April
- 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