On this day
August 23 in literary history
Literary history for August 23: 25 writers born and 17 writers who died from 1486 to 2014. Born on this day: Athena Farrokhzad, Nadine Jolie Courtney, Jeremy Schaap.
Writers born on August 23
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Athena Farrokhzad | Iranian-Swedish poet and playwright |
| 1980 | Nadine Jolie Courtney | Circassian-American writer (born 1980) |
| 1969 | Jeremy Schaap | American sportswriter and author (born 1969) |
| 1965 | Roger Avary | Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer (b. 1965) |
| 1954 | Charles Busch | American dramatist |
| 1947 | Willy Russell | British dramatist, lyricist and composer |
| 1943 | Nelson DeMille | American author (1943–2024) |
| 1940 | Galen Rowell | American wilderness photographer, mountaineer, and author (1940–2002) |
| 1929 | Vladimir Beekman | Estonian writer, poet and translator (1929–2009) |
| 1927 | Dick Bruna | Dutch author and artist (1927–2017) |
| 1926 | Gyula Hernádi | Hungarian writer and screenwriter |
| 1924 | Ephraim Kishon | Israeli author and filmmaker (1924–2005) |
| 1924 | Madeleine Riffaud | French poet, journalist and Resistance member (1924–2024) |
| 1922 | Nazik Al-Malaika | Iraqi modernist poet |
| 1922 | Jean Darling | American child actress and writer (1922–2015) |
| 1911 | J. V. Cunningham | American poet (1911–1985) |
| 1905 | Ernie Bushmiller | American cartoonist (1905–1982) |
| 1897 | Henry F. Pringle | American historian and writer (1897–1958) |
| 1884 | Will Cuppy | American writer |
| 1880 | Alexander Grin | Russian writer (1880–1932) |
| 1868 | Edgar Lee Masters | American poet (1868–1950) |
| 1849 | William Ernest Henley | English poet, critic and editor (1849–1903) |
| 1843 | William Southam | Canadian newspaper publisher |
| 1524 | François Hotman | French lawyer and writer (1524–1590) |
| 1486 | Sigismund von Herberstein | Carniolan writer and diplomat (1486–1566) |
Writers who died on August 23
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Birgitta Stenberg | Swedish author, translator and illustrator (1932–2014) |
| 2012 | Josepha Sherman | American novelist |
| 2001 | Peter Maas | American journalist and author (1929–2001) |
| 1999 | Norman Wexler | American screenwriter, script doctor and playwright |
| 1999 | James White (author) | Northern Irish science fiction author (1928–1999) |
| 1996 | Margaret Tucker | Aboriginal Australian activist and writer |
| 1989 | Mohammed Abdul-Hayy | Post-colonial Sudanese writer and academic |
| 1966 | Francis X. Bushman | American actor, director, writer (1883–1966) |
| 1960 | Oscar Hammerstein II | American librettist (1895–1960) |
| 1949 | Helen Churchill Candee | American novelist (1858–1949) |
| 1867 | Auguste-Marseille Barthélemy | French poet (1796–1867) |
| 1845 | Thomas R. Gray | American attorney and author (1800–1845) |
| 1831 | Ferenc Kazinczy | Hungarian author (1759–1831) |
| 1813 | Alexander Wilson (ornithologist) | Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, naturalist, and illustrator (1766-1813) |
| 1618 | Gerbrand Bredero | Dutch poet and playwright (1585–1618) |
| 1591 | Luis de León | Spanish poet and friar (1527–1591) |
| 1507 | Jean Molinet | French poet (1435–1507) |
Featured
Athena Farrokhzad (1983) — Athena Farrokhzad is an Iranian-Swedish poet, playwright, translator, and literary critic.
Nadine Jolie Courtney (1980) — Nadine Jolie Courtney is an American lifestyle writer, novelist, and former media personality. She is the author of the YA novel All-American Muslim Girl, Romancing the Throne, Beauty Confidential: The No Preaching, No Lies, Advice-You'll-Actually-Use-Guide to Looking Your Best, and Confessions of a Beauty Addict.
Jeremy Schaap (1969) — Jeremy Schaap is an American sportswriter, television reporter and author. Schaap is an 11-time Emmy Awards winner for his work on ESPN's E:60, SportsCenter, and Outside the Lines.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.