On this day
August 9 in literary history
Literary history for August 9: 23 writers born and 17 writers who died from 1593 to 2015. Born on this day: Gene Luen Yang, Thomas Lennon, Gillian Anderson.
Writers born on August 9
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Gene Luen Yang | American graphic novelist (born 1973) |
| 1970 | Thomas Lennon | American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1970) |
| 1968 | Gillian Anderson | American actress and writer (born 1968) |
| 1966 | Linn Ullmann | Norwegian author and journalist (born 1966) |
| 1964 | Hoda Kotb | American journalist and author (born 1964) |
| 1949 | Jonathan Kellerman | American novelist |
| 1947 | John Varley (author) | American science fiction author (1947–2025) |
| 1945 | Barbara Delinsky | American novelist |
| 1945 | Posy Simmonds | British cartoonist, writer and illustrator |
| 1944 | Patricia McKissack | American writer (1944–2017) |
| 1942 | David Steinberg | Canadian comedian, actor, director, and writer (born 1942) |
| 1939 | Bulle Ogier | French actress and screenwriter (born 1939) |
| 1927 | Daniel Keyes | American author (1927–2014) |
| 1927 | Robert Shaw | English actor and writer (1927–1978) |
| 1922 | Philip Larkin | English poet, novelist and librarian (1922–1985) |
| 1920 | Enzo Biagi | Italian journalist and writer (1920–2007) |
| 1918 | Giles Cooper (playwright) | British playwright (1918–1966) |
| 1914 | Tove Jansson | Finland-Swedish writer and illustrator (1914–2001) |
| 1909 | Vinayaka Krishna Gokak | Indian writer (1909–1992) |
| 1899 | P. L. Travers | Australian-British novelist, actress and journalist (1899–1996) |
| 1748 | Bernhard Schott | German clarinetist and music publisher |
| 1653 | John Oldham (poet) | English poet and translator (1653–1683) |
| 1593 | Izaak Walton | English author (c. 1593 – 1683) |
Writers who died on August 9
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | David Nobbs | English comedy writer (1935–2015) |
| 2015 | Kayyar Kinhanna Rai | Indian poet and activist (1915–2015) |
| 2015 | Fikret Otyam | Turkish journalist, writer and painter |
| 2012 | David Rakoff | Canadian-American humorist and essayist (1964–2012) |
| 2008 | Mahmoud Darwish | Palestinian author and poet (1941–2008) |
| 2006 | Philip E. High | Science fiction author |
| 2005 | Judith Rossner | American novelist |
| 2003 | Jacques Deray | French film director and screenwriter (1929–2003) |
| 1988 | M. Carl Holman | American poet (1919–1988) |
| 1988 | Giacinto Scelsi | Italian composer and poet (1905-1988) |
| 1978 | James Gould Cozzens | American novelist |
| 1967 | Joe Orton | English playwright and author (1933–1967) |
| 1962 | Hermann Hesse | German writer (1877–1962) |
| 1886 | Samuel Ferguson | Irish poet, barrister and antiquarian |
| 1861 | Vincent Novello | English musician and music publisher (1781–1861) |
| 1816 | Johann August Apel | German writer and jurist (1771–1816) |
| 1720 | Simon Ockley | British orientalist and translator |
Featured
Gene Luen Yang (1973) — Gene Luen Yang is an American cartoonist and author. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions and universities, schools, and libraries.
Thomas Lennon (1970) — Thomas Lennon is an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He plays Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the series Reno 911!, Andrei Novak on Santa Clarita Diet and Felix Unger on The Odd Couple.
Gillian Anderson (1968) — Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress and writer. She received international fame for starring as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the Fox science fiction mystery series The X-Files, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for the role.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.