On this day
February 6 in literary history
Literary history for February 6: 29 writers born and 14 writers who died from 1453 to 2025. Born on this day: David Hayter, Jan Svěrák, Gord Downie.
Writers born on February 6
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | David Hayter | Canadian and American actor and screenwriter (born 1969) |
| 1965 | Jan Svěrák | Czech film director and screenwriter (born 1965) |
| 1964 | Gord Downie | Canadian musician and writer (1964–2017) |
| 1955 | Michael Pollan | American author and journalist (born 1955) |
| 1952 | Viktor Giacobbo | Swiss writer, comedian and actor (born 1952) |
| 1945 | Michael Tucker (actor) | American actor, author, and producer (born 1945) |
| 1942 | James W. Loewen | American sociologist, historian, and author (1942–2021) |
| 1940 | Tom Brokaw | American broadcast journalist and author (born 1940) |
| 1939 | Jean Beaudin | Canadian film director and screenwriter (1939–2019) |
| 1929 | Óscar Sambrano Urdaneta | Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta, Venezuelan author and critic (died 2011) |
| 1927 | Gerard K. O'Neill | American physicist, author, and inventor (1927–1992) |
| 1925 | Pramoedya Ananta Toer | Indonesian novelist and writer (1925–2006) |
| 1924 | Jin Yong | Chinese-language wuxia novelist (1924–2018) |
| 1922 | Denis Norden | English writer and television presenter (1922–2018) |
| 1918 | Lothar-Günther Buchheim | German author and artist (1918–2007) |
| 1910 | Irmgard Keun | German author |
| 1908 | Geo Bogza | Romanian avant-garde theorist, poet and journalist (1908 - 1993) |
| 1908 | Michael Maltese | American screenwriter and storyboard artist (1908–1981) |
| 1906 | Joseph Schull | Canadian playwright and historian |
| 1905 | Jan Werich | Czech actor, playwright, and writer (1905–1980) |
| 1894 | Eric Partridge | 20th-century New Zealand-born lexicographer, editor, and author (1894–1979) |
| 1864 | John Henry Mackay | German anarchist writer (1864–1933) |
| 1843 | Frederic W. H. Myers | English poet and essayist (1843–1901) |
| 1834 | Wilhelm von Scherff | Wilhelm von Scherff, German general and author (died 1911) |
| 1833 | José María de Pereda | Modern Spanish novelist (1833–1906) |
| 1778 | Ugo Foscolo | Italian writer, revolutionary and poet (1778–1827) |
| 1758 | Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz | Polish poet, playwright and statesman (1758–1841) |
| 1753 | Évariste de Parny | French Rococo poet (1753–1814) |
| 1453 | Girolamo Benivieni | Italian poet |
Writers who died on February 6
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Nigel McCrery | English screenwriter, producer and writer (1953–2025) |
| 2019 | Rosamunde Pilcher | British novelist (1924–2019) |
| 2016 | Dan Gerson | American screenwriter and voice actor (1966–2016) |
| 2015 | André Brink | South African writer (1935–2015) |
| 2015 | Pedro León Zapata | Venezuelan artist, humorist and cartoonist |
| 2014 | Maxine Kumin | American poet and author (1925–2014) |
| 2000 | Hani al-Rahib | Syrian novelist (1939–2000) |
| 1995 | James Merrill | American poet (1926–1995) |
| 1989 | Barbara W. Tuchman | American historian and author (1912–1989) |
| 1985 | James Hadley Chase | English author (1906–1985) |
| 1976 | Ritwik Ghatak | Indian Bengali filmmaker and script writer (1925–1976) |
| 1916 | Rubén Darío | Nicaraguan poet, journalist and writer (1867–1916) |
| 1865 | Isabella Beeton | English journalist, publisher and writer (1836–1865) |
| 1793 | Carlo Goldoni | Italian playwright (1707–1793) |
Featured
David Hayter (1969) — David Bryan Hayter is a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is well known as the English-language voice actor for Solid Snake and Naked Snake in the Metal Gear video game series. He wrote the superhero film X-Men (2000), for which he won the Saturn Award for Best Writing.
Jan Svěrák (1965) — Jan Svěrák is a Czech film director and screenwriter. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák, with whom he collaborated on his most successful films. He is among the most recognised Czech filmmakers. His best-known films are the Oscar-winning Kolya and the Oscar-nominated The Elementary School.
Gord Downie (1964) — Gordon Edgar Downie was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer, poet, and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its formation in 1984 until his death in 2017.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.