On this day
August 1 in literary history
Literary history for August 1: 24 writers born, 12 writers who died and 1 literary events from 845 to 2024. Born on this day: Vhrsti, James Gleick, Howard Kurtz.
Writers born on August 1
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Vhrsti | Czech illustrator, comics painter and screenwriter, cartoonist and artist (born 1975) |
| 1954 | James Gleick | American author and historian of science (born 1954) |
| 1953 | Howard Kurtz | American journalist and author (born 1953) |
| 1949 | Bettina Arndt | Australian writer and commentator |
| 1949 | Jim Carroll | American author and musician (1949–2009) |
| 1948 | David Gemmell | British author of heroic fantasy (1948–2006) |
| 1947 | Lorna Goodison | Jamaican poet and writer (born 1947) |
| 1947 | Chantal Montellier | French writer/artist |
| 1941 | Étienne Roda-Gil | French writer, lyricist (1941–2004) |
| 1939 | Robert James Waller | American novelist |
| 1933 | Meena Kumari | Indian actress and poet (1933–1972) |
| 1930 | Lionel Bart | English composer and writer (1930–1999) |
| 1925 | Ernst Jandl | Austrian writer, poet, and translator (1925–2000) |
| 1919 | Stanley Middleton | British novelist (1919–2009) |
| 1916 | Anne Hébert | Canadian author and poet (1916–2000) |
| 1911 | Jackie Ormes | American cartoonist (1911–1985) |
| 1910 | Raymond A. Palmer | American editor and novelist (1910–1977) |
| 1903 | Paul Horgan | American novelist (1903–1995) |
| 1819 | Herman Melville | American writer (1819–1891) |
| 1815 | Richard Henry Dana Jr. | American author and lawyer (1815–1882) |
| 1779 | Francis Scott Key | American lawyer and poet (1779–1843) |
| 1579 | Luis Vélez de Guevara | Spanish dramatist and novelist (1579–1644) |
| 1545 | Andrew Melville | Scottish scholar, theologian, poet and religious reformer (1545 – 1622) |
| 845 | Sugawara no Michizane | Japanese scholar, poet, and politician (845–903) |
Writers who died on August 1
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Joyce Brabner | American writer and editor (1952–2024) |
| 2015 | Bernard d'Espagnat | French physicist, philosopher and author (1921–2015) |
| 2014 | Jan Roar Leikvoll | Norwegian novelist (1974–2014) |
| 2013 | John Amis | British broadcaster, music critic, and writer (1922–2013) |
| 2006 | Bob Thaves | American cartoonist (1924–2006) |
| 2005 | Wim Boost | Dutch cartoonist (1918–2005) |
| 1981 | Paddy Chayefsky | American playwright, screenwriter and novelist (1923–1981) |
| 1963 | Theodore Roethke | American poet (1908–1963) |
| 1957 | Rose Fyleman | English writer and poet |
| 1851 | William Joseph Behr | German publicist and writer (1775–1851) |
| 1557 | Olaus Magnus | Swedish writer, cartographer, and prelate (1490–1557) |
| 1494 | Giovanni Santi | Italian painter and poet (c. 1435–1494) |
Literary events on August 1
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Frank Herbert's novel, Dune, is published for the first time. It was named as the world's best-selling science fiction novel in 2003. |
Featured
Vhrsti (1975) — Vhrsti is a Czech illustrator, writer, children's book author, comics artist and scenarist, member of the unofficial new wave of Czech and Slovak comics Generation Zero and the Czech Cartoonists' Union. He lives in Plzeň in the Czech Republic.
James Gleick (1954) — James Gleick is an American author and historian of science whose work has chronicled the cultural impact of modern technology. Recognized for his writing about complex subjects through the techniques of narrative nonfiction, he has been called "one of the great science writers of all time".
Howard Kurtz (1953) — Howard Alan Kurtz is an American journalist and author and former host of Media Buzz on Fox News. He is also the former media writer for The Washington Post and the former Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast. He has written five books about the media. Kurtz left CNN and joined Fox News in 2013.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.