urfé, French writer born
- 1763 – William Shenstone, English poet died
- 1764 – Marie-Joseph de Chenier, French poet born
- 1860 – Rachilde, French author born
- 1869 – Else Lasker-Schüler, German writer born
- 1874 – Elsa Beskow, Swedish author born
- 1887 – John van Melle, South African writer born
- 1917 – Sidney Sheldon, American author born
- 1939 – Jane Yolen, American author born
- 1978 – Harry Martinson, Swedish writer died
- 1986 – Frank Herbert, American author died
- 1996 – Amelia Rosselli, Italian poet died
- 1567 - Thomas Campion, English composer and poet born
- 1704 - Charles Pinot Duclos, French writer born
- 1724 - Elkanah Settle, English writer died
- 1777 - Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, German poet born
- 1828 - George Meredith, English writer born
- 1861 - Lou Andreas-Salome, Russian-born author born
- 1865 - Kazimierz Tetmajer, Polish poet and writer born
- 1912 - R. F. Delderfield, English author born
- 1931 - Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch author born
- 1932 - Axel Jensen, Norwegian author born
- 1989 - Thomas Bernhard, Austrian playwright and novelist died
- 1995 - Robert Bolt, English writer died
- 1996 - Bob Shaw, Northern Irish science fiction writer died
- 1881 – Eleanor Farjeon, English author born
- 1887 – Géza Csáth, Hungarian writer born
- 1903 – Georges Simenon, Belgian writer born
- 1934 – József Pusztai, Slovene writer, poet, journalist in Hungary died
- 1937 – Ali El-Maak, Sudanese writer born
- 1950 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian author died
- 2003 – Axel Jensen, Norwegian author died
- 2007 – Elizabeth Jolley, Australian writer died
- 1692 - Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French writer born
- 1828 - Edmond François Valentin About, French writer born
- 1856 - Frank Harris, Irish author born
- 1885 - Jules Vallès, French writer died
- 1961 - Phillip Hamilton, American author born
- 1975 - P. G. Wodehouse, English writer died
- 1835 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek author born
- 1869 – Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet died
- 1883 – Sax Rohmer, English author born
- 1909 – Miep Gies, Dutch biographer of Anne Frank born
- 1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author born
- 1958 – Chrystine Brouillet, Quebec novelist born
- 1826 – Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet born
- 1831 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian writer born
- 1838 – Henry Adams, American historian and novelist born
- 1866 – Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet born
- 1876 – George Macaulay Trevelyan, English historian born
- 1886 – Van Wyck Brooks, American historian and critic born
- 1898 – Thomas Bracken, New Zealand poet died
- 1907 – Giosuè Carducci, Italian writer died
- 1917 – Octave Mirbeau, French writer died
- 1944 – Richard Ford, American novelist born
- 1954 – Iain Banks, Scottish author born
- 1968 – Warren Ellis, British comic book writer born
- 1977 – Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet died
- 1992 – Angela Carter, English writer died
- 1752 – Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German writer born
- 1836 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish poet born
- 1856 – Heinrich Heine, German writer died
- 1862 – Mori Ōgai, Japanese novelist and poet born
- 1863 – Fyodor Sologub, Russian novelist and poet born
- 1864 – Banjo Paterson, Australian poet born
- 1903 – Sadegh Hedayat, Iranian writer born
- 1912 – Andre Norton, American author born
- 1924 – Margaret Truman, American novelist born
- 1930 – Ruth Rendell, English writer born
- 1955 – Mo Yan, Chinese novelist born
- 1970 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israeli writer died
- 1996 – Hervé Bazin, French writer died
- 2007 – Jurga Ivanauskaitė, Lithuanian writer died
- 1583 - Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian writer died
- 1609 - Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, English historian born
- 1654 - Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, French writer died
- 1658 - Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French writer born
- 1780 - Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet died
- 1803 - Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet died
- 1846 - Wilson Barrett, English playwright born
- 1849 - Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author born
- 1883 - Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer born
- 1885 - Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published.
- 1896 - Andre Breton, French writer born
- 1898 - Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet born
- 1909 - Wallace Stegner, American writer born
- 1929 - Len Deighton, British author born
- 1931 - Toni Morrison, American writer born
- 1936 - Jean Auel, American writer born
- 1942 - Albert Payson Terhune, American author died
- 1943 - Graeme Garden, Scottish writer born
- 1955 - Miles Tredinnick, English playwright born
- 1982 - Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author died
- 1997 - Emily Hahn, American writer died
- 1620 – Roemer Visscher, Dutch writer died
- 1722 – Tiphaigne de la Roche, French writer born
- 1887 – Multatuli, Dutch writer died
- 1888 – José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian writer born
- 1896 – André Breton, French poet born
- 1899 – Yury Olesha, Russian novelist born
- 1902 – Kay Boyle, American writer born
- 1904 – Havank, Dutch writer born
- 1917 – Carson McCullers, American author born
- 1920 – Jaan Kross, Estonian writer born
- 1936 – Marin Sorescu, Romanian writer and novelist born
- 1958 – Helen Fielding, English writer born
- 1964 – Dmitri Lipskerov, Russian writer born
- 1745 – Henry James Pye, English poet born
- 1751 – Johann Heinrich Voß, German poet born
- 1794 – William Carleton, Irish novelist born
- 1888 – Georges Bernanos, French writer born
- 1893 – Russel Crouse, American playwright born
- 1895 – Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist writer died
- 1912 – Pierre Boulle, French author born
- 1926 – Richard Matheson, American author born
- 1932 – Adrian Cristobal, Filipino writer born
- 1962 – Kenn Nesbitt, American children's author born
- 2003 – Maurice Blanchot, French author died
- 1677 – Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher died
- 1821 – Charles Scribner, American publisher born
- 1880 – Waldemar Bonsels, German writer born
- 1888 – Clemence Dane, British novelist and playwright born
- 1903 – Anaïs Nin, French writer born
- 1903 – Raymond Queneau, French poet and novelist born
- 1907 – W. H. Auden, English poet born
- 1962 – David Foster Wallace, American writer born
- 2005 – Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Cuban novelist died
- 1674 – Jean Chapelain, French writer died
- 1864 – Jules Renard, French author born
- 1881 – Albin Prepeluh, Slovenian author born
- 1886 – Hugo Ball, German author and poet born
- 1892 – Edna St. Vincent Millay, American writer born
- 1900 – Seán Ó Faoláin, Irish author born
- 1903 – Morley Callaghan, Canadian writer born
- 1917 – Jane Bowles, American playwright born
- 1939 – Antonio Machado, Spanish poet died
- 1942 – Stefan Zweig, Austrian writer died
- 1945 – Osip Brik, Russian writer died
- 1985 – Salvador Espriu, Spanish poet died
- 1800 – Joseph Warton, English literary critic died
- 1859 – Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish Romantic poet died
- 1899 – Erich Kästner, German writer born
- 1944 – John Sandford, American novelist born
- 1955 – Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright died
- 1995 – James Herriot, English writer died
- 1595 – Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Polish author born
- 1597 – Vincent Voiture, French poet born
- 1779 – Paul Daniel Longolius, German encyclopedist died
- 1781 – Edward Capell, English critic died
- 1852 – George Moore, Irish writer born
- 1885 – Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Polish writer born
- 1909 – August Derleth, American writer born
- 2006 – Octavia Butler, American author died
- 1591 - Friedrich von Spee, German writer born
- 1692 - Karl Ludwig, Freiherr von Pöllnitz, German adventurer and writer born
- 1707 - Carlo Goldoni, Italian writer born
- 1842 - Karl May, German writer born
- 1908 - Frank G. Slaughter, American novelist born
- 1917 - Anthony Burgess, English author born
- 1920 - Gérard Bessette, Canadian author born
- 1948 - Aldo Busi, Italian writer born
- 1983 - Tennessee Williams, American playwright died
- 1564 - Christopher Marlowe, English dramatist born
- 1714 - James Hervey, English writer born
- 1802 - Victor Hugo, French writer born
- 1887 - Stefan Grabinski, Polish writer born
- 1908 - Leela Majumdar, Bengali writer born
- 1918 - Theodore Sturgeon, American writer born
- 1958 - Michel Houellebecq, French novelist born
- 1807 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet born
- 1902 - John Steinbeck, American writer born
- 1910 - Peter De Vries, American writer born
- 1912 - Lawrence Durrell, British writer born
- 1912 - Kusumagraj, Indian writer born
- 1913 - Irwin Shaw, American writer born
- 1930 - Peter Stone, American writer born
- 1934 - N. Scott Momaday, American writer born
- 1533 - Michel de Montaigne, French writer born
- 1812 - Berthold Auerbach, German poet and author born
- 1882 - José Vasconcelos, Mexican writer born
- 1882 - Pádraic Ó Conaire, Irish writer born
- 1895 - Marcel Pagnol, French novelist born
- 1971 - Tristan Louis, American writer born
- 1908 - Dee Brown, American writer born
- 1920 - Howard Nemerov, American poet born
- 1948 - Jirō Akagawa, Japanese novelist born
- 1952 - Tim Powers, American writer born
- 2008 - Janet Kagan, American author died
- 1880 - Giles Lytton Strachey, British writer born
- 1892 - Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Japanese writer born
- 1913 - Ralph Ellison, American writer born
- 1935 - Robert Conrad, American actor born
- 1936 - Jean-Edern Hallier, French author born
- 1952 - Steven Barnes, American writer born
- 1578 - George Sandys, English poet born
- 1800 - Evgeny Baratynsky, Russian poet born
- 1820 - Multatuli, Dutch writer born
- 1859 - Sholom Aleichem, Russian novelist born
- 1904 - Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, American writer and cartoonist born
- 1930 - D.H.Lawrence, English novelist died
- 1931 - Tom Wolfe, American author born
- 1942 - John Irving, American author born
- 1962 - Morioka Hiroyuki, Japanese writer born
- 1851 - Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author born
- 1863 - Arthur Machen, Welsh-born author born
- 1940 - Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian writer born
- 1947 - Clifton Snider, American poet and writer born
- 1982 - Georges Perec, French writer died
- 1983 - Arthur Koestler, Austrian writer died
- 1996 - Marguerite Duras, French writer died
- 1856 - Toru Dutt, English and French poet and author born
- 1870 - Thomas Sturge Moore, English poet born
- 1876 - Léon-Paul Fargue, French poet born
- 1878 - Arishima Takeo, Japanese novelist, short-story writer and essayist born
- 1921 - Wilson Harris, Guyanese writer born
- 2005 - Carlos Sherman, Uruguayan-born writer died
- 1870 - Frank Norris, American writer born
- 1908 - Irving Fiske, American writer born
- 1944 - Max Jacob, French poet and writer died
- 1966 - Anna Akhmatova, Russian poet died
- 1969 - Danny King, British author born
- 1806 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, British poet born
- 1885 - Ring Lardner, American writer born
- 1927 - Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian writer born
- 1939 - Adam Osborne, British author born
- 1947 - Teru Miyamoto, Japanese author born
- 2003 - John Sanford, American author died
- 1715 - Ewald Christian von Kleist, German poet born
- 1913 - Emily Pauline Johnson, Native Canadian poet died
- 1957 - Wyndham Lewis, British author died
- 1964 - Bret Easton Ellis, American writer born
- 1674 - Charles Sorel, sieur de Souvigny, French writer died
- 1830 - João de Deus, Portuguese poet born
- 1859 - Kenneth Grahame, English author
- 1923 - Krišjānis Barons, Latvian writer died
- 1999 - Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentine writer died
- 1749 - Honore Mirabeau, French writer born
- 1763 - William Cobbett, English journalist and author born
- 1814 - Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet born
- 1892 - Vita Sackville-West, English writer born
- 1918 - Mickey Spillane, American writer born
- 1947 - Keri Hulme, New Zealand writer born
- 1994 - Charles Bukowski, American writer died
- 1788 - Joseph von Eichendorff, German writer born
- 1925 - Manolis Anagnostakis, Greek poet born
- 1931 - Georges Dor, Quebec author, playwright born
- 1940 - Mikhaïl Boulgakov, Russian writer died
- 1544 - Torquato Tasso, Italian poet born
- 1915 - Hans Peter Keller, German writer born
- 1952 - Douglas Adams, English writer born
- 1970 - Erle Stanley Gardner, American novelist died
- 1982 - Edmund Cooper, English author died
- 2003 - Brian Cleeve, Irish author died
- 1626 - John Aubrey, English antiquary and writer born
- 1912 - Irving Layton, Canadian poet born
- 1922 - Jack Kerouac, American writer born
- 1925 - Harry Harrison, American author born
- 2003 - Howard Fast, American author died
- 1720 - Charles Bonnet, Swiss naturalist and writer born
- 1884 - Sir Hugh Walpole, English novelist born
- 1899 - Jan Lechoń, Polish poet born
- 1911 - L. Ron Hubbard, American author born
- 1914 - W. O. Mitchell, Canadian writer born
- 1943 - Stephen Vincent Benét, American author died
- 1823 - Théodore de Banville, French writer born
- 1869 - Algernon Blackwood, British writer born
- 1916 - Horton Foote, American writer born
- 1947 - Pam Ayres, British poet born
- 1957 - W. Andrew Robinson, British author born
- 1991 - Margery Sharp, children's author died
- 1830 - Paul Heyse, German writer born
- 1884 - Angelos Sikelianos, Greek poet and playwright born
- 1918 - Richard Ellmann, American biographer born
- 1920 - Lawrence Sanders, American novelist born
- 1959 - Lisa Holton, American writer born
- 1581 - Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch historian and writer born
- 1585 - Gerbrand Adriaensz Bredero, Dutch writer born
- 1805 - Peter Ernst von Lasaulx, German philosopher and writer born
- 1850 - Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter is first published.
- 1892 - César Vallejo, Peruvian poet born
- 1906 - Francisco Ayala, Spanish writer born
- 1917 - Samael Aun Weor, Colombian writer born
- 1945 - Börries von Münchhausen, German poet died
- 1948 - Margaret Weis, American author born
- 1820 - Jean Ingelow, English poet born
- 1894 - Paul Green, American writer born
- 1926 - Siegfried Lenz, German writer born
- 1947 - James Morrow, American author born
- 1768 - Laurence Sterne, Irish writer died
- 1840 - William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic born
- 1842 - Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet born
- 1893 - Wilfred Owen, English poet born
- 1904 - Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet born
- 1915 - Richard Condon, American novelist born
- 1932 - John Updike, American novelist, poet and critic born
- 1996 - Odysseus Elytis, Greek poet died
- 1721 - Tobias Smollett, Scottish novelist born
- 1916 - Irving Wallace, American novelist born
- 1920 - Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author born
- 1933 - Philip Roth, American author born
- 1999 - Jaime Sabines, Mexican poet died
- 2008 - Arthur C. Clarke, British writer died
- 1770 - Friedrich Hölderlin, German writer born
- 1799 - Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet born
- 1828 - Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian writer born
- 1971 - Touré, American writer born
- 1763 - Jean Paul, German writer born
- 1843 - Robert Southey, English poet died
- 1958 - Cyril M. Kornbluth, American writer died
- 1997 - W. V. Awdry, English children's writer died
- 1503 - Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian writer born
- 1712 - Edward Moore, English writer born
- 1908 - Louis L'Amour, American author born
- 1909 - Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author born
- 1941 - Billy Collins, American poet born
- 2006 - Kurt von Trojan, Australian science fiction author died
- 1831 - Eduard Schlagintweit, German writer born
- 1881 - Roger Martin du Gard, French writer born
- 1941 - Jim Trelease, American educator and children's literature author born
- 1943 - Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, Finnish writer born
- 1952 - Kim Stanley Robinson, American author born
- 1968 - Edwin O'Connor, American novelist died
- 1830 - Robert Hamerling, Austrian poet born
- 1855 - Olive Schreiner, South African writer born
- 1882 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American author died
- 1905 - Jules Verne, French author died
- 1916 - Donald Hamilton, Swedish-American novelist born
- 1926 - Dario Fo, Italian writer born
- 1927 - Martin Walser, German author born
- 1643 - Louis Moréri, French encyclopedist born
- 1661 - Paul de Rapin, French historian born
- 1881 - Mary Gladys Webb, English writer born
- 1926 - Jaime Sabines, Mexican poet born
- 1934 - Gloria Steinem, American author born
- 1980 - James Wright, American poet died
- 1859 - Alfred Edward Housman, English poet born
- 1874 - Robert Frost, American poet born
- 1904 - Joseph Campbell, American author born
- 1930 - Gregory Corso, American poet born
- 1942 - Erica Jong, American author born
- 2000 - Alex Comfort, American author died
- 1746 - Michael Bruce, Scottish poet born
- 1797 - Alfred de Vigny, French author born
- 1871 - Heinrich Mann, German writer born
- 1883 - Marie Under, Estonian author and poet born
- 1935 - Abelardo Castillo, Argentine writer born
- 2006 - Stanisław Lem, Polish writer died
- 1815 - Arsène Houssaye, French novelist born
- 1868 - Maxim Gorky, Russian author born
- 1909 - Nelson Algren, American writer born
- 1914 - Bohumil Hrabal, Czech writer born
- 2000 - Anthony Powell, British novelist died
- 1553 - Vitsentzos Kornaros, Greek Renaissance poet born
- 1891 - Yvan Goll, French-German writer born
- 1895 - Ernst Jünger, German author born
- 1902 - Marcel Aymé, French writer born
- 1913 - R. S. Thomas, Welsh poet born
- 1933 - Jacques Brault, French Canadian poet born
- 1936 - Judith Guest, American author born
- 2005 - Miltos Sahtouris, Greek poet died
- 2006 - Salvador Elizondo, Mexican writer died
- 1820 - Anna Sewell, British author born
- 1844 - Paul Verlaine, French poet born
- 1903 - Countee Cullen, American poet born
- 1923 - Milton Acorn, Canadian poet born
- 1967 - Jean Toomer, American writer died
- 2005 - Robert Creeley, American poet died
- 1621 - Andrew Marvell, English poet born
- 1809 - Edward FitzGerald, English poet born
- 1924 - Leo Buscaglia, American author born
- 1935 - Judith Rossner, American author born
- 1857 - Herman Melville publishes The Confidence-Man.
- 1875 - Edgar Wallace, English writer born
- 1926 - Anne McCaffrey, American author born
- 1929 - Milan Kundera, Czech-born writer born
- 1931 - Rolf Hochhuth, German writer born
- 1719 - Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet born
- 1725 - Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and writer born
- 1788 - Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet born
- 1798 - August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet born
- 1805 - Hans Christian Andersen, Danish writer born
- 1900 - Roberto Arlt, Argentine writer born
- 1926 - George MacDonald Fraser, English author born
- 1966 - C. S. Forester, British author died
- 1783 - Washington Irving, American author born
- 1991 - Graham Greene, English writer died
- 2000 - Terence McKenna, American writer and philosopher died
- 1572 - William Strachey, English writer born
- 1774 - Oliver Goldsmith, English writer died
- 1785 - Bettina von Arnim, German writer born
- 1846 - Comte de Lautréamont, French writer born
- 1858 - Remy de Gourmont, French poet born
- 1888 - Zdzisław Żygulski, Sr., Polish literary historian born
- 1902 - Stanley G. Weinbaum, American science-fiction author born
- 1914 - Marguerite Duras, French writer born
- 1928 - Maya Angelou, American writer born
- 1948 - Dan Simmons, American writer born
- 1735 - Samuel Wesley, English poet died
- 1765 - Edward Young, English poet died
- 1837 - Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet born
- 1917 - Robert Bloch, American author born
- 1920 - Rafique Zakaria, Indian author born
- 1929 - Hugo Claus, Belgian writer born
- 1997 - Allen Ginsberg, American poet died
- 2005 - Saul Bellow, Canadian-born writer died
- 1818 - Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian poet born
- 1878 - Erich Mühsam, German author born
- 1892 - Lowell Thomas, American travel writer born
- 1902 - Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer born
- 1953 - Idris Davies, Welsh poet died
- 1992 - Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author died
- 1668 - William Davenant, English poet died
- 1770 - William Wordsworth, English poet born
- 1909 - Robert Charroux, French writer born
- 1911 - Hervé Bazin, French writer born
- 1915 - Henry Kuttner, American writer born
- 1924 - Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian writer born
- 1587 - John Foxe, English writer died
- 1918 - Glendon Swarthout, American author born
- 1931 - Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer died
- 1955 - Joolz Denby, English poet and novelist born
- 2006 - Gerard Reve, Dutch writer died
- 1773 - Étienne Aignan, French writer born
- 1821 - Charles Baudelaire, French poet born
- 1899 - P. L. Travers, Australian author born
- 1912 - Lew Kopelew, Russian author born
- 1996 - Richard Condon, American novelist died
- 1997 - Helene Hanff, American writer died
- 1583 - Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and writer born
- 1778 - William Hazlitt, English writer born
- 1906 - The Four Million, O. Henry's second short story collection, is published.
- 1913 - Stefan Heym, German author born
- 1937 - Bella Akhmadulina, Russian poet born
- 1941 - Paul Theroux, American author born
- 1997 - Michael Dorris, American author died
- 1612 - Emanuel van Meteren, Flemish historian died
- 1722 - Christopher Smart, English poet born
- 1798 - Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet died
- 1900 - Sandor Marai, Hungarian writer born
- 1951 - James Patrick Kelly, American author born
- 1968 - Sergey Lukyanenko, Russian author born
- 1970 - John O'Hara, American author died
- 1975 - Walid Soliman, Tunisian author born
- 1977 - Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter died
- 1713 - Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French writer born
- 1848 - José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican poet born
- 1916 - Beverly Cleary, American writer born
- 1939 - Alan Ayckbourn, English writer born
- 1947 - Tom Clancy, American author born
- 1949 - Scott Turow, American writer born
- 1988 - Alan Paton, South African novelist died
- 1618 - Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French writer born
- 1695 - Jean de la Fontaine, French author died
- 1832 - Juan Montalvo, Ecuadoran author born
- 1872 - Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian writer born
- 1891 - Nella Larsen, African-American novelist born
- 1909 - Eudora Welty, American writer born
- 1922 - John Braine, British novelist born
- 1939 - Seamus Heaney, Irish writer born
- 2000 - Giorgio Bassani, Italian writer died
- 1785 - William Whitehead, English writer died
- 1926 - Frank Daniel, Czech writer born
- 1930 - Vladimir Mayakovsky, Russian writer died
- 1971 - Peter Gibson, American writer born
- 1976 - José Revueltas, Mexican writer died
- 1832 - Wilhelm Busch, German poet born
- 1843 - Henry James, American author born
- 1861 - Bliss Carman, Canadian poet born
- 1878 - Robert Walser, Swiss writer born
- 1892 - Corrie ten Boom, Dutch author born
- 1983 - Corrie ten Boom, Dutch author died
- 1986 - Jean Genet, French author died
- 1827 - Octave Crémazie, French Canadian poet born
- 1844 - Anatole France, French writer born
- 1871 - John Millington Synge, Irish writer born
- 1896 - Tristan Tzara, Romanian poet and essayist born
- 1915 - Gerard McLarnon, Irish playwright born
- 1922 - Kingsley Amis, English author born
- 1935 - Sarah Kirsch, German poet born
- 1994 - Ralph Ellison, American writer died
- 1397 - Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II. Chaucer scholars have also identified this date (in 1387) as when the book's pilgrimage to Canterbury starts.
- 1586 - John Ford, English dramatist born
- 1863 - Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet born
- 1885 - Isak Dinesen, Danish author born
- 1897 - Thornton Wilder, American dramatist born
- 1928 - Cynthia Ozick, American writer born
- 1957 - Nick Hornby, English author born
- 1996 - Piet Hein, Danish scientist and poet died
- 2004 - Edmond Pidoux, Swiss writer died
- 2014 - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Colombian novelist died
- 1556 - Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet died
- 1864 - Richard Harding Davis, American author born
- 1874 - Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, German author born
- 1875 - Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic, Croatian writer born
- 1915 - Joy Gresham, American writer born
- 1947 - Kathy Acker, American author born
- 1964 - Ben Hecht, American writer died
- 1627 - John Beaumont, English poet died
- 1665 - Jacques Lelong, French bibliographer born
- 1814 - Louis Amédée Achard, French novelist born
- 1832 - José Echegaray y Eizaguirre, Spanish writer born
- 1900 - Richard Hughes, English novelist born
- 1884 - Augusto dos Anjos, Brazilian poet born
- 1891 - Caresse Crosby, American poet born
- 1939 - Peter S. Beagle, American author born
- 1950 - Steve Erickson, American novelist born
- 1982 - Archibald MacLeish, American poet died
- 1989 - Doru Davidovici, Romanian writer died
- 1816 - Charlotte Brontë, English author born
- 1896 - Henry de Montherlant, French novelist and essayist born
- 1910 - Mark Twain, American author and humorist died
- 1922 - Alistair MacLean, Scottish author born
- 1930 - Robert Bridges, English poet died
- 1939 - Helen Prejean, American writer born
- 1956 - Charles MacArthur, American writer died
- 1616 - Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, playwright and poet died
- 1672 - Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish poet died
- 1707 - Henry Fielding, English author born
- 1724 - Immanuel Kant, German philosopher born
- 1766 - Madame de Staël, French author born
- 1873 - Ellen Glasgow, American author born
- 1899 - Vladimir Nabokov, Russian writer born
- 1914 - Jan de Hartog, Dutch writer born
- 1986 - Mircea Eliade, Romanian writer died
- 1895 - Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand writer born
- 1902 - Halldór Laxness, Icelandic writer born
- 1918 - Maurice Druon, French author born
- 1923 - Avram Davidson, American writer born
- 1948 - Pascal Quignard, French author born
- 1996 - P. L. Travers, Australian author died
- 1815 - Anthony Trollope, English novelist born
- 1852 - Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet died
- 1905 - Robert Penn Warren, American poet born
- 1940 - Sue Grafton, American author born
- 1942 - Karin Boye, Swedish author died
- 1942 - Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author died
- 1947 - Willa Cather, American writer died
- 1980 - Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer died
- 1566 - Louise Labé, French poet died
- 1719 - Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is published.
- 1800 - William Cowper, English poet died
- 1911 - Emilio Salgari, Italian novelist died
- 1914 - Ross Lockridge, Jr., American writer born
- 1939 - Ted Kooser, American poet born
- 1998 - Wright Morris, American writer died
- 2004 - Thom Gunn, British poet died
- 1564 - William Shakespeare, English poet and playwright born
- 1711 - David Hume, Scottish philosopher and historian born
- 1787 - Ludwig Uhland, German poet born
- 1886 - Ğabdulla Tuqay, Tatar poet born
- 1888 - Anita Loos, American writer born
- 1898 - Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer born
- 1912 - A. E. van Vogt, Canadian writer born
- 2004 - Hubert Selby Jr., American author died
- 1530 - Jacopo Sannazaro, Italian poet died
- 1667 - The blind, impoverished John Milton sells the copyright of Paradise Lost for £10.
- 1759 - Mary Wollstonecraft, English author born
- 1904 - Cecil Day-Lewis, Irish poet and writer born
- 1906 - Yórgos Theotokás, Greek novelist born
- 1920 - Edwin Morgan, Scottish poet born
- 1941 - Penelope Delta, Greek author died
- 1995 - Willem Frederik Hermans, Dutch writer died
- 1630 - Charles Cotton, English poet born
- 1853 - Ludwig Tieck, German writer died
- 1886 - Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet born
- 1903 - Johan Borgen, Norwegian author born
- 1914 - Philip E. High, British Science fiction author born
- 1926 - Harper Lee, American author born
- 1941 - Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet born
- 1948 - Terry Pratchett, English author born
- 2000 - Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer died
- 1780 - Charles Nodier, French writer born
- 1863 - Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet born
- 1875 - Rafael Sabatini, Italian/British writer born
- 1908 - Jack Williamson, American writer born
- 1929 - Walter Kempowski, German author born
- 1937 - Jill Paton Walsh, English writer born
- 1952 - David Icke, English writer born
- AD 65 - Lucan, Roman poet died
- 1660 - Petrus Scriverius, Dutch writer died
- 1736 - Johann Albert Fabricius, German bibliographer died
- 1795 - Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French writer died
- 1864 - Juhan Liiv, Estonian poet born
- 1883 - Jaroslav Hašek, Czech novelist born
- 1936 - Alfred Edward Housman, English poet died
- 1938 - Larry Niven, American author born
- 1945 - Annie Dillard, American writer born
- 1971 - John Boyne, Irish novelist born
- 1994 - Richard Scarry, American author died
- 1998 - Nizar Qabbani, Syrian poet died
- 1829 - José de Alencar, Brazilian novelist born
- 1923 - Joseph Heller, American novelist born
- 1947 - Sergio Infante, Chilean poet and writer born
- 1954 - Joel Rosenberg, science fiction author born
- 1772 - Novalis, German writer born
- 1859 - Jerome K. Jerome, English writer born
- 1873 - Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet born
- 1886 - Gottfried Benn, German author born
- 1890 - E. E. Smith, American writer born
- 1924 - Jamal Abro, Sindhi writer born
- 1989 - Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer died
- 1835 - Alfred Austin, English poet born
- 1859 - Andy Adams, American author born
- 1891 - Tadeusz Peiper, Polish poet born
- 1937 - Gone with the Wind, a novel by Margaret Mitchell, wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
- 1951 - Tatyana Tolstaya, Russian writer born
- 1715 - Richard Graves, English writer born
- 1938 - Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer born
- 1939 - Amos Oz, Israeli writer, novelist born
- 1940 - Robin Cook, American novelist born
- 1941 - George Will, American writer born
- 1949 - Graham Swift, British author born
- 1846 - Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish author born
- 1890 - Christopher Morley, American writer died
- 1943 - Michael Palin, British writer born
- 1988 - Michael Shaara, American author died
- 1868 - Gaston Leroux, French writer born
- 1871 - Christian Morgenstern, German author born
- 1897 - Paul Alverdes, German writer born
- 1915 - Theodore White, American writer born
- 1940 - John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
- 1812 - Robert Browning, English poet born
- 1861 - Rabindranath Tagore, Indian writer born
- 1867 - Władysław Reymont, Polish writer born
- 1882 - Willem Elsschot, Flemish writer born
- 1935 - Isobel Warren, Canadian author born
- 1960 - Almudena Grandes, Spanish novelist born
- 1668 - Alain-René Lesage, French writer born
- 1858 - John Meade Falkner, English novelist born
- 1895 - Edmund Wilson, American writer born
- 1914 - Romain Gary, Polish writer born
- 1920 - Sloan Wilson, American author born
- 1928 - Theodore Sorensen, American writer born
- 1963 - Robin Jarvis, British writer born
- 1860 - J. M. Barrie, Scottish author born
- 1920 - Richard Adams, English author born
- 1920 - William Tenn, American author born
- 1921 - Mona Van Duyn, American poet born
- 1934 - Alan Bennett, British author born
- 1977 - James Jones, American writer died
- 1604 - Jean Mairet, French dramatist born
- 1760 - Johann Peter Hebel, German poet born
- 1843 - Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish novelist born
- 1876 - Ivan Cankar, Slovenian writer born
- 1990 - Walker Percy, American author died
- 1907 - Rose Ausländer, German poet born
- 1916 - Camilo José Cela, Spanish writer born
- 1920 - William Dean Howells, American writer died
- 2001 - Douglas Adams, English author died
- 1700 - John Dryden, English writer died
- 1828 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet born
- 1907 - Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author died
- 1914 - Bertus Aafjes, Dutch poet born
- 1933 - Andrey Voznesensky, Russian poet born
- 1944 - Q, English writer died
- 1967 - John Masefield, British writer died
- 1970 - Nelly Sachs, German writer died
- 1840 - Alphonse Daudet, French novelist born
- 1907 - Dame Daphne du Maurier, English author born
- 1926 - Wallace Breem, British author born
- 1930 - José Jiménez Lozano, Spanish writer born
- 1937 - Roger Zelazny, American author born
- 2001 - R. K. Narayan, Indian novelist died
- 1265 - Dante Alighieri, Italian poet born
- 1817 - Alexander Kaufmann, German poet born
- 1927 - Herbert W. Franke, Austrian writer born
- 1965 - Eoin Colfer, Irish writer born
- 1856 - L. Frank Baum, American author born
- 1890 - Katherine Anne Porter, American author born
- 1891 - Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian writer born
- 1911 - Max Frisch, Swiss author born
- 1954 - William March, American writer died
- 1906 - Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuelan writer born
- 1910 - Olga Berggolts, Russian poet born
- 1912 - Studs Terkel, American writer born
- 1917 - Juan Rulfo, Mexican novelist born
- 1929 - Adrienne Rich, American writer born
- 1984 - Irwin Shaw, American author died
- 1155 - Jien, Japanese poet and historian born
- 1794 - Anna Brownell Jameson, British writer born
- 1836 - Virginie Loveling, Belgian writer and poet born
- 1873 - Dorothy Richardson, English writer born
- 1935 - Dennis Potter, English writer born
- 1785 - John Wilson, Scottish writer born
- 1897 - Dracula, a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker is published.
- 1944 - W. G. Sebald, German-born writer born
- 1952 - Diane Duane, American writer born
- 1981 - William Saroyan, American author died
- 1921 - Karel van het Reve, Dutch writer born
- 1934 - Ruskin Bond, Indian author born
- 1984 - John Betjeman, English poet died
- 2002 - Walter Lord, American writer died
- 1799 - Honoré de Balzac, French novelist born
- 1830 - Hector Malot, French writer born
- 1882 - Sigrid Undset, Norwegian author born
- 1921 - Wolfgang Borchert, German writer born
- 1971 - Waldo Williams, Welsh poet died
- 1688 - Alexander Pope, English poet born
- 1880 - Tudor Arghezi, Romanian writer born
- 1916 - Harold Robbins, American novelist born
- 1926 - Robert Creeley, American poet born
- 1808 - Gérard de Nerval, French writer born
- 1841 - Catulle Mendès, French poet born
- 1859 - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer born
- 1885 - Victor Hugo, French poet,novelist and dramatist died
- 1907 - Hergé, Belgian comic book creator born
- 1914 - Vance Packard, American author born
- 1729 - Giuseppe Parini, Italian writer born
- 1891 - Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish writer born
- 1898 - Scott O'Dell, American author born
- 1906 - Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian writer died
- 1910 - Margaret Wise Brown, American author born
- 1921 - James Blish, American author born
- 1595 - Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library
- 1855 - Arthur Wing Pinero, English playwright born
- 1899 - Henri Michaux, French poet born
- 1905 - Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer born
- 1928 - William Trevor, Irish writer born
- 1940 - Joseph Brodsky, Russian-born poet born
- 2004 - Milton Shulman, Canadian author died
- 1925 - Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet born
- 1927 - Robert Ludlum, American writer born
- 1932 - John Gregory Dunne, American writer born
- 1938 - Raymond Carver, American writer born
- 1949 - Jamaica Kincaid, Antiguan-born novelist born
- 1977 - Yevgenia Ginzburg, Russian writer died
- 1648 - Vincent Voiture, French poet died
- 1689 - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer born
- 1799 - Aleksandr Pushkin, Russian author born
- 1822 - Edmond de Goncourt, French writer born
- 1915 - Antonia Forest, British children's author born
- 2003 - Kathleen Winsor, American writer died
- 1867 - Arnold Bennett, British novelist born
- 1876 - Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish writer born
- 1884 - Max Brod, Austrian author born
- 1894 - Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French writer born
- 1894 - Dashiell Hammett, American author born
- 1900 - Uładzimir Zylka, Belarusian poet born
- 1912 - John Cheever, American author born
- 1915 - Herman Wouk, American writer born
- 1930 - John Barth, American novelist born
- 1971 - Kaur Kender, Estonian author born
- 1779 - Thomas Moore, Irish poet born
- 1849 - Anne Brontë, English author died
- 1908 - Ian Fleming, English author born
- 1911 - Fritz Hochwälder, Austrian author born
- 1912 - Patrick White, Australian writer born
- 1916 - Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer died
- 1916 - Walker Percy, American author born
- 1627 - Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French writer born
- 1874 - G. K. Chesterton, English novelist born
- 1892 - Alfonsina Storni, Argentine writer born
- 1906 - T. H. White, British author born
- 1911 - William S. Gilbert, English dramatist died
- 1933 - Edward Whittemore, American writer born
- 1958 - Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer died
- 1886 - Randolph Bourne, American writer born
- 1918 - Guadalupe "Pita" Amor, Mexican poet born
- 1922 - Hal Clement, American writer born
- 1951 - Hermann Broch, Austrian author died
- 2005 - Tomasz Pacyński, Polish writer died
- 1773 - Ludwig Tieck, German writer born
- 1819 - Walt Whitman, American poet born
- 1848 - Eugénie de Guérin, French writer die
- 1892 - Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian writer born
- 1908 - Louis-Honoré Fréchette, French Canadian poet died
- 1957 - Leopold Staff, Polish poet died
- 1960 - Willem Elsschot, Flemish writer died
- 1790 - Ferdinand Raimund, Austrian playwright born
- 1878 - John Masefield, English novelist and poet born
- 1881 - Charles Kay Ogden, English writer born
- 1937 - Colleen McCullough, Australian novelist born
- 1968 - André Laurendeau, French Canadian writer died
- 1740 - Marquis de Sade, French author born
- 1840 - Thomas Hardy, English writer born
- 1857 - Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Danish writer born
- 1913 - Barbara Pym, English novelist born
- 1935 - Carol Shields, American-born novelist born
- 1635 - Philippe Quinault, French writer born
- 1844 - Detlev von Liliencron, German poet born
- 1864 - Otto Erich Hartleben, German writer born
- 1926 - Allen Ginsberg, American poet born
- 1931 - John Norman, American author born
- 1964 - Frans Eemil Sillanpää, Finnish writer died
- 1821 - Apollon Maykov, Russian poet born
- 1875 - Eduard Mörike, German poet died
- 1907 - Jacques Roumain, Haitian writer born
- 1923 - Elizabeth Jolley, Australian writer born
- 1932 - Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand writer born
- 1964 - Samuil Marshak, Russian poet died
- 1640 - Pu Songling, Chinese writer born
- 1919 - Richard Scarry, American children's author born
- 1920 - Cornelius Ryan, Irish-American author born
- 1930 - Alifa Rifaat, Egyptian writer born
- 1932 - Christy Brown, Irish author born
- 1941 - Spalding Gray, American writer born
- 1949 - Ken Follett, Welsh author born
- 1841 - Eliza Orzeszkowa, Polish novelist born
- 1862 - Henry John Newbolt, English author born
- 1875 - Thomas Mann, German writer born
- 1923 - V. C. Andrews, American author born
- 1924 - Jinyong, Chinese novelist born
- 1954 - Cynthia Rylant, American author born
- 2000 - Frédéric Dard, French writer died
- 1899 - Elizabeth Bowen, Irish novelist born
- 1916 - Émile Faguet, French writer died
- 1917 - Gwendolyn Brooks, American poet born
- 1935 - Harry Crews, American author born
- 1943 - Nikki Giovanni, American poet born
- 1954 - Louise Erdrich, American author born
- 1967 - Dorothy Parker, American writer died
- 1970 - E. M. Forster, English author died
- 1980 - Henry Miller, American writer died
- 1611 - Jean Bertaut, French poet died
- 1903 - Marguerite Yourcenar, French author born
- 1949 - George Orwell's dystopian political novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was first published.
- 1870 - Charles Dickens, English author died
- 1925 - Keith Laumer, science fiction writer born
- 1939 - Charles Webb, author born
- 1943 - Joe Haldeman, science fiction writer born
- 1956 - Patricia Cornwell, American author born
- 1974 - Miguel Ángel Asturias, Guatemalan writer died
- 1552 - Alexander Barclay, English poet died
- 1580 - Luís de Camões, Portuguese poet died
- 1863 - Louis Couperus, Dutch novelist born
- 1911 - Terence Rattigan, British playwright born
- 1915 - Saul Bellow, American writer born
- 1928 - Maurice Sendak, American writer born
- 1949 - Sigrid Undset, Norwegian writer died
- 1982 - Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German author died
- 1991 - Vercors, French writer died
- 1540 - Barnabe Googe, English poet born
- 1572 - Ben Jonson, English dramatist born
- 1588 - George Wither, English writer born
- 1936 - Robert E. Howard, American author died
- 1998 - Catherine Cookson, British novelist died
- 1819 - Charles Kingsley, English writer born
- 1827 - Johanna Spyri, Swiss author born
- 1892 - Djuna Barnes, American author born
- 1906 - Sandro Penna, Italian poet born
- 1929 - Anne Frank, German-born Dutch Jewish diarist born
- 1953 - Tess Gerritsen, American novelist and physician born
- 1752 - Fanny Burney, English novelist and diarist born
- 1865 - William Butler Yeats, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate born
- 1887 - Bruno Frank, German author born
- 1888 - Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese poet born
- 1893 - Dorothy L. Sayers, English author born
- 1479 (O.S.) - Giglio Gregorio Giraldi, Italian poet born
- 1811 - Harriet Beecher Stowe, American author born
- 1837 - Giacomo Leopardi, Italian writer died
- 1899 - Yasunari Kawabata, Japanese writer, Nobel Prize laureate born
- 1986 - Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine writer died
- 1750 - Marguerite De Launay, Baronne Staal, French writer died
- 1888 - Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet born
- 1889 - Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet died
- 1911 - W.V. Awdry, British children's writer born
- 1914 - Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American cartoonist born
- 1313 - Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian writer born
- 1920 - John Howard Griffin, American writer born
- 1927 - Herbert Lichtenfeld, German author and playwright born
- 1937 - Erich Segal, American author born
- 1938 - Joyce Carol Oates, American novelist born
- 1808 - Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian author born
- 1810 - Ferdinand Freiligrath, German writer born
- 1914 - John Hersey, American author born
- 1946 - Peter Rosei, Austrian writer born
- 1957 - Dorothy Richardson, English writer died
- 1812 - Ivan Goncharov, Russian author born
- 1902 - Samuel Butler, English writer died
- 1932 - Geoffrey Hill, English poet born
- 1982 - John Cheever, American author died
- 1507 - Annibale Caro, Italian poet born
- 1978 - Garfield made his debut in a comic strip
- 1993 - William Golding, English writer, Nobel Prize laureate died
- 1999 - Stephen King was hit in a car accident on Route 5 in North Lovell, Maine by Bryan Smith
- 1951 - Paul Muldoon, Northern Irish poet born
- 1999 - Clifton Fadiman, American author died
- 2005 - Larry Collins, American writer died
- 1839 - Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Brazilian writer born
- 1883 - Fyodor Gladkov, Russian writer born
- 1905 - Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and writer, Nobel Prize laureate (declined) born
- 1935 - Françoise Sagan, French writer born
- 431 - Paulinus of Nola, Roman poet died
- 1856 - H. Rider Haggard, English author born
- 1898 - Erich Maria Remarque, German writer born
- 1906 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and pilot born
- 1913 - Ștefan Octavian Iosif, Romanian poet died
- 1668 - Giambattista Vico, Italian philosopher and historian born
- 1889 - Anna Akhmatova, Russian poet born
- 1910 - Jean Anouilh, French dramatist born
- 1944 - Thomas Mann becomes a US citizen
- 2003 - Vasil Bykaŭ, Belarusian writer died
- 1542 - St. John of the Cross, Spanish Carmelite friar and poet born
- 1704 - Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French writer born
- 1842 - Ambrose Bierce, American author born
- 1909 - Sarah Orne Jewett, American writer died
- 1903 - George Orwell (pen name of Eric Arthur Blair), British writer born
- 1923 - Nicholas Mosley, British writer born
- 1926 - Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian writer born
- 1929 - Eric Carle, American children's author born
- 1963 - Yann Martel, Canadian author born
- 1869 - Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish writer born
- 1892 - Pearl S. Buck, American writer born
- 1918 - Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet died
- 1919 - Richard Neustadt, American political historian born
- 1939 - Ford Madox Ford, English writer died
- 1884 - Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher and poet born
- 1953 - Alice McDermott, American novelist born
- 1957 - Malcolm Lowry, English novelist died
- 2001 - Tove Jansson, Finnish author died
- 2005 - Shelby Foote, American author and historian of the The Civil War: A Narrative series died
- 1503 - Giovanni della Casa, Italian poet born
- 1712 - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher born
- 1867 - Luigi Pirandello, Italian writer born
- 1947 - Mark Helprin, American writer born
- 2004 - Anthony Buckeridge, English author died
- 1315 - Ramon Llull, Spanish philosopher died
- 1798 - Giacomo Leopardi, Italian poet born
- 1861 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet died
- 1990 - Irving Wallace, American author and screenwriter died
- 1685 - John Gay, English writer born
- 1803 - Thomas Lovell Beddoes, English poet born
- 1908 - Winston Graham, English writer born
- 2003 - Robert McCloskey, American children's book writer and illustrator died
- 1574 - Joseph Hall, English bishop and writer born
- 1804 - George Sand, French writer born
- 1896 - Harriet Beecher Stowe, American author died
- 2004 - Peter Barnes, English writer died
- 1724 - Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, German poet born
- 1865 - Lily Braun, German writer born
- 1923 - Wisława Szymborska, Polish writer born
- 2004 - Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Portuguese writer and poet died
- 2005 - Ernest Lehman, American screenwriter died
- 1683 - Edward Young, English poet born
- 1793 - John Clare, British poet born
- 1883 - Franz Kafka, Czech writer born
- 1908 - M. F. K. Fisher, American writer born
- 2001 - Mordecai Richler, Canadian author died
- 1715 - Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet born
- 1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne, American writer born
- 1927 - Neil Simon, American playwright born
- 2000 - Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski, Polish writer died
- 1687 - Isaac Newton publishes Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica
- 1889 - Jean Cocteau, French writer born
- 1904 - Abai Kunanbaiuli, Kazakh poet died
- 1908 - Jonas Lie, Norwegian author died
- 1859 - Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish writer born
- 1533 - Ludovico Ariosto, Italian poet died
- 1535 - Sir Thomas More, English writer and philosopher was executed
- 1893 - Guy de Maupassant, French author died
- 1855 - Ludwig Ganghofer, German writer born
- 1884 - Lion Feuchtwanger, German novelist born
- 1893 - Miroslav Krleža, Croatian writer born
- 1956 - Gottfried Benn, German poet died
- 1971 - Claude Gauvreau, Canadian writer died
- 1621 - Jean de la Fontaine, French writer born
- 1889 - The first issue of the Wall Street Journal is published
- 1892 - Richard Aldington, English poet born
- 1987 - Gerardo Diego, Spanish poet died
- 2004 - Paula Danziger, American author died
- 1764 - Ann Radcliffe, English writer born
- 1775 - Matthew Lewis, English novelist born
- 1911 - Mervyn Peake, British writer and illustrator born
- 1871 - Marcel Proust, French writer born
- 1903 - John Wyndham, British author born
- 1931 - Alice Munro, Canadian writer born
- 1680 - Louis Moréri, French encyclopedist died
- 2003 - Winston Graham, English writer died
- 1561 - Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet born
- 1723 - Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and writer born
- 1859 - A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is published
- 1960 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published
- 1468 - Juan del Encina, Spanish poet born
- 1817 - Henry David Thoreau, American writer and philosopher born
- 1819 - Charles Kingsley, English writer born
- 1868 - Stefan George, German poet born
- 1889 - Robert Hamerling, Austrian poet died
- 1894 - Isaac Babel, Ukrainian writer born
- 1983 - Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author died
- 1743 - Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, Russian poet born
- 1912 - Northrop Frye, Canadian literary critic born
- 1918 - Arthur Laurents, American playwright, novelist, and director born
- 1921 - Leon Garfield, English children's author born
- 2003 - Éva Janikovszky, Hungarian novelist died
- 1892 - Walter Benjamin, German literary critic and writer born
- 1904 - Anton Chekhov, Russian physician and author died
- 1914 - Hammond Innes, English writer born
- 1995 - First item sold on Amazon.com
- 2003 - Roberto Bolaño, Chilean writer died
- 1664 - Andreas Gryphius, German writer died
- 1943 - Reinaldo Arenas, Cuban poet born
- 1951 - The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger published
- 2001 - Maurice De Bevere, Belgian cartoonist, the creator of Lucky Luke died
- 1888 - Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israeli writer born
- 1889 - Erle Stanley Gardner, American lawyer and author born
- 1901 - Bruno Jasieński, Polish poet born
- 1917 - Hector Malot, French writer died
- 1718 - Saverio Bettinelli, Italian writer born
- 1811 - William Makepeace Thackeray, English author born
- 1817 - Jane Austen, English novelist died
- 1906 - Clifford Odets, American writer born
- 1819 - Gottfried Keller, Swiss writer born
- 1893 - Vladimir Mayakovsky, Georgian poet born
- 1896 - A. J. Cronin, Scottish writer born
- 1374 - Petrarch, Italian poet died
- 1304 - Francesco Petrarch, Italian poet born
- 1816 - Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, Russian poet died
- 1864 - Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer born
- 1934 - Uwe Johnson, German writer born
- 2003 - Nicolas Freeling, English writer died
- 1796 - Robert Burns, Scottish poet died
- 1899 - Ernest Hemingway, American writer born
- 1911 - Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author born
- 1938 - Owen Wister, American author died
- 1733 - Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian philosopher and writer born
- 1916 - James Whitcomb Riley, American author and poet died
- 1948 - S. E. Hinton, American author born
- 1967 - Carl Sandburg, American poet died
- 1888 - Raymond Chandler, American-born author born
- 1970 - Thea Dorn, German writer born
- 1989 - Donald Barthelme, American author died
- 2001 - Eudora Welty, American author died
- 1802 - Alexandre Dumas père, French writer born
- 1857 - Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish writer born
- 1864 - Frank Wedekind, German writer born
- 1878 - Lord Dunsany, Irish writer born
- 1895 - Robert Graves, English scholar, poet, and novelist born
- 1916 - John D. MacDonald, American novelist born
- 1834 - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet died
- 1897 - Writer Jack London sails to join the Klondike Gold Rush where he will write his first successful stories.
- 1905 - Elias Canetti, Bulgarian-born writer born
- 1902 - Eric Hoffer, American philosopher born
- 1907 - Varlam Shalamov, Russian writer born
- 1856 - George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer born
- 1894 - Aldous Huxley, English-born author born
- 1897 - Paul Gallico, American author born
- 1942 - Roberto Arlt, Argentinian writer died
- 1959 - Rick Bragg, American writer born
- 1784 - Denis Davydov, Russian general and poet born
- 1824 - Alexandre Dumas, fils, French author born
- 1853 - Vladimir Korolenko, Russian writer born
- 1870 - Hilaire Belloc, English writer born
- 1908 - Joseph Mitchell, American writer born
- 1844 - Gerard Manley Hopkins, English poet born
- 1866 - Beatrix Potter, English author, famous for the illustrated storybooks about Peter Rabbit born
- 1909 - Malcolm Lowry, English novelist born
- 1927 - John Ashbery, American poet born
- 1945 - Jim Davis, American cartoonist, author of Garfield born
- 1605 - Simon Dach, German poet born
- 1805 - Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and political scientist born
- 1869 - Booth Tarkington, American author (The Magnificent Ambersons) born
- 1954 - The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of The Lord of the Rings, is published in the UK.
- 1975 - James Blish, American writer died
- 1715 - Nahum Tate, Irish poet died
- 1771 - Thomas Gray, English poet and letter-writer died
- 1818 - Emily Brontë, English novelist (Wuthering Heights) born
- 1904 - Salvador Novo, Mexican writer and poet born
- 1971 - Kenneth Slessor, Australian poet died
- 1843 - Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet born
- 1904 - Brett Halliday, American writer born
- 1929 - Lynne Reid Banks, British author born
- 1933 - Cees Nooteboom, Dutch writer born
- 1952 - João Barreiros, Portuguese writer born
- 1965 - J. K. Rowling, British novelist (Harry Potter series) born
- 2001 - Poul Anderson, American author died
- 1579 - Luís Vélez de Guevara, Spanish writer born
- 1819 - Herman Melville, American writer (Moby Dick) born
- 1950 - Jim Carroll, American poet born
- 1815 - Adolf Friedrich von Schack, German writer born
- 1865 - Irving Babbitt, American literary critic born
- 1924 - James Baldwin, American author (Go Tell It on the Mountain) born
- 1942 - Isabel Allende, Chilean author (The House of Spirits) born
- 1949 - James Fallows, journalist born
- 1955 - Caleb Carr, American novelist and military historian born
- 1887 - Rupert Brooke, English poet born
- 1904 - Clifford D. Simak, American science-fiction writer born
- 1920 - P. D. James, English crime fiction writer born
- 1924 - Leon Uris, American novelist born
- 1924 - Joseph Conrad, Polish-born writer (Heart of Darkness ) died
- 1937 - Diane Wakoski, American poet born
- 1954 - Colette, French writer died
- 1604 - François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac, French writer born
- 1792 - Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet born
- 1859 - Knut Hamsun, Norwegian writer born
- 1904 - Witold Gombrowicz, Polish novelist and dramatist born
- 1913 - Robert Hayden, American poet born
- 1936 - Assia Djebar, Algerian writer born
- 1850 - Guy de Maupassant, French author born
- 1889 - Conrad Aiken, American writer born
- 1895 - Friedrich Engels, German philosopher died
- 1637 - Ben Jonson, English writer died
- 1715 - Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French writer born
- 1809 - Alfred Lord Tennyson, English poet born
- 1868 - Paul Claudel, French poet born
- 1889 - John Middleton Murry, English poet born
- 1934 - Piers Anthony, English writer born
- 1533 - Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga, Basque soldier and poet (La Araucana) born
- 1574 - Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick, English writer born
- 1598 - Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish poet born
- 1635 - Friedrich von Spee, German writer died
- 1941 - Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author died
- 1955 - Vladimir Sorokin, Russian writer born
- 1974 - Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet died
- 1884 - Sara Teasdale American poet born
- 1896 - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings American novelist born
- 1593 - Izaak Walton English writer born
- 1631 - John Dryden English writer born
- 1854 - Henry David Thoreau published Walden
- 1899 - P. L. Travers creator of Mary Poppins born
- 1845 - Abai Kunanbaiuli, Kazak poet born
- 1869 - Laurence Binyon, British poet born
- 1878 - Alfred Döblin, German writer born
- 1884 - Panait Istrati, Romanian writer born
- 1912 - Virginia Stephen married Leonard Woolf
- 1912 - Jorge Amado, Brazilian novelist born
- 1948 - Montague Summers, English writer died
- 1774 - Tiphaigne de la Roche, French writer died
- 1892 - Eiji Yoshikawa, Japanese novelist born
- 1897 - Louise Bogan, American poet born
- 1897 - Enid Blyton, English author born
- 1913 - Angus Wilson, British novelist born
- 1921 - Alex Haley, American historian and novelist born
- 1932 - Fernando Arrabal, Spanish/French writer born
- 1937 - Edith Wharton, American author died
- 1647 - Johann Heinrich Acker, German writer born
- 1774 - Robert Southey, English poet and biographer born
- 1827 - William Blake, English poet and painter died
- 1831 - Helena Blavatsky, Ukrainian-born author born
- 1866 - Jacinto Benavente, Spanish writer born
- 1876 - Mary Roberts Rinehart, American author born
- 1880 - Radclyffe Hall, British author born
- 1926 - Wallace Markfield, American novelist born
- 1955 - Thomas Mann, German writer died
- 1964 - Ian Fleming, English novelist died
- 1721 - Jacques Lelong, French bibliographer born
- 1803 - Vladimir Odoevsky, Russian philosopher and writer born
- 1946 - H. G. Wells, English writer died
- 1967 - Amélie Nothomb, Belgian writer born
- 1994 - Elias Canetti, Bulgarian-born writer died
- 1995 - Jan Křesadlo, Czech-born writer died
- 1575 - Robert Hayman, English-born poet born
- 1771 - Sir Walter Scott, Scottish historical novelist born
- 1863 - Ernest Thayer, American poet born
- 1867 - John Galsworthy, English writer (The Forsyte Saga) born
- 1947 - Danielle Steel, American novelist born
- 1956 - Bertolt Brecht, German writer died
- 2004 - Czesław Miłosz, Polish-born writer died
- 1432 - Luigi Pulci, Italian poet born
- 1785 - Thomas De Quincey, English author born
- 1856 - Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer born
- 1858 - E. Nesbit, English author born
- 1885 - Edna Ferber, American novelist born
- 1898 - Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet born
- 1916 - Aleks Çaçi, Albanian writer born
- 1938 - Janusz Zajdel, Polish writer born
- 1645 - Jean de La Bruyère, French writer born
- 1860 - Jules Laforgue, French poet born
- 1888 - T. E. Lawrence, English writer born
- 1902 - Georgette Heyer, English novelist born
- 1920 - Charles Bukowski, American poet born
- 1949 - Margaret Mitchell, American novelist died
- 1676 - Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, German novelist died
- 1930 - Ted Hughes, English poet born
- 1932 - V. S. Naipaul, West Indian-born writer born
- 1414 - Jami, Persian poet born
- 1450 - Marko Marulić, Croatian poet born
- 1596 - Jean Bolland, Flemish Jesuit writer born
- 1850 - Honoré de Balzac, French writer died
- 1922 - Alain Robbe-Grillet, French writer born
- 1925 - Brian Aldiss, English writer born
- 1981 - Anita Loos, American screenwriter, playwright, and author died
- 1398 - Marqués de Santillana, Spanish poet born
- 1631 - John Dryden, English poet born
- 1689 - Samuel Richardson, English writer born
- 1902 - Ogden Nash, American poet born
- 1925 - Claude Gauvreau, Canadian playwright, poet, and polemicist born
- 1930 - Frank McCourt, Irish-American author (Angela's Ashes) born
- 1936 - Federico García Lorca, Spanish author died
- 1944 - Bodil Malmsten, Swedish writer born
- 1625 - Thomas Corneille, French dramatist born
- 1639 - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet died
- 1648 - Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, English diplomat, poet, and philosopher died
- 1847 - Bolesław Prus, Polish writer born
- 1881 - Edgar Guest, English poet born
- 1897 - Tarjei Vesaas, Norwegian writer born
- 1890 - H. P. Lovecraft, American writer born
- 1918 - Jacqueline Susann, American novelist born
- 1932 - Vasily Aksyonov, Russian novelist born
- 1961 - Greg Egan, Australian author born
- 1986 - Milton Acorn, Canadian poet died
- 1762 - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer died
- 1798 - Jules Michelet, French historian born
- 1838 - Adelbert von Chamisso, German writer died
- 1908 - M. M. Kaye, British writer born
- 1940 - Ernest Lawrence Thayer, American poet died
- 1943 - Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish writer died
- 2005 - Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israeli poet died
- 1601 - Georges de Scudéry, French writer born
- 1624 - Jean Renaud de Segrais, French writer born
- 1779 - James Kirke Paulding, American author, poet born
- 1880 - George Herriman, American cartoonist born
- 1891 - Jan Neruda, Czech author died
- 1893 - Dorothy Parker, American writer, humorist born
- 1920 - Ray Bradbury, American writer born
- 1935 - E. Annie Proulx, American author born
- 1958 - Roger Martin du Gard, French writer died
- 1849 - William Ernest Henley, British poet and critic, born
- 1869 - Edgar Lee Masters, American author, born
- 1880 - Alexander Grin, Russian writer, born
- 1884 - Will Cuppy, American humorist, born
- 1924 - Ephraim Kishon, Israeli writer, born
- 1943 - Nelson DeMille, American novelist, born
- 1948 - Andrei Pleșu, Romanian writer and essayist, born
- 1999 - James White, Northern Irish science fiction writer, died
- 2001 - Peter Maas, American novelist, died
- 1580 - John Taylor, English poet born
- 1591 - Robert Herrick, English poet born
- 1817 - Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Russian writer born
- 1884 - Earl Derr Biggers, American author born
- 1890 - Jean Rhys, Dominican writer born
- 1898 - Malcolm Cowley, American literary critic, writer, and editor born
- 1899 - Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine writer born
- 1915 - James Tiptree, Jr, American writer born
- 1936 - A. S. Byatt, English novelist born
- 1947 - Paulo Coelho, Brazilian author born
- 1951 - Orson Scott Card, American writer born
- 1951 - Oscar Hijuelos, American author born
- 1744 - Johann Gottfried Herder, German writer born
- 1802 - Nikolaus Lenau, Austrian poet born
- 1836 - Bret Harte, American writer born
- 1913 - Walt Kelly, American cartoonist born
- 1921 - Brian Moore, Irish-born writer born
- 1935 - Charles Wright, American poet born
- 1938 - Frederick Forsyth, English author born
- 1949 - Martin Amis, English novelist born
- 1984 - Truman Capote, American author died
- 2000 - Carl Barks, American cartoonist died
- 2002 - Dorothy Hewett, Australian writer died
- 1874 - Zona Gale, American novelist born
- 1875 - John Buchan, Scottish novelist born
- 1880 - Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet born
- 1904 - Christopher Isherwood, English writer born
- 1914 - Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer born
- 1945 - Franz Werfel, Austrian writer died
- 1979 - Mika Waltari, Finnish author died
- 1989 - Irving Stone, American author died
- 1635 - Lope de Vega, Spanish poet and playwright died
- 1748 - James Thomson, Scottish poet died
- 1870 - Amado Nervo, Mexican poet born
- 1871 - Theodore Dreiser, American author born
- 1958 - Tom Lanoye, Belgian author born
- 1645 - Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and writer died
- 1749 - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer born
- 1814 - Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish writer born
- 1828 (O.S.) - Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer (War and Peace and Anna Karenina) born
- 1906 - John Betjeman, English poet born
- 1913 - Robertson Davies, Canadian writer born
- 1916 - Jack Vance, American author born
- 1924 - Janet Frame, New Zealand author born
- 1993 - William Stafford, American writer died
- 1632 - John Locke, English philosopher born
- 1844 - Edward Carpenter, English Socialist poet born
- 1862 - Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian writer born
- 1898 - Preston Sturges, American screenwriter born
- 1930 - William Archibald Spooner, English writer died
- 1797 - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English writer born
- 1856 - Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English writer died
- 1925 - Laurent de Brunhoff, French writer born
- 1935 - Henri Barbusse, French novelist and journalist died
- 1688 - John Bunyan, English writer died
- 1811 - Theophile Gautier, French poet and novelist born
- 1867 - Charles Baudelaire, French poet died
- 1885 - DuBose Heyward, American playwright born
- 1896 - Félix-Antoine Savard, French Canadian priest and novelist born
- 1908 - William Saroyan, American author born
- 1941 - Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet hanged herself
- 1953 - György Károly, Hungarian author born
- 1967 - Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian writer died
- 1855 - Innokenty Annensky, Russian poet born
- 1875 - Edgar Rice Burroughs, American writer born
- 1887 - Blaise Cendrars, Swiss writer born
- 1899 - Andrei Platonov, Russian writer born
- 1921 - Willem Frederik Hermans, Dutch writer, considered one of the three most important authors in the Netherlands in the postwar period is born
- 1942 - C. J. Cherryh, American writer born
- 1967 - Siegfried Sassoon, English poet died
- 1675 – William Somervile, English poet born
- 1805 – Esteban Echeverría, Argentine writer who played a significant role in the development of Argentine literature is born
- 1854 – Hans Jæger, Norwegian writer born
- 1872 – N. F. S. Grundtvig, Danish writer and philosopher died
- 1894 – Joseph Roth, Austrian novelist born
- 1917 – Cleveland Amory, American author born
- 1921 – Henry Austin Dobson, English poet died
- 1965 – Johannes Bobrowski, German writer died
- 1973 – J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer died
- 1976 – Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish writer died
- 1998 – Allen Drury, American author died
- 2000 – Curt Siodmak, German-born author died
- 1592 - Robert Greene, English writer died
- 1849 - Sarah Orne Jewett, American writer born
- 1903 - Joseph Skipsey, British poet died
- 1930 - Cherry Wilder, New Zealand author born
- 1938 - Caryl Churchill, English playwright born
- 1941 - Sergei Dovlatov, Russian writer born
- 1962 - E. E. Cummings, American poet died
- 1963 - Louis MacNeice, Northern Irish poet died
- 1596 - Constantijn Huygens, Dutch poet born
- 1896 - Antonin Artaud, French playwright born
- 1905 - Mary Renault, English novelist born
- 1908 - Richard Wright, American writer born
- 1909 - Clyde Fitch, American dramatist and playwright died
- 1916 - José Echegaray, Spanish writer died
- 1924 - Joan Aiken, English writer born
- 1974 - Marcel Achard, French playwright died
- 1989 - Georges Simenon, French author died
- 1568 - Tommaso Campanella, Italian theologian, philosopher, and poet born
- 1750 - Robert Fergusson, Scottish poet born
- 1808 - John Home, Scottish writer died
- 1827 - Goffredo Mameli, Italian poet and writer born
- 1905 - Arthur Koestler, Hungarian writer born
- 1916 - Frank Yerby, American novelist born
- 1950 - Paul William Roberts, Canadian writer born
- 1783 - Bertinazzi, Italian actor and writer died
- 1869 - Felix Salten, Austrian author born
- 1900 - Julien Green, French born American novelist born
- 1907 - Sully Prudhomme, French writer died
- 1928 - Robert M. Pirsig, American author born
- 1963 - Alice Sebold, American writer born
- 1719 - John Harris, English writer died
- 1866 - Tristan Bernard, French writer born
- 1870 - Aleksandr Kuprin, Russian writer born
- 1881 - Sidney Lanier, American writer died
- 1885 - Elinor Wylie, American writer born
- 1887 - Edith Sitwell, English poet born
- 1900 - Taylor Caldwell, American author born
- 1962 - Karen Blixen, Danish author died
- 1962 - Jennifer Egan, American writer born
- 1994 - James Clavell, Australian-born American author (Shogun) died
- 1474 – Ludovico Ariosto, Italian poet born
- 1644 – Francis Quarles, English poet died
- 1645 – Francisco de Quevedo, Spanish writer died
- 1656 – Joseph Hall, English bishop and writer died
- 1682 – Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, Spanish writer died
- 1778 – Clemens Brentano, German poet born
- 1783 – N. F. S. Grundtvig, Danish writer and philosopher born
- 1804 – Eduard Mörike, German poet born
- 1830 – Frédéric Mistral, French poet born
- 1886 – Siegfried Sassoon, English poet born
- 1919 – Gianni Brera, Italian writer born
- 1924 – Grace Metalious, American writer (Peyton Place) born
- 1933 – Michael Frayn, British playwright born
- 1947 – Ann Beattie, American writer born
- 1948 – Thomas Mofolo, Lesotho writer died
- 1952 – The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is published
- 1828 (N.S.) - Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist born
- 1834 - Joseph Henry Shorthouse, English novelist born
- 1868 - Mary Hunter Austin, American writer born
- 1878 - Adelaide Crapsey, American poet born
- 1898 - Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet died
- 1900 - James Hilton, English novelist born
- 1903 - Phyllis Whitney, American writer born
- 1908 - Cesare Pavese, Italian poet and novelist born
- 1980 - John Howard Griffin, American writer died
- 1758 - Hannah Webster Foster, American author born
- 1797 - Mary Wollstonecraft, English author died
- 1866 - Jeppe Aakjær, Danish writer born
- 1886 - Hilda Doolittle, American poet and novelist born
- 1937 - Sergei Tretyakov, Russian writer died
- 1941 - Stephen Jay Gould, American author born
- 1976 - Dalton Trumbo, American writer died
- 2000 - Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, Pakistani journalist and writer died
- 1524 - Pierre de Ronsard, French poet born
- 1836 - Fitz Hugh Ludlow, American author born
- 1862 - O. Henry, American writer born
- 1885 - D. H. Lawrence, English novelist born
- 1911 - Louis Henri Boussenard, French novelist died
- 1917 - Jessica Mitford, British writer born
- 1921 - Subramanya Bharathy, Tamil poet died
- 1665 - Jean Bolland, Flemish Jesuit writer died
- 1740 - Johann Heinrich Jung, German author born
- 1836 - Christian Dietrich Grabbe, German writer died
- 1870 - Fitz Hugh Ludlow, American author died
- 1880 - H. L. Mencken, American journalist and author born
- 1907 - Louis MacNeice, Northern Irish poet born
- 1919 - Leonid Andreyev, Russian writer died
- 1921 - Stanisław Lem, Polish writer born
- 1929 - Rainis, Latvian poet and playwright died
- 1943 - Michael Ondaatje, Sri Lankan-born writer born
- 1956 - Hans Carossa, German writer died
- 1981 - Eugenio Montale, Italian poet died
- 1321 - Dante Alighieri, Italian poet died
- 1592 - Michel de Montaigne, French writer died
- 1802 - Arnold Ruge, German philosopher and political writer born
- 1808 - Saverio Bettinelli, Italian writer died
- 1830 - Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian writer born
- 1876 - Sherwood Anderson, American writer born
- 1894 - J. B. Priestley, English playwright and novelist born
- 1894 - Julian Tuwim, Polish poet born
- 1916 - Roald Dahl, Welsh writer born
- 1928 - Italo Svevo, Italian author died
- 1851 - James Fenimore Cooper, American author died
- 1920 - Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan writer born
- 1926 - Michel Butor, French novelist born
- 1929 - Larry Collins, American writer born
- 1942 - Bernard MacLaverty, Northern Irish writer born
- 2005 - Vladimir Volkoff, French writer died
- 1613 - François de La Rochefoucauld, French writer born
- 1613 - Thomas Overbury, English writer died (murdered)
- 1701 - Edmé Boursault, French writer died
- 1789 - James Fenimore Cooper, American novelist born
- 1889 - Robert Benchley, American author born
- 1890 - Agatha Christie, English writer remembered for her 80 mystery novels, particularly featuring detectives Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, is born
- 1898 - J. Slauerhoff, Dutch poet and novelist born
- 1914 - Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentine writer born
- 1926 - Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German writer died
- 1955 - Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is published in Paris by Olympia Press.
- 1969 - Jim Curtiss, American writer born
- 1989 - Robert Penn Warren, American writer died
- 2003 - Josef Hiršal, Czech novelist died
- 1672 - Anne Bradstreet, American colonial poet died
- 1883 - T. E. Hulme, English writer born
- 1888 - F. E. Sillanpää, Finnish writer born
- 1905 - Vladimír Holan, Czech poet born
- 1919 - Laurence J. Peter, Canadian born writer born
- 1943 - James Alan McPherson, American writer born
- 1960 - Kurt Busiek, American comic book writer born
- 2007 - Robert Jordan, American writer died
- 1580 - Francisco de Quevedo, Spanish writer born
- 1771 - Tobias Smollett, Scottish novelist died
- 1863 - Alfred de Vigny, French author died
- 1883 - William Carlos Williams, American writer born
- 1935 - Ken Kesey, American author born
- 1938 - Bruno Jasieński, Polish poet died (executed)
- 1709 - Samuel Johnson, English writer and lexicographer born
- 1750 - Tomas de Iriarte, Spanish writer born
- 1827 - Robert Pollok, Scottish poet died
- 1959 - Benjamin Péret, French surrealist author died
- 1964 - Seán O'Casey, Irish writer died
- 1980 - Katherine Anne Porter, American novelist died
- 1908 - Mika Waltari, Finnish novelist born
- 1911 - Sir William Golding, English writer born
- 1920 - Roger Angell, American sports writer born
- 1922 - Damon Knight, American writer born
- 1933 - Gilles Archambault, Québécois novelist born
- 1964 - Patrick Marber, British playwright born
- 1985 - Italo Calvino, Italian writer died
- 1878 - Upton Sinclair, American writer born
- 1884 - Maxwell Perkins, American editor of novelists born
- 1898 - Theodor Fontane, German writer died
- 1902 - Stevie Smith, British poet and novelist born
- 1923 - Geraldine Clinton Little, Irish-born poet born
- 1928 - Donald Hall, American poet born
- 1948 - George R. R. Martin, American writer born
- 1971 - Giorgos Seferis, Greek writer died
- 1975 - Saint-John Perse, French diplomat and writer died
- 19 BC - Virgil, Roman poet died
- 1542 - Juan Boscán Almogáver, Spanish poet died
- 1719 - Johann Heinrich Acker, German writer died
- 1832 - Sir Walter Scott, Scottish writer died
- 1866 - H. G. Wells, English writer born
- 1895 - Sergei Yesenin, Russian poet born
- 1902 - Luis Cernuda, Spanish poet born
- 1937 - J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is published.
- 1938 - Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić Croatian writer died
- 1944 - Fannie Flagg, American actress and novelist born
- 1947 - Stephen King, American author born
- 1947 - Marsha Norman, American playwright born
- 1972 - Henry de Montherlant, French writer died
- 1974 - Jacqueline Susann, American novelist died
- 2002 - Robert Forward, American writer died
- 1547 - Philipp Nikodemus Frischlin, German philologist and poet born
- 1658 - Georg Philipp Harsdorffer, German poet died
- 1680 - Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet born
- 1722 - John Home, Scottish writer born
- 1743 - Quintin Craufurd, British author born
- 1788 - Theodore Edward Hook, English author born
- 1923 - Dannie Abse, Welsh poet and writer born
- 1924 - Rosamunde Pilcher, English novelist born
- 1947 - Robert Morace, American writer born
- 1988 - Rais Amrohvi, Pakistani poet died
- 2002 - Jan de Hartog, Dutch-born writer died
- 480 BC - Euripides, Greek playwright born
- 1605 - Pontus de Tyard, French poet died
- 1764 - Robert Dodsley, English writer died
- 1863 - Mary Church Terrell, American writer born
- 1865 - Baroness Orczy, British novelist born
- 1870 - Prosper Mérimée, French author died
- 1889 - Wilkie Collins, British author died
- 1901 - Jaroslav Seifert, Czech writer born
- 1907 - Dominique Aury, French novelist born
- 1943 - Elinor Glyn, English author died
- 1956 - Peter David, American writer born
- 1973 - Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet died
- 1994 - Robert Bloch, American author died
- 1707 - Vicenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet died
- 1802 - Alexander Radishchev, Russian writer died
- 1817 - Ramon de Campoamor y Campoosorio, Spanish poet and philosopher born
- 1878 - C. F. Ramuz, Swiss writer born
- 1890 - A. P. Herbert, British humorist, barrister, novelist born
- 1896 - F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist born
- 1933 - Alice Muriel Williamson, British novelist died
- 1966 - Michael J. Varhola, American author born
- 1991 - Theodor Seuss Geisel aka. Dr. Seuss, American children's writer died
- 2004 - Françoise Sagan, French writer died
- 1536 - Johannes Secundus, Dutch poet died
- 1782 - Charles Robert Maturin, Irish playwright and novelist born
- 1881 - Lu Xun, Chinese writer born
- 1897 - William Faulkner, American writer born
- 1930 - Shel Silverstein, American humorist and author born
- 1933 - Ring Lardner, American writer died
- 1970 - Erich Maria Remarque, German author died
- 1980 - Marie Under, Estonian author and poet died
- 1999 - Marion Zimmer Bradley, American writer died
- 2000 - R. S. Thomas, Welsh poet died
- 2003 - Herb Gardner, American playwright died
- 2003 - George Plimpton, American writer and actor died
- 2005 - M. Scott Peck, American psychiatrist and writer died
- 1763 - John Byron, English poet died
- 1887 - Edwin Keppel Bennett, British writer born
- 1888 - T. S. Eliot, American-born writer and editor born
- 1932 - Vladimir Voinovich, Russian writer and dissident born
- 1947 - Hugh Lofting, British writer died
- 1949 - Jane Smiley, American writer born
- 1961 - Will Self, British author born
- 1990 - Alberto Moravia, Italian author died
- 1729 - Michael Denis, Austrian poet born
- 1730 - Laurence Eusden, English poet died
- 1821 - Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss writer born
- 1871 - Grazia Deledda, Italian writer born
- 1891 - Ivan Goncharov, Russian author died
- 1906 - William Empson, British poet born
- 1906 - Jim Thompson, American author born
- 1917 - Louis Auchincloss, American author born
- 1924 - Bernard Waber, American author born
- 1945 - Kay Ryan, American poet born
- 1951 - Jim Shooter, American comic book writer born
- 1961 - Irvine Welsh, Scottish writer born
- 1493 - Agnolo Firenzuola, Italian poet born
- 1618 - Joshua Sylvester, English poet died
- 1803 - Prosper Mérimée, French author born
- 1824 - Francis Turner Palgrave, British critic and poet born
- 1856 - Kate Douglas Wiggin, American children's author born
- 1891 - Herman Melville, American novelist died
- 1909 - Al Capp, American cartoonist born
- 1950 - John Sayles, American director and writer born
- 1966 - André Breton, French poet died
- 1970 - John Dos Passos, American novelist died
- 1993 - Peter De Vries, American novelist died
- 1547 - Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish author is born. He is best known for his novel Don Quixote de la Mancha, which is considered by many to be the first modern novel, one of the greatest works in Western literature, and the greatest in the Spanish language.
- 1800 - Michael Denis, Austrian poet died
- 1810 - Elizabeth Gaskell, British novelist born
- 1864 - Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish writer and philosopher born
- 1901 - Lanza del Vasto, Italian philosopher and poet born
- 1902 - William Topaz McGonagall, British poet died
- 1902 - Émile Zola, French writer died
- 1908 - Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Brazilian writer died
- 1930 - Colin Dexter, British author of Inspector Morse novels is born
- 1951 - Andrés Caicedo, Colombian writer born
- 1967 - Carson McCullers, American author died
- 1973 - W. H. Auden, English poet died
- 1628 - Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, English poet died
- 1700 - Stanisław Konarski, Polish writer born
- 1868 - First edition of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is published.
- 1904 - Waldo Williams, Welsh poet born
- 1924 - Truman Capote, American author born
- 1990 - Patrick White, Australian writer died
- 1684 - Pierre Corneille, French author died
- 1760 - William Thomas Beckford, English writer born
- 1791 - Sergei Aksakov, Russian writer born
- 1842 - Charles Cros, French poet born
- 1885 - Louis Untermeyer, American author born
- 1899 - Ernest Haycox, American writer born
- 1914 - Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian and writer born
- 1949 - Isaac Bonewits, American author born
- 1953 - John Hegley, British poet born
- 1968 - Jon Guenther, American author born
- 1985 - E. B. White, American author died
- 1988 - Sacheverell Sitwell, English writer died
- 1644 - François-Timoléon de Choisy, French writer born
- 1724 - François-Timoléon de Choisy, French writer died
- 1775 - Chiyo-ni, Japanese poet died
- 1879 - Wallace Stevens, American poet born
- 1904 - Graham Greene, British novelist born
- 1911 - Jack Finney, American author born
- 1926 - Jan Morris, English writer born
- 1999 - Heinz G. Konsalik, German novelist died
- 2005 - August Wilson, American playwright died
- 1596 - Florent Chrestien, French writer died
- 1690 - Robert Barclay, Scottish writer born
- 1720 - Johann Uz, German poet born
- 1895 - Giovanni Comisso, Italian writer born
- 1896 - Gerardo Diego, Spanish poet born
- 1897 - Louis Aragon, French writer born
- 1900 - Thomas Wolfe, American author born
- 1916 - James Herriot, English veterinarian and author born
- 1925 - Gore Vidal, American author born
- 1987 - Jean Anouilh, French writer died
- 2003 - William Steig, American cartoonist and children's author died
- 1862 - Edward Stratemeyer, American author who created the Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Rover Boys, and Tom Swift series is born
- 1880 - Damon Runyon, American writer born
- 1928 - Alvin Toffler, American author born
- 1937 - Jackie Collins, British author born
- 1941 - Anne Rice, American writer born
- 1961 - Kazuki Takahashi, Japanese author born
- 1974 - Anne Sexton, American poet died
- 1540 - Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet died
- 1606 - Philippe Desportes, French poet died
- 1713 - Denis Diderot, French philosopher and encyclopedist born
- 1889 - Teresa de la Parra, Venezuelan writer born
- 1911 - Flann O'Brien, Irish humorist born
- 1928 - Louise Fitzhugh, American author born
- 1936 - Václav Havel, playwright and President of the Czech Republic born
- 1936 - J. Slauerhoff, Dutch poet and novelist died
- 1939 - Marie-Claire Blais, French Canadian author and playwright born
- 1946 - Zahida Hina, Pakistani columnist and story writer born
- 1948 - Zoran Živković, Serbian writer born
- 1952 - Clive Barker, English writer born
- 1660 - Paul Scarron, French writer died
- 1872 - Mikhail Kuzmin, Russian writer born
- 1892 - Alfred Lord Tennyson, British poet died
- 1916 - Stanley Ellin, American crime writer born
- 1930 - The novel As I Lay Dying, written by American author William Faulkner, is published.
- 1950 - David Brin, American author born
- 1952 - Ayten Mutlu, Turkish poet and writer born
- 1576 - John Marston, English writer born
- 1577 - George Gascoigne, English poet died
- 1849 - Edgar Allan Poe, American writer died
- 1853 - James Whitcomb Riley, American poet born
- 1894 - Oliver Wendell Holmes, American writer died
- 1913 - Simon Carmiggelt, Dutch journalist and writer born
- 1929 - Robert Westall, British author born
- 1934 - Amiri Baraka, American playwright and poet born
- 1935 - Thomas Keneally, Australian author (Schindler's Ark) born
- 1943 - Radclyffe Hall, British author died
- 1955 - First reading of the Allen Ginsberg poem "Howl" took place in San Francisco.
- 1981 - Albert Cohen, Greek-born novelist died
- 1754 - Henry Fielding, English author died
- 1894 - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., American physician and writer died
- 1917 - Walter Lord, American author born
- 1920 - Frank Herbert, American writer born
- 1943 - R. L. Stine, American author born
- 1945 - Felix Salten, Austrian author died
- 1958 - Ran Bosilek, Bulgarian author and translator died
- 1970 - Jean Giono, French author died
- 1892 - Ivo Andrić, Serbo-Croatian writer born
- 1892 - Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet born
- 1893 - Mário de Andrade, Brazilian writer born
- 1920 - Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian author born
- 1924 - Valery Bryusov, Russian writer and critic died
- 1967 - André Maurois, French author died
- 1989 - Penny Lernoux, American journalist and author died
- 1674 - Thomas Traherne, English poet died
- 1691 - Isaac de Benserade, French poet died
- 1827 - Ugo Foscolo, Italian writer died
- 1834 - Aleksis Kivi, Finnish author born
- 1870 - Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin, Russian writer born
- 1875 - Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Russian novelist, poet and dramatist died
- 1906 - Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Narayan, Indian novelist born
- 1913 - Claude Simon, French writer born
- 1930 - Mustafa Zaidi, Pakistani poet born
- 1930 - Harold Pinter, English playwright born
- 2004 - Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand writer died
- 2005 - Wayne C. Booth, American literary critic died
- 1616 - Andreas Gryphius, German writer born
- 1885 - François Mauriac, French writer born
- 1925 - Elmore Leonard, American novelist born
- 1935 - Steele Rudd, Australian author died
- 1937 - R. H. W. Dillard, American poet born
- 1963 - Jean Cocteau, French writer died
- 1976 - Alfredo Bracchi, Italian author died
- 1977 - MacKinlay Kantor, American author died
- 2005 - Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Linguist, and writer of Pakistan died
- 1679 - William Gurnall, English writer died
- 1875 - Aleister Crowley, English occultist and author born
- 1880 - Louis Hémon, French novelist born
- 1887 - Paula von Preradović , Croatian-Austrian poet born
- 1896 - Eugenio Montale, Italian poet born
- 1904 - Ding Ling, Chinese writer born
- 1908 - Ann Petry, American novelist born
- 1920 - Alice Childress, American playwright born
- 1924 - Anatole France, French author died
- 1970 - Mustafa Zaidi, Pakistani poet died
- 1988 - Ruth Manning-Sanders, author of children's books died
- 1991 - Arkady Strugatsky, Russian novelist died
- 1994 - Gérald Godin, Québécois poet died
- 1696 - John Hervey, Lord Hervey, English statesman and writer born
- 1862 - Mary Kingsley, English writer born
- 1869 - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic died
- 1880 - Sasha Cherny, Russian poet born
- 1890 - Conrad Richter, American novelist born
- 1902 - Arna Bontemps, American poet born
- 1919 - Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Danish writer died
- 1931 - Ernst Didring, Swedish author died
- 1950 - Ernest Haycox, American writer died
- 1637 - Gabriello Chiabrera, Italian poet died
- 1703 - Thomas Hansen Kingo, Danish poet died
- 1888 - Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand writer born
- 1894 - E. E. Cummings, American poet born
- 1906 - Hannah Arendt, German political theorist and writer born
- 1908 - Ruth Hale, American playwright and actress born
- 1926 - The children's book Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne, is first published.
- 1997 - Harold Robbins, American novelist died
- 1998 - Cleveland Amory, American writer and animal rights activist died
- 70 BC - Virgil, Roman poet born
- 1686 - Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet born
- 1764 - Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
- 1814 - Mikhail Lermontov, Russian author born
- 1837 - Ivan Dmitriev, Russian statesman and poet died
- 1844 - Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher born
- 1881 - P. G. Wodehouse, British novelist born
- 1891 - Gilbert Arthur a Beckett, English writer died
- 1905 - C. P. Snow, British writer born
- 1920 - Mario Puzo, American novelist (The Godfather) born
- 1923 - Italo Calvino, Italian writer born
- 1926 - Evan Hunter, American author born
- 1930 - FM-2030, philosopher born
- 1954 - Peter Bakowski, Australian poet born
- 1628 - François de Malherbe, French poet and critic died
- 1758 - Noah Webster, American lexicographer born
- 1854 - Oscar Wilde, Irish writer born
- 1888 - Eugene O'Neill, American writer born
- 1919 - Kathleen Winsor, American writer born
- 1927 - Günter Grass, German writer born
- 1961 - Marc Levy, French novelist born
- 1937 - Jean de Brunhoff, French writer died
- 1962 - Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher and poet died
- 1979 - Johan Borgen, Norwegian author died
- 1996 - Eric Malpass, English novelist died
- 1999 - Jean Shepherd, American writer died
- 1711 - Jupiter Hammon, American writer born
- 1719 - Jacques Cazotte, French writer born
- 1813 - Georg Büchner, German playwright born
- 1898 - Simon Vestdijk, Dutch writer born
- 1903 - Nathanael West, American writer born
- 1915 - Arthur Miller, American playwright born
- 1917 - Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian novelist born
- 1930 - Jimmy Breslin, American writer born
- 1931 - Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian writer born
- 1973 - Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian writer died
- 1979 - S. J. Perelman, American writer died
- 1981 - Albert Cohen, Swiss author died
- 2005 - Ba Jin, Chinese writer died
- 1569 - Giambattista Marini, Italian poet born
- 1777 - Heinrich von Kleist, German writer born
- 1785 - Thomas Love Peacock, English satirist born
- 1868 - Ernst Didring, Swedish author born
- 1948 - Ntozake Shange, American author born
- 1950 - Wendy Wasserstein, American playwright born
- 1951 - Terry McMillan, American author born
- 1952 - Bảo Ninh, Vietnamese novelist born
- 1605 - Thomas Browne, English writer born
- 1682 - Thomas Browne, English writer died
- 1745 - Jonathan Swift, Irish author died
- 1899 - Miguel Ángel Asturias, Guatemalan writer born
- 1913 - Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian poet born
- 1931 - John le Carré, English novelist born
- 1936 - Lu Xun, Chinese writer died
- 1946 - Philip Pullman, English writer born
- 1950 - Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet died
- 1999 - Nathalie Sarraute, Russian-born French writer died
- 1463 - Alessandro Achillini, Italian philosopher born
- 1652 - Antonio Coello, Spanish writer died
- 1822 - Thomas Hughes, English novelist born
- 1854 - Arthur Rimbaud, French poet born
- 1890 - Sir Richard Burton, British explorer and writer died
- 1900 - Naim Frashëri, Albanian poet died
- 1925 - Art Buchwald, American newspaper columnist born
- 1940 - Robert Pinsky, American poet born
- 1946 - Elfriede Jelinek, Austrian writer born
- 1983 - Yves Thériault, French Canadian author died
- 2004 - Anthony Hecht, American poet died
- 1125 - Cosmas of Prague, Bohemian writer died
- 1687 - Sir Edmund Waller, English poet died
- 1772 - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, British poet born
- 1790 - Alphonse de Lamartine, French writer born
- 1847 - Giuseppe Giacosa, Italian writer born
- 1873 - Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian poet died
- 1904 - Patrick Kavanagh, Irish poet born
- 1931 - Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian writer died
- 1914 - Martin Gardner, American mathematician and writer born
- 1929 - Ursula K. Le Guin, American author born
- 1956 - Carrie Fisher, American actress and writer born
- 1969 - Jack Kerouac, American novelist died
- 1071 - William IX, Duke of Aquitaine and poet born
- 1565 - Jean, Vicomte d'Aguisy Grolier de Servieres, French bibliophile died
- 1818 - Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle, French poet born
- 1919 - Doris Lessing, British writer born
- 1920 - Timothy Leary, American writer born
- 1954 - Jibanananda Das, Bengali poet died
- 1959 - Arto Salminen, Finnish writer born
- 1978 - John Riley, English poet murdered
- 1989 - Ewan MacColl, English author died
- 1995 - Sir Kingsley Amis, English writer died
- 1998 - Eric Ambler, English novelist died
- 1844 - Robert Bridges, English poet born
- 1865 - Neltje Blanchan, American writer born
- 1872 - Théophile Gautier, French writer died
- 1923 - Aslam Farrukhi, Pakistani scholar and poet born
- 1939 - Zane Grey, American author died
- 1942 - Michael Crichton, American writer born
- 1949 - Nick Tosches, American writer born
- 1965 - Augusten Burroughs, American writer born
- 1969 - Trudi Canavan, Australian writer born
- 1788 - Sarah Josepha Hale, American poet born
- 1868 - Alexandra David-Néel, French explorer and writer born
- 1904 - Moss Hart, American playwright born
- 1923 - Denise Levertov, English poet born
- 1929 - Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian writer born
- 1929 - Hubert Aquin, French Canadian novelist born
- 1933 - Norman Rush, American novelist born
- 1943 - Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau, French Canadian poet died
- 1767 - Benjamin Constant, Swiss writer born
- 1908 - Edmond Pidoux, Swiss writer born
- 1914 - John Berryman, American poet born
- 1938 - Alfonsina Storni, Argentine poet died
- 1941 - Anne Tyler, American novelist born
- 1957 - Lord Dunsany, Irish writer died
- 1880 - Andrei Bely, Russian writer born
- 1890 - Carlo Collodi, Italian writer died
- 1911 - Sorley MacLean, Scottish poet born
- 1925 - Jan Wolkers, Dutch author born
- 1941 - Arkady Gaidar, Russian children's writer died
- 1945 - Pat Conroy, American writer born
- 1952 - Andrew Motion, English poet born
- 1957 - Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer died
- 1674 - Hallgrímur Pétursson, Icelandic poet died
- 1914 - Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet born
- 1931 - Nawal el-Saadawi, Egyptian writer born
- 1932 - Sylvia Plath, American poet born
- 1950 - Fran Lebowitz, American writer born
- 1940 - Maxine Hong Kingston, Chinese American writer born
- 1975 - Zadie Smith, British novelist born
- 1975 - Rex Stout, American novelist died
- 1977 - James M. Cain, American novelist died
- 1661 - Agustín Moreto y Cavana, Spanish playwright died
- 1676 - Jean Desmarets, French writer died
- 1754 - Friedrich von Hagedorn, German poet died
- 1806 - Charlotte Turner Smith, English poet and novelist died
- 1818 (O.S.) - Ivan Turgenev, Russian writer born
- 1879 - Marie Roch Louis Reybaud, French writer died
- 1885 (O.S.) - Velimir Khlebnikov, Russian poet born
- 1903 - Evelyn Waugh, English writer born
- 1907 - John Hewitt, Northern Irish poet born
- 1929 - John Hollander, American poet and literary critic born
- 1938 - Anne Perry, English-born novelist born
- 1973 - Taha Hussein, Egyptian writer died
- 1986 - John Braine, English novelist died
- 1998 - Ted Hughes, English poet died
- 1740 - James Boswell, Scottish biographer born
- 1882 - Jean Giraudoux, French writer born
- 1925 - Dominick Dunne, American author born
- 1958 - Zoe Akins, American playwright died
- 1999 - Michel Regnier (Greg), Belgian comic-book writer died
- 2003 - Hal Clement, American writer died
- 1513 - Jacques Amyot, French writer born
- 1602 - Jean-Jacques Boissard, French poet died
- 1624 - Paul Pellisson, French writer born
- 1751 - Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Irish playwright born
- 1762 - André Chénier, French writer born
- 1786 - Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé, French Canadian writer born
- 1821 (O.S.) - Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian writer born
- 1842 - Allan Cunningham, Scottish poet and author died
- 1871 - Paul Valéry, French poet born
- 1885 - Ezra Pound, American poet born
- 1886 - Zoe Akins, American playwright born
- 1935 - Ágota Kristóf, Hungarian writer born
- 1935 - Robert Caro, American biographer born
- 1968 - Rose Wilder Lane, American journalist and author died
- 1968 - Conrad Richter, American novelist and short story writer died
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- 1599 - Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English statesman and writer born
- 1620 - John Evelyn, English diarist born
- 1724 - Christopher Anstey, English writer born
- 1795 - John Keats, British poet born
- 1879 - Jacob Abbott, American author died
- 1892 - Arthur Conan Doyle publishes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- 1920 - Dick Francis, Welsh novelist born
- 1987 - Joseph Campbell, American author and expert on mythology died
- 2008 - Studs Terkel, American author died
- 1296 - Guillaume Durand, French writer died
- 1530 - Étienne de La Boétie, French judge and writer born
- 1588 - Jean Daurat, French poet died
- 1607 - Georg Philipp Harsdorffer, German poet born
- 1636 - Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, French poet and critic born
- 1643 - John Strype, English historian and biographer born
- 1704 - Paul Daniel Longolius, German encyclopedist born
- 1790 - Edmund Burke publishes Reflections on the Revolution in France, in which he predicts that the French Revolution will end in a disaster.
- 1871 - Stephen Crane, American writer born
- 1880 - Sholom Asch, Polish-born American writer born
- 1880 - Grantland Rice, American sports writer born
- 1886 - Hermann Broch, Austrian author born
- 1903 - Theodor Mommsen, German writer died
- 1907 - Alfred Jarry, French writer died
- 1955 - Dale Carnegie, American writer died
- 1972 - Ezra Pound, American poet died
- 2006 - William Styron, American author died
- 1808 - Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, French writer born
- 1906 - Daniil Andreev, Russian poet born
- 1911 - Odysseas Elytis, Greek writer born
- 1942 - Shere Hite, American author born
- 1950 - George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer died
- 1960 - Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley's Lover case.
- 2002 - Charles Sheffield, American author died
- AD 39 - Lucan, Roman poet born
- 1558 - Thomas Kyd, author of The Spanish Tragedy born
- 1901 - André Malraux, French writer born
- 1920 - Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Australian writer born
- 1929 - Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet died
- 1950 - Joe Queenan, American writer born
- 2003 - Rasul Gamzatov, Russian poet died
- 1781 - Johann Nikolaus Götz, German poet died
- 1899 - Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams is published.
- 1918 - Wilfred Owen, English poet died
- 1936 - C. K. (Charles Kenneth) Williams, American poet born
- 1948 - T. S. Eliot wins the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 1960 - Marc Awodey, American artist and writer born
- 2005 - Nadia Anjuman, Afghan poet died
- 2008 - Michael Crichton, American author died
- 1549 - Philippe de Mornay, French writer born
- 1613 - Isaac de Benserade, French poet born
- 1715 - John Brown, English writer born
- 1836 - Karel Hynek Mácha, Czech poet died
- 1857 - Ida M. Tarbell, American author and journalist born
- 1895 - Charles MacArthur, American author born
- 1930 - Sinclair Lewis is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 1953 - Joyce Maynard, American writer born
- 1975 - Lionel Trilling, American critic and writer died
- 1977 - René Goscinny, French comic book writer died
- 1997 - James Robert Baker, American novelist, screenwriter died
- 2005 - John Fowles, English writer died
- 1692 - Louis Racine, French poet born
- 1692 - Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux, French writer died
- 1833 - Jonas Lie, Norwegian author born
- 1846 - Alexander Chavchavadze, Georgian poet and general died
- 1880 - Robert Musil, Austrian novelist born
- 1910 - Giuseppe Cesare Abba, Italian patriot and writer died
- 1921 - James Jones, American writer born
- 1952 - Michael Cunningham, American writer born
- 1984 - Gastón Suárez, Bolivian novelist and dramatist died
- 2000 - L. Sprague de Camp, American writer died
- 2001 - Anthony Shaffer, English dramatist died
- 1619 - Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux, French writer born
- 1750 - Friedrich Leopold Graf zu Stolberg, German poet born
- 1838 - Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, French writer born
- 1906 - Heinrich Seidel, German engineer, poet and writer died
- 1910 (O.S.) - Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist died
- 1913 - Albert Camus, French writer born
- 1974 - Eric Linklater, British author died
- 1491 - Teofilo Folengo, Italian poet born
- 1674 - John Milton, English poet died
- 1710 - Sarah Fielding, English writer born
- 1847 - Bram Stoker, Irish novelist born
- 1869 - Zinaida Gippius, Russian poet born
- 1900 - Margaret Mitchell, American author born
- 1904 - Cedric Belfrage, English writer born
- 1908 - Martha Gellhorn, American writer and journalist born
- 1919 - P. L. Deshpande, Indian author born
- 1953 - Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin, Russian writer died
- 1953 - John van Melle, South African author died
- 1954 - Kazuo Ishiguro, British author of Japanese origin is born
- 2005 - David Westheimer, American novelist died
- 1664 - Henry Wharton, English writer born
- 1832 - Émile Gaboriau, French writer, novelist and journalist born
- 1877 - Muhammad Iqbal, Indian National poet of Pakistan born
- 1905 - Erika Mann, German writer born
- 1911 - Tabish Dehlvi, Pakistani poet born
- 1911 - Howard Pyle, American author died
- 1918 - Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet died
- 1928 - Anne Sexton, American poet born
- 1929 - Imre Kertész, Hungarian writer born
- 1934 - Carl Sagan, American astronomer and writer born
- 1937 - Roger McGough, English poet born
- 1953 - Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet and author died
- 2004 - Iris Chang, American author died
- 1617 - Barnabe Rich, English soldier and writer died
- 1644 - Luís Vélez de Guevara, Spanish writer died
- 1728 - Oliver Goldsmith, English playwright born
- 1759 - Friedrich von Schiller, German writer born
- 1772 - Pedro Correia Garção, Portuguese poet died
- 1871 - Winston Churchill, American novelist born
- 1879 - Vachel Lindsay, American poet born
- 1887 - Arnold Zweig, German author born
- 1893 - John P. Marquand, American writer born
- 1891 - Arthur Rimbaud, French poet died
- 1909 - Renee Vivien, American poet died
- 1960 - Neil Gaiman, English writer born
- 1995 - Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian writer died
- 2001 - Ken Kesey, American author died
- 1493 - Bernardo Tasso, Italian poet born
- 1623 - Philippe de Mornay, French writer died
- 1834 - Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling was first published.
- 1764 - Barbara Juliana, Baroness von Krüdener, Russian writer born
- 1821 - Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian novelist born
- 1836 - Thomas Bailey Aldrich, American poet and novelist born
- 1901 - F. Van Wyck Mason, American author born
- 1914 - Howard Fast, American author born
- 1919 - Kalle Päätalo, Finnish novelist born
- 1922 - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., American novelist born
- 1928 - Carlos Fuentes, Mexican writer born
- 1929 - Hans Magnus Enzensberger, German writer born
- 1950 - Mircea Dinescu, Romanian poet born
- 1954 - Mary Gaitskill, American author born
- 1970 - Lee Battersby, Australian author born
- 1999 - Jacobo Timmerman, Argentine writer and journalist died
- 1757 - Colley Cibber, English poet died
- 1865 - Elizabeth Gaskell, English novelist died
- 1886 - Ben Travers, British playwright born
- 1915 - Roland Barthes, French critic and writer born
- 1929 - Michael Ende, German writer born
- 1945 - Tracy Kidder, American author born
- 1984 - Chester Himes, American author died
- 1714 - William Shenstone, English poet born
- 1850 - Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer born
- 1862 - Ludwig Uhland, German poet died
- 1910 - William Bradford Huie, American journalist, editor, publisher and author born
- 1952 - Margaret Wise Brown, American children's author died
- 1975 - Olga Berggolts, Russian poet died
- 1714 - William Shenstone, English poet born
- 1850 - Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer born
- 1862 - Ludwig Uhland, German poet died
- 1975 - Olga Berggolts, Russian poet died
- 1803 - Jacob Abbott, American writer born
- 1812 - Aleardo Aleardi, Italian poet born
- 1838 - August Senoa, Croatian writer born
- 1875 - Jakob Schaffner, Swiss novelist born
- 1907 - Astrid Lindgren, Swedish writer born
- 1910 - Eric Malpass, English novelist born
- 1947 - P. J. O'Rourke, American writer born
- 1773 - John Hawkesworth, English writer died
- 1839 - Louis-Honoré Fréchette, French Canadian poet born
- 1880 - Alexander Blok, Russian poet born
- 1889 - George S. Kaufman, American playwright born
- 1892 - Guo Moruo, Chinese writer born
- 1906 - Henri Charrière, author of Papillon born
- 1922 - José Saramago, Portuguese writer born
- 1930 - Chinua Achebe, Nigerian author born
- 1946 - Terrence McKenna, American writer born
- 1952 - Robin McKinley, American writer born
- 1954 - Andrea Barrett, American writer born
- 1967 - Craig Arnold, American poet born
- 1973 - Alan Watts, English writer died
- 1976 - Danny Wallace, British author born
- 1995 - Jack Finney, American author died
- 1587 - Joost van den Vondel, Dutch poet born
- 1747 - Alain-René Lesage, French writer died
- 1916 - Shelby Foote, American historian born
- 1936 - Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israeli poet born
- 1939 - Auberon Waugh, British author born
- 1968 - Mervyn Peake, British writer died
- 1865 - Mark Twain's story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is published in the New York Saturday Press.
- 1874 - Clarence Day, American author born
- 1889 - William Allingham, Irish author died
- 1906 - Klaus Mann, German writer born
- 1922 - Marcel Proust, French novelist died
- 1926 - George Bernard Shaw refuses to accept the money for his Nobel Prize, saying, "I can forgive Alfred Nobel for inventing dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize."
- 1939 - Margaret Atwood, Canadian writer (Surfacing, The Handmaid's Tale) born
- 1941 - Émile Nelligan, Quebec poet died
- 1946 - Alan Dean Foster, American author born
- 1952 - Paul Eluard, French poet died
- 1957 - Seán Mac Falls, Irish-born poet born
- 1966 - Jorge Camacho, Spanish poet born
- 1985 - Calvin and Hobbes, a comic strip by Bill Watterson, is first published.
- 1999 - Paul Bowles, American novelist died
- 1492 - Jami, Persian poet died
- 1692 - Thomas Shadwell, English poet and playwright died
- 1850 - Alfred Lord Tennyson becomes Poet Laureate, a position he held until his death in 1892.
- 1887 - Emma Lazarus, American poet died
- 1899 - Allen Tate, American poet and critic born
- 1900 - Anna Seghers, German writer born
- 1907 - Jack Schaefer, American author born
- 1942 - Sharon Olds, American poet born
- 1942 - Bruno Schulz, Polish writer and painter died
- 1490 - Joanot Martorell's book Tirant lo Blanc is published for the first time.
- 1612 - John Harington, English writer died
- 1621 - Avvakum, Russian priest and writer born
- 1858 - Selma Lagerlöf, Swedish author born
- 1864 - Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer born
- 1896 - Yevgenia Ginzburg, Russian writer born
- 1923 - Nadine Gordimer, South African writer (The Conservationist) born
- 1936 - Don DeLillo, American author born
- 1978 - Vasilisk Gnedov, Russian poet died
- 2000 - Kalle Päätalo, Finnish writer died
- 1566 - Annibale Caro, Italian poet died
- 1692 - Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet born
- 1694 - Voltaire, French philosopher born
- 1775 - John Hill, British writer died
- 1811 - Heinrich von Kleist, German writer died
- 1908 - Elizabeth George Speare, American author born
- 1722 - Hryhori Skovoroda, Ukrainian poet born
- 1819 - George Eliot, British novelist born
- 1869 - André Gide, French writer born
- 1877 - Endre Ady, Hungarian poet born
- 1884 - Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, Pakistani biographer born
- 1916 - Jack London, American writer died
- 1932 - William Walker Atkinson, American author died
- 1936 - James Burke, British writer born
- 1947 - Valerie Wilson Wesley, American author born
- 1962 - Victor Pelevin, Russian writer born
- 1963 - Aldous Huxley, British author died
- 1963 - C. S. Lewis, Irish author died
- 1970 - Stel Pavlou, British novelist born
- 1986 - William Bradford Huie, American writer died
- 1993 - Anthony Burgess, British author died
- 1616 - Richard Hakluyt, English writer died
- 1644 - Areopagitica by John Milton is published.
- 1804 - Richard Graves, British writer died
- 1897 - Nirad C. Chaudhuri, Indian writer born
- 1908 - Nelson S. Bond, American science fiction writer born
- 1909 - Nigel Tranter, British historian and writer born
- 1920 - Paul Celan, Romanian-born German poet born
- 1923 - Urmuz, Romanian writer died
- 1931 - Dervla Murphy, Irish traveller and author born
- 1936 - Robert Barnard, British mystery writer born
- 1965 - Jennifer Michael Hecht, American poet born
- 1974 - Cornelius Ryan, Irish-born author died
- 1976 - André Malraux, French author died
- 1990 - Roald Dahl, British author died
- 1394 - Charles, Duke of Orléans, French poet born
- 1583 - Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet born
- 1632 - Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher born
- 1713 - Laurence Sterne, Irish novelist born
- 1801 - Ludwig Bechstein, German poet born
- 1826 - Carlo Collodi, Italian author born
- 1849 - Frances Hodgson Burnett, British-born author born
- 1859 - Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species.
- 1870 - Comte de Lautréamont, French writer died
- 1888 - Dale Carnegie, American writer born
- 1925 - William F. Buckley Jr., American writer born
- 1927 - Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer born
- 1973 - John Neihardt, American writer died
- 1996 - Sorley MacLean, British poet died
- 2004 - Arthur Hailey, British-born author died
- 1562 – Lope de Vega, Spanish playwright born
- 1778 – Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, British Christian writer born
- 1785 – Richard Glover, British poet died
- 1845 – José Maria de Eça de Queiroz, Portuguese novelist born
- 1858 – Alfred Capus, French author born
- 1895 – Helen Hooven Santmyer, American writer born
- 1904 – Ba Jin, Chinese novelist born
- 1913 – Lewis Thomas, American physician and essayist born
- 1926 – Poul Anderson, American writer born
- 1947 – Léon-Paul Fargue, French poet died
- 1950 – Johannes V. Jensen, Danish writer died
- 1968 – Upton Sinclair, American journalist, politician, and writer died
- 1970 – Yukio Mishima, Japanese writer died
- 1436 - Princess Catherine of Portugal, writer born
- 1688 - Philippe Quinault, French writer died
- 1855 - Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet died
- 1857 - Joseph von Eichendorff, German poet died
- 1896 - Coventry Patmore, British poet died
- 1909 - Eugène Ionesco, French playwright born
- 2003 - Stefan Wul, French writer died
- 2005 - Stan Berenstain, children's author died
- 8 BC - Horace, Roman poet and satirist died
- 1895 - Alexandre Dumas, fils, French author died
- 1898 - Fredric Warburg, publisher and author born
- 1907 - L. Sprague de Camp, American writer born
- 1909 - James Agee, American writer born
- 1933 - Jacques Godbout, French Canadian novelist born
- 1937 - Gail Sheehy, American writer born
- 1943 - Nicole Brossard, French Canadian poet born
- 1953 - Eugene O'Neill, American writer died
- 1975 - Ross McWhirter, British co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records died
- 1694 - Matsuo Bashō, Japanese poet died
- 1757 - William Blake, British poet born
- 1793 - Carl Jonas Love Almqvist, Swedish romantic poet born
- 1821 - Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet born
- 1832 - Leslie Stephen, English author born
- 1859 - Washington Irving, American writer died
- 1864 - James Allen, English writer born
- 1881 - Stefan Zweig, Austrian writer born
- 1896 - Dawn Powell, American writer born
- 1904 - Nancy Mitford, British essayist and satirist born
- 1907 - Alberto Moravia, Italian writer born
- 1911 – Václav Renč, Czech poet born
- 1960 - Richard Wright, American author died
- 1965 - Erwin Mortier, Belgian author born
- 1968 - Enid Blyton, British children's author died
- 1973 - Marthe Bibesco, Romanian writer died
- 2001 - William Kienzle, American author died
- 2003 - Antonia Forest, British children's author died
- 1799 - Amos Bronson Alcott, American writer and educator born
- 1802 - Wilhelm Hauff, German poet and novelist born
- 1832 - Louisa May Alcott, American novelist born
- 1898 - C. S. Lewis, Irish writer born
- 1918 - Madeleine L'Engle, American author born
- 1943 - Sue Miller, American author born
- 1991 - Frank Yerby, American author died
- 2001 - John Knowles, American author died
- 1554 - Philip Sidney, English courtier, soldier, and writer is born
- 1667 - Jonathan Swift, Irish writer and satirist born
- 1813 - Louise-Victorine Ackermann, French poet born
- 1817 - Theodor Mommsen, German author born
- 1835 - Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain), American writer born
- 1874 - Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author born
- 1900 - Oscar Wilde, Irish writer died
- 1907 - Jacques Barzun, French-born historian and author born
- 1935 - Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese poet died
- 1943 - Etty Hillesum, Dutch diarist died
- 1947 - David Mamet, American playwright born
- 1957 - Joël Champetier, French Canadian author born
- 1967 - Patrick Kavanagh, Irish poet died
- 1987 - Simon Carmiggelt, Dutch journalist and writer died
- 1997 - Kathy Acker, American author died
- 2004 - Pierre Berton, Canadian author died
- 1766 - Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, Russian writer born
- 1873 - Valery Bryusov, Russian poet born
- 1886 - Rex Stout, American author born
- 1895 - Henry Williamson, English author born
- 1923 - Virginie Loveling, Belgian writer and poet died
- 1923 - Morris, Belgian cartoonist (Lucky Luke) born
- 1928 - José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian writer died
- 1942 - John Crowley, American author born
- 1987 - James Baldwin, American writer died
- 1710 - Bertinazzi, Italian actor and writer born
- 1814 - Marquis de Sade, French writer died
- 1918 - Edmond Rostand, French poet and dramatist died
- 1939 - Yael Dayan, Israeli writer born
- 1943 - Nordahl Grieg, Norwegian author and journalist died
- 1944 - Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Italian writer died
- 1944 - Botho Strauß, German author born
- 1980 - Romain Gary, Lithuanian-born French writer died
- 1995 - Robertson Davies, Canadian novelist died
- 2003 - Alan Davidson, British author died
- 2004 - Mona Van Duyn, American poet died
- 1684 - Ludvig Holberg, Norwegian historian and writer born
- 1800 - France Prešeren, Slovenian poet born
- 1857 - Joseph Conrad, Polish-born British writer born
- 1892 - Afanasy Fet, Russian poet died
- 1894 - Robert Louis Stevenson, British writer died
- 1931 - Franz Josef Degenhardt, German author born
- 1947 - Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire opens on Broadway.
- 2000 - Gwendolyn Brooks, American poet died
- 1123 - Omar Khayyám, Persian poet died
- 1555 - Heinrich Meibom, German historian and poet born
- 1595 - Jean Chapelain, French writer born
- 1609 - Alexander Hume, Scottish poet died
- 1612 - Samuel Butler, English poet born
- 1649 - William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet died
- 1679 - Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher died
- 1732 - John Gay, British playwright died
- 1777 - Madame de Récamier, French writer born
- 1795 - Thomas Carlyle, British writer and historian born
- 1835 - Samuel Butler, British writer born
- 1875 - Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian poet born
- 1903 - Cornell Woolrich, American writer born
- 1916 - Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American writer born
- 1933 - Stefan George, German poet died
- 1555 - Heinrich Meibom, German historian and poet born
- 1595 - Jean Chapelain, French writer born
- 1609 - Alexander Hume, Scottish poet died
- 1612 - Samuel Butler, English poet born
- 1732 - John Gay, British playwright died
- 1777 - Madame Récamier, French writer born
- 1795 - Thomas Carlyle, British writer and historian born
- 1835 - Samuel Butler, British writer born
- 1875 - Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian poet born
- 1903 - Cornell Woolrich, American writer born
- 1916 - Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American writer born
- 1658 - Baltasar Gracián y Morales, Spanish writer died
- 1718 - Nicholas Rowe, English poet and dramatist died
- 1875 - Evelyn Underhill, British poet born
- 1882 - Anthony Trollope, British author died
- 1886 - Joyce Kilmer, American poet born
- 1890 - Rudolf Schlichter, German artist and writer born
- 1892 - Sir Osbert Sitwell, British author born
- 1919 - Paul de Man, Belgian-born literary critic born
- 1924 - Gene Stratton-Porter, American author died
- 1942 - Peter Handke, Austrian writer born
- 43 BC - Cicero, Roman politician and author died
- 1784 - Allan Cunningham, British poet born
- 1847 - George Grossmith, British actor and writer born
- 1873 - Willa Cather, American novelist born
- 1888 - Joyce Cary, Irish author born
- 1928 - Noam Chomsky, American linguist and political writer born
- 1947 - Tristan Bernard, French playwright and novelist died
- 1975 - Thornton Wilder, American playwright died
- 1985 - Robert Graves, British author died
- 65 BC - Horace, Roman poet born
- 1626 - John Davies, English poet died
- 1638 - Ivan Gundulic, Croatian poet died
- 1830 - Benjamin Constant, Swiss writer died
- 1832 - Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian author born
- 1848 - Joel Chandler Harris, American author (Uncle Remus stories) born
- 1859 - Thomas de Quincey, British author died
- 1862 - Georges Feydeau, French playwright born
- 1894 - James Thurber, American writer born
- 1913 - Delmore Schwartz, American poet born
- 1938 - Friedrich Glauser, German-language Swiss writer died
- 1951 - Bill Bryson, American author born
- 1999 - Péter Kuczka, Hungarian writer died
- 1292 - Sheikh Saadi, Persian Sufi poet died
- 1544 - Teofilo Folengo, Italian poet died
- 1608 - John Milton, English poet born
- 1636 - Fabian Birkowski, Polish writer died
- 1854 - Almeida Garrett, Portuguese writer died
- 1891 - Maksim Bahdanovič, Belarusian poet born
- 1899 - Jean de Brunhoff, French author born
- 1901 - Ödön von Horváthh, Hungarian-born writer born
- 1905 - Dalton Trumbo, American writer born
- 1918 - Jerome Beatty Jr, American author born
- 1926 - Jan Křesadlo, Czech writer born
- 1941 - Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Russian writer and philosopher died
- 1964 - Dame Edith Sitwell, British poet and critic died
- 1995 - Toni Cade Bambara, American author died
- 2005 - Robert Sheckley, American author died
- 1821 - Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet born
- 1824 - George MacDonald, British writer born
- 1830 - Emily Dickinson, American poet born
- 1851 - Melvil Dewey, American librarian born
- 1870 - Pierre Louÿs, French author born
- 1891 - Nelly Sachs, German-born writer born
- 1907 - Rumer Godden, British writer born
- 1920 - Clarice Lispector, Ukrainian-Brazilian writer born
- 1936 - Luigi Pirandello, Italian writer died
- 1946 - Damon Runyon, American writer died
- 1951 - Algernon Blackwood, British writer died
- 1757 - Edmund Curll, English bookseller died
- 1801 - Christian Dietrich Grabbe, German writer born
- 1810 - Alfred de Musset, French poet born
- 1882 - Subramanya Bharathi, Indian poet born
- 1905 - Robert Henriques, British writer born
- 1909 - Innokenty Annensky, Russian poet died
- 1911 - Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer born
- 1918 - Ivan Cankar, Slovenian writer died
- 1918 - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian writer born
- 1920 - Olive Schreiner, South African writer died
- 1922 - Grace Paley, American writer born
- 1991 - Artur Lundkvist, Swedish author died
- 2003 - Ahmadou Kourouma, Côte d'Ivoire writer died
- 1821 - Gustave Flaubert, French writer born
- 1889 - Robert Browning, British poet died
- 1923 - Raymond Radiguet, French author died
- 1996 - Vance Packard, American author died
- 1999 - Joseph Heller, American author died
- 2002 - Dee Brown, American author died
- 1585 - William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet born
- 1769 - Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet died
- 1797 - Heinrich Heine, German poet born
- 1863 - Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German writer died
- 1881 - August Šenoa, Croatian writer died
- 1883 - Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic died
- 1915 - Ross Macdonald, American-born author born
- 1983 - Nichita Stănescu, Romanian poet died
- 1993 - Vanessa Duriès, French novelist died
- 1895 - Paul Éluard, French poet born
- 1916 - Shirley Jackson, American writer born
- 1923 - Gerard Reve, Dutch writer born
- 1984 - Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer died
- 1990 - Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer died
- 2005 - Dr. Rodney William Whitaker, of pen name Trevanian, American author died
- 1673 - Margaret Cavendish, English writer died
- 1683 - Izaak Walton, English writer died
- 1878 - Hans Carossa, German writer born
- 1888 - Maxwell Anderson, American writer born
- 1913 - Muriel Rukeyser, American poet born
- 1947 - Arthur Machen, British author died
- 1717 - Elizabeth Carter, British writer born
- 1775 - Jane Austen, British writer born
- 1859 - Wilhelm Grimm, German writer died
- 1863 - George Santayana, Spanish philosopher and writer born
- 1865 - Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet born
- 1917 - Sir Arthur C. Clarke, British writer born
- 1927 - Randall Garrett, American writer born
- 1928 - Philip K. Dick, American writer born
- 1928 - Elinor Wylie, American poet and writer died
- 1965 - W. Somerset Maugham, British writer died
- 2005 - Kenneth Bulmer, British author died
- 1685 - Thomas Tickell, English writer born
- 1796 - Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Canadian novelist born
- 1807 - John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet born
- 1843 - Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is first published.
- 1847 - Émile Faguet, French writer and critic born
- 1873 - Ford Madox Ford, British writer born
- 1897 - Alphonse Daudet, French writer died
- 1916 - Penelope Fitzgerald, British writer born
- 1944 - Jack L. Chalker, American novelist born
- 1945 - Jacqueline Wilson, British author born
- 1957 - Dorothy L. Sayers, British writer died
- 1987 - Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian novelist died
- 1133 - Hildebert, French writer died
- 1787 - Soame Jenyns, English writer died
- 1803 - Johann Gottfried Herder, German writer died
- 1835 - Lyman Abbott, American author born
- 1870 - Saki, British writer born
- 1913 - Alfred Bester, American author born
- 1939 - Michael Moorcock, British author born
- 1985 - Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet died
- 1807 - Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm, German writer died
- 1848 - Emily Brontë, British author died
- 1910 - Jean Genet, French writer born
- 1989 - Stella Gibbons, British author died
- 1494 - Matteo Maria Boiardo, Italian poet died
- 1579 - John Fletcher, English playwright baptized
- 1941 - Igor Severyanin, Russian poet died
- 1951 - Peter May, Scottish writer born
- 1954 - James Hilton, American author died
- 1960 - Nalo Hopkinson, Canadian writer born
- 1968 - John Steinbeck, American writer died
- 1996 - Carl Sagan, American astronomer and writer died
- 1997 - Denise Levertov, English-born poet died
- 1375 - Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian writer died
- 1859 - Gustave Kahn, French poet born
- 1872 - Albert Payson Terhune, American author born
- 1892 - Rebecca West, American writer born
- 1905 - Anthony Powell, British author born
- 1917 - Heinrich Böll, German writer born
- 1932 - Edward Hoagland, American author born
- 1940 - F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer died
- 1958 - Lion Feuchtwanger, German writer died
- 1964 - Carl van Vechten, American writer and photographer died
- 1983 - Paul de Man, Belgian-born literary critic died
- 1694 - Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher and writer born
- 1708 - Hedwig Sophia, duchess of Holstein-Gottorp, Swedish writer died
- 1767 - John Newbery, English publisher died
- 1807 - Johann Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian poet born
- 1849 - The execution of Fyodor Dostoevsky is canceled at the last second.
- 1869 - Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet born
- 1870 - Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish poet and writer died
- 1876 - Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Italian poet and editor born
- 1880 - George Eliot, English writer died
- 1905 - Kenneth Rexroth, American poet born
- 1937 - Eduard Uspenskiy, Russian writer born
- 1940 - Nathanael West, American writer died
- 1943 - Beatrix Potter, English writer died
- 1989 - Samuel Beckett, Irish writer died
- 1493 - Georg Alt's German translation of Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle is published.
- 1556 - Nicholas Udall, English playwright died
- 1597 - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet born
- 1631 - Michael Drayton, English poet died
- 1646 - François Maynard, French poet died
- 1743 - Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet born
- 1804 - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic born
- 1819 - Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet born
- 1823 - The poem A Visit From St. Nicholas (AKA The Night Before Christmas) is published in the Sentinel.
- 1902 - Norman Maclean, American author born
- 1926 - Robert Bly, American poet born
- 1963 - Donna Tartt, American author born
- 1475 - Thomas Murner, German writer born
- 1609 - Philip Warwick, English writer born
- 1754 - George Crabbe, English poet born
- 1798 - Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet born
- 1822 - Matthew Arnold, English poet born
- 1863 - William Makepeace Thackeray, English writer died
- 1865 - Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, English painter and writer died
- 1879 - Émile Nelligan, Quebec poet born
- 1881 - Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer born
- 1910 - Fritz Leiber, American writer born
- 1914 - Herbert Reinecker, German writer born
- 1929 - Mary Higgins Clark, American author born
- 1945 - Nicholas Meyer, American author born
- 1950 - Dana Gioia, American poet born
- 1969 - Mark Millar, Scottish comic book writer born
- 1973 - Stephenie Meyer, American author born
- 1977 - Samael Aun Weor, Columbian writer died
- 1982 - Louis Aragon, French writer died
- 1986 - Gardner Fox, American writer died
- 1993 - Norman Vincent Peale, American writer died
- 2002 - Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author died
- 1908 - Quentin Crisp, English author born
- 1921 - Vladimir Korolenko, Russian writer died
- 1925 - Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-born author born
- 1938 - Karel Čapek, Czech author died
- 1940 - Pete Brown, English poet born
- 1988 - Ooka Shohei, Japanese novelist died
- 1992 - Monica Dickens, British writer died
- 1716 - Thomas Gray, English writer born
- 1716 - Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French poet born
- 1723 - Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm, German writer born
- 1731 - Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French writer died
- 1819 - E. D. E. N. Southworth, American novelist born
- 1891 - Henry Miller, American writer born
- 1904 - Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer born
- 1714 - Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet born
- 1797 - Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet born
- 1896 - Louis Bromfield, American writer born
- 1910 - Charles Olson, American poet born
- 1917 - Onni Palaste, Finnish writer born
- 1925 - Sergei Yesenin, Russian poet died
- 1938 - Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet died
- 1953 - Julian Tuwim, Polish poet died
- 1966 - Wendy Coakley-Thompson, American writer born
- 1992 - Kay Boyle, American writer died
- 1619 - Antoine Furetière, French writer born
- 1859 - Thomas Macaulay, British poet died
- 1877 - Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet died
- 1902 - Shen Congwen, Chinese writer born
- 1918 - Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet died
- 1922 - Stan Lee, American comic book writer born
- 1931 - Guy Debord, French writer born
- 1932 - Manuel Puig, Argentine writer born
- 1945 - Theodore Dreiser, American author died
- 2001 - William X. Kienzle, American novelist died
- 2004 - Susan Sontag, American writer died
- 1661 - Antoine Gérard de Saint-Amant, French poet died
- 1785 - Johan Herman Wessel, Norwegian poet died
- 1894 - Christina Rossetti, English poet died
- 1924 - Carl Spitteler, Swiss writer died
- 1926 - Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian writer died
- 1937 - Don Marquis, American author died
- 1957 - Paul Rudnick, American screenwriter/playwright born
- 1960 - Eden Phillpotts, British writer died
- 1980 - Nadezhda Mandelstam, Russian writer died
- 1573 - Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Italian writer died
- 1642 - Vicenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet born
- 1819 - Theodor Fontane, German writer born
- 1865 - Rudyard Kipling, British writer born
- 1869 - Stephen Butler Leacock, British-born writer born
- 1897 - Alfredo Bracchi, Italian author born
- 1913 - Elyne Mitchell, Australian author born
- 1944 - Romain Rolland, French writer died
- 1963 - Chandler Burr, American author born
- 1988 - Yuli Daniel, Russian writer died
- 1997 - Shinichi Hoshi, Japanese novelist died
- 2002 - Mary Wesley, English novelist died
- 2003 - John Gregory Dunne, American writer died
- 1799 - Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and writer died
- 1872 - Aleksis Kivi, Finnish author died
- 1889 - Ion Creangă, Romanian writer died
- 1931 - Bob Shaw, Irish writer born
- 1933 - Edward Bunker, American author born
- 1945 - Connie Willis, American writer born
- 1949 - Susan Shwartz, American writer born
- 1980 - Marshall McLuhan, Canadian writer died
- 1995 - The last strip of the popular comic Calvin and Hobbes is published.
- 2008 - Donald E. Westlake, American novelist died