On this day
August 16 in literary history
Literary history for August 16: 22 writers born, 14 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1550 to 2018. Born on this day: George Galloway, Diana Wynne Jones, Pierre Richard.
Writers born on August 16
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | George Galloway | British politician, broadcaster, and writer (born 1954) |
| 1934 | Diana Wynne Jones | British writer (1934–2011) |
| 1934 | Pierre Richard | French actor, film director and screenwriter (born 1934) |
| 1933 | Reiner Kunze | German writer and GDR dissident (born 1933) |
| 1923 | Millôr Fernandes | Brazilian writer (1923–2012) |
| 1920 | Charles Bukowski | American writer (1920–1994) |
| 1917 | Matt Christopher | American writer |
| 1908 | William Maxwell (American writer) | American journalist and writer (1908–2000) |
| 1902 | Georgette Heyer | English writer (1902–1974) |
| 1902 | Wallace Thurman | American novelist and screenwriter (1902–1934) |
| 1895 | Albert Cohen (novelist) | Greek-born Swiss novelist (1895–1981) |
| 1892 | Hal Foster | Canadian-American illustrator (1892–1982) |
| 1888 | T. E. Lawrence | British Army officer, diplomat and writer (1888–1935) |
| 1884 | Hugo Gernsback | American inventor, writer, editor and publisher (1884–1967) |
| 1876 | Ivan Bilibin | Russian illustrator (1876–1942) |
| 1868 | Bernarr Macfadden | American physical culturist and magazine publisher (1868–1955) |
| 1865 | Mary Gilmore | Australian poet (1865–1962) |
| 1860 | Jules Laforgue | Franco-Uruguayan poet |
| 1858 | Arthur Achleitner | German writer |
| 1815 | John Bosco | 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator, and writer |
| 1650 | Vincenzo Coronelli | Italian Franciscan friar, cosmographer, cartographer, publisher, and encyclopedist |
| 1637 | Emilie Juliane of Barby-Mühlingen | German noblewoman and hymn author |
Writers who died on August 16
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Wakako Yamauchi | Japanese American playwright and writer (1924–2018) |
| 2014 | Vsevolod Nestayko | Ukrainian children's writer (1930–2014) |
| 2014 | Peter Scholl-Latour | German journalist and author |
| 2005 | William Corlett | English author (1938–2005) |
| 2004 | Balanadarajah Iyer | Tamil activist, writer and poet of Sri Lanka |
| 1998 | Dorothy West | American novelist (1907–1998) |
| 1986 | Jaime Sáenz | Bolivian writer, dramaturge, and professor (1921–1986) |
| 1984 | Duško Radović | Serbian writer (1922–1984) |
| 1949 | Margaret Mitchell | American novelist and journalist (1900–1949) |
| 1904 | Prentiss Ingraham | American novelist |
| 1900 | Eça de Queiroz | Portuguese realist writer (1845–1900) |
| 1855 | Henry Colburn | British publisher (1784–1855) |
| 1733 | Matthew Tindal | English deist author |
| 1678 | Andrew Marvell | English poet and politician (1621–1678) |
Literary events on August 16
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1954 | The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published. |
| 1550 | Rabbi Moses Isserles issues his ruling in the Bragadin-Giustiniani dispute, one of the earliest instances of a copyright suit over any book. |
Featured
George Galloway (1954) — George Galloway is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer. He has been leader of the Workers Party of Britain since he founded it in 2019, and is a former leader of the Respect Party. Until 2003, he was a member of the Labour Party.
Diana Wynne Jones (1934) — Diana Wynne Jones was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote speculative fiction novels for children and young adults.
Pierre Richard (1934) — Pierre Richard is a French actor, film director and screenwriter, best known for his roles in comedy films. Richard rose to prominence in 1970 with the film Le Distrait, which he directed and starred in. He quickly became a prominent comedic star of French cinema, typically playing clumsy and offbeat characters.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.