On this day
December 22 in literary history
Literary history for December 22: 17 writers born, 14 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1530 to 2014. Born on this day: Heather Donahue, David S. Goyer, Charles de Lint.
Writers born on December 22
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Heather Donahue | American actress, writer (born 1974) |
| 1965 | David S. Goyer | American filmmaker, novelist, and comic book writer |
| 1951 | Charles de Lint | Canadian fantasy author (born 1951) |
| 1947 | Brian Daley | American science fiction writer (1947–1996) |
| 1940 | Mike Molloy | British newspaper editor and author |
| 1937 | Charlotte Lamb | British novelist (1937–2000) |
| 1937 | Eduard Uspensky | Russian writer (1937–2018) |
| 1937 | Ken Whitmore | British author |
| 1936 | James Burke (science historian) | British broadcaster and author (born 1936) |
| 1926 | Roberta Leigh | British novelist and television writer (1926–2014) |
| 1923 | Peregrine Worsthorne | British journalist, writer and broadcaster (1923–2020) |
| 1905 | Kenneth Rexroth | American poet and translator (1905–1982) |
| 1900 | Marc Allégret | French screenwriter and film director (1900–1973) |
| 1876 | Filippo Tommaso Marinetti | Italian poet (1876–1944) |
| 1869 | Edwin Arlington Robinson | American poet and playwright (1869–1935) |
| 1807 | Johan Sebastian Welhaven | Norwegian writer (1807–1873) |
| 1639 | Jean Racine | 17th-century French dramatist (1639–1699) |
Writers who died on December 22
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Oscar Peer | Swiss novelist, playwright and philologist |
| 2007 | Adrian Cristobal | Filipino writer (1932–2007) |
| 1996 | Jack Hamm | American cartoonist |
| 1989 | Samuel Beckett | Irish writer (1906–1989) |
| 1986 | Mary Burchell | British novelist, campaigner for Jewish refugees (1904–1986) |
| 1974 | Sterling North | American writer |
| 1971 | Godfried Bomans | Dutch author (1913–1971) |
| 1943 | Beatrix Potter | English writer and illustrator (1866–1943) |
| 1940 | Nathanael West | American novelist (1903–1940) |
| 1925 | Frank Munsey | American publisher and politician (1854–1925) |
| 1880 | George Eliot | English novelist and poet (1819–1880) |
| 1870 | Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer | Spanish poet and writer (1836–1870) |
| 1767 | John Newbery | English publisher (1713–1767) |
| 1530 | Willibald Pirckheimer | German Renaissance lawyer, author and Renaissance humanist |
Literary events on December 22
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2014 | The United States Copyright Office stated that works lacking human authorship, such as a photograph taken by a monkey, could not be registered for copyright in the United States. |
| 1825 | The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., burns. |
Featured
Heather Donahue (1974) — Rei Hance is an American businesswoman and retired actress. She is known for her appearance in the found footage in The Blair Witch Project (1999) and the science fiction miniseries Taken (2002). She retired from acting in 2008 and became a medical marijuana grower. She legally changed her name to Rei Hance in 2020.
David S. Goyer (1965) — David Samuel Goyer is an American filmmaker, novelist, and comic book writer. He is best known for writing the screenplays and stories for several superhero films, including Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Charles de Lint (1951) — Charles de Lint is a Canadian writer.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.