On this day
February 24 in literary history
Literary history for February 24: 22 writers born, 8 writers who died and 2 literary events from 303 to 2024. Born on this day: Gillian Flynn, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby.
Writers born on February 24
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Gillian Flynn | American writer (born 1971) |
| 1954 | Judith Ortiz Cofer | Puerto Rican writer (1952–2016) |
| 1954 | Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby | British peer, writer, and entrepreneur |
| 1947 | Rupert Holmes | British-American composer, singer-songwriter and playwright (born 1947) |
| 1943 | Kent Haruf | American novelist (1943–2014) |
| 1935 | Ryhor Baradulin | Belarusian poet |
| 1930 | Barbara Lawrence | American writer and real-estate businessperson, and retired actress and model |
| 1914 | Weldon Kees | American writer, artist, and musician |
| 1909 | August Derleth | American writer (1909–1971) |
| 1903 | Vladimir Bartol | Slovenian writer |
| 1885 | Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz | Polish writer and artist (1885–1939) |
| 1877 | Ettie Rout | New Zealand writer and safer sex pioneer |
| 1852 | George Moore (novelist) | Irish writer and critic (1852–1933) |
| 1842 | Arrigo Boito | Italian librettist and composer (1842–1918) |
| 1837 | Rosalía de Castro | Spanish Galician poet, writer (1837–1885) |
| 1830 | Karolina Světlá | Czech writer (1830–1899) |
| 1829 | Friedrich Spielhagen | German novelist, literary theorist and translator |
| 1797 | Samuel Lover | Irish composer, writer and painter |
| 1786 | Wilhelm Grimm | German author (1786–1859) |
| 1723 | John Burgoyne | British Army officer, playwright and politician (1722–1792) |
| 1604 | Arcangela Tarabotti | Venetian nun and writer (1604–1652) |
| 1595 | Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski | Polish Latin poet |
Writers who died on February 24
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kumar Shahani | Indian film director and screenwriter (1940–2024) |
| 2016 | Nabil Maleh | Nabil Maleh, Syrian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1936) |
| 2006 | Octavia E. Butler | American science fiction writer (1947–2006) |
| 1999 | Andre Dubus | American writer |
| 1998 | Antonio Prohías | Cuban cartoonist |
| 1990 | Malcolm Forbes | American publisher (1919–1990) |
| 1974 | Margaret Leech | American historian and novelist (1893-1974) |
| 1721 | John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby | British military officer, writer and politician (1648–1721) |
Literary events on February 24
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1809 | London's Drury Lane Theatre burns to the ground, leaving its owner, Irish writer and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan, destitute. |
| 303 | The Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most severe episode of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, began with the publication of a first edict by Roman emperor Diocletian. |
Featured
Gillian Flynn (1971) — Gillian Schieber Flynn is an American author, screenwriter, and producer, best known for her thriller and mystery novels Sharp Objects (2006), Dark Places (2009), and Gone Girl (2012). Her works have been published in 40 languages, and by 2016, Gone Girl had sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
Judith Ortiz Cofer (1954) — Judith Ortiz Cofer was a Puerto Rican author. Her critically acclaimed and award-winning work spans a range of literary genres including poetry, short stories, autobiography, essays, and young-adult fiction.
Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby (1954) — Constantine Edmund Walter Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby, is a British peer, novelist, poet, and entrepreneur.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.