On this day
February 11 in literary history
Literary history for February 11: 19 writers born, 15 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1380 to 2023. Born on this day: Mo Willems, Wesley Strick, Joy Williams (American writer).
Writers born on February 11
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Mo Willems | American children's books illustrator and writer (born 1968) |
| 1954 | Wesley Strick | American screenwriter (born 1954) |
| 1944 | Joy Williams (American writer) | American novelist and short story writer |
| 1939 | Gerry Goffin | American lyricist (1939–2014) |
| 1925 | Virginia E. Johnson | American sexologist and writer (1925–2013) |
| 1920 | Daniel F. Galouye | American science fiction writer |
| 1917 | Sidney Sheldon | American writer (1917–2007) |
| 1915 | Patrick Leigh Fermor | British author and soldier (1915–2011) |
| 1908 | Philip Dunne (writer) | American screenwriter, film producer & director (1908–1992) |
| 1896 | Claire Myers Owens | American writer (1896–1983) |
| 1869 | Else Lasker-Schüler | German poet and playwright (1869–1945) |
| 1860 | Rachilde | French Decadent writer (1860–1953) |
| 1813 | Otto Ludwig (writer) | German dramatist, novelist and critic (1813–1865) |
| 1802 | Lydia Maria Child | American abolitionist, author, and activist (1802–1880) |
| 1764 | Marie-Joseph Chénier | French poet, dramatist and politician (1764–1811) |
| 1657 | Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle | French writer and philosopher of the enlightenment (1657–1757) |
| 1624 | Ivan Ančić | Croatian religious writer (1624–1685) |
| 1568 | Honoré d'Urfé | French novelist (1568–1625) |
| 1380 | Poggio Bracciolini | Italian scholar, writer and humanist (1380–1459) |
Writers who died on February 11
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Donald Spoto | American biographer and theologian (1941–2023) |
| 2006 | Peter Benchley | American author (1940–2006) |
| 2005 | Jack L. Chalker | American science fiction and fantasy author (1944–2005) |
| 1996 | Amelia Rosselli | Italian poet |
| 1989 | George O'Hanlon | American actor and writer (1912–1989) |
| 1986 | Frank Herbert | American science-fiction author (1920–1986) |
| 1978 | Harry Martinson | Swedish writer |
| 1968 | Howard Lindsay | American dramatist (1889–1968) |
| 1963 | Sylvia Plath | American poet and writer (1932–1963) |
| 1940 | John Buchan | Scottish author and statesman (1875–1940) |
| 1862 | Elizabeth Siddal | Pre-Raphaelite model, artist, and poet (1829–1862) |
| 1829 | Alexander Griboyedov | Russian diplomat, playwright, poet and composer (1795-1829) |
| 1795 | Carl Michael Bellman | Swedish poet, songwriter and composer (1740–1795) |
| 1763 | William Shenstone | English poet and gardener |
| 1755 | Francesco Scipione Maffei | Italian writer and art critic (1675 – 1755) |
Literary events on February 11
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1946 | The New Testament of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the first significant challenge to the Authorized King James Version, is published. |
| 1938 | The BBC aired an adaptation of a section of Czech writer Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. in the first broadcast of science fiction on television. |
Featured
Mo Willems (1968) — Maurice Charles Willems is an American writer, animator, voice actor, and children's book author.
Wesley Strick (1954) — Wesley Strick is an American screenwriter, director, and producer of film and television. He has written films such as True Believer (1989), Arachnophobia (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Wolf (1994), The Saint (1997), and Doom (2005). He is also known for his contributions to the series The Man in the High Castle.
Joy Williams (American writer) (1944) — Joy Williams is an American novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. Best-known for her short fiction, she is also the author of novels including State of Grace, The Quick and the Dead, and Harrow.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.