On this day
January 29 in literary history
Literary history for January 29: 20 writers born, 25 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1647 to 2016. Born on this day: Ayobami Adebayo, Jessica Burkhart, Sam Jaeger.
20writers born
25writers died
2literary events
Writers born on January 29
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Ayobami Adebayo | Nigerian writer (born 1988) |
| 1987 | Jessica Burkhart | American writer |
| 1977 | Sam Jaeger | American actor and screenwriter (born 1977) |
| 1971 | Clare Balding | English broadcaster, journalist, TV presenter and author (born 1971) |
| 1968 | Monte Cook | American writer and game designer |
| 1950 | Miklós Vámos | Hungarian writer and screenwriter (born 1950) |
| 1949 | Doris Davenport (poet) | American poet, teacher |
| 1941 | Robin Morgan | American poet, writer and activist (1941–2026) |
| 1939 | Germaine Greer | Australian writer and public intellectual (born 1939) |
| 1936 | Veturi | Indian lyricist and poet (1936–2010) |
| 1931 | Leslie Bricusse | English composer, lyricist and playwright (1931–2021) |
| 1927 | Edward Abbey | American author advocating Radical Environmentalism (1927–1989) |
| 1923 | Paddy Chayefsky | American playwright, screenwriter and novelist (1923–1981) |
| 1915 | Bill Peet | American illustrator and animator (1915–2002) |
| 1895 | Muna Lee (writer) | American writer, activist, and suffragist in Puerto Rico |
| 1880 | W. C. Fields | American comedian, actor, juggler and writer (1880–1946) |
| 1867 | Vicente Blasco Ibáñez | Spanish journalist, politician, and novelist (1867–1928) |
| 1866 | Romain Rolland | French author (1866–1944) |
| 1860 | Anton Chekhov | Russian dramatist and author (1860–1904) |
| 1737 | Thomas Paine | English-born philosopher and author (1737–1809) |
Writers who died on January 29
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Jacques Rivette | French film director, screenwriter and film critic |
| 2015 | Colleen McCullough | Australian author (1937–2015) |
| 2015 | Rod McKuen | American poet, singer-songwriter, and composer (1933–2015) |
| 2008 | Margaret Truman | American soprano, writer and daughter of President Harry S. Truman (1924–2008) |
| 2005 | Ephraim Kishon | Israeli author and filmmaker (1924–2005) |
| 2004 | Janet Frame | New Zealand author (1924–2004) |
| 1991 | Yasushi Inoue | Japanese writer (1907–1991) |
| 1989 | Morton DaCosta | American dramatist |
| 1984 | Frances Goodrich | American writer |
| 1981 | John Glassco | Canadian poet and writer (1909–1981) |
| 1974 | H. E. Bates | British writer (1905–1974) |
| 1963 | Robert Frost | American poet (1874–1963) |
| 1961 | Angela Thirkell | British and Australian novelist (1890–1961) |
| 1959 | Pauline Smith | South African writer |
| 1956 | H. L. Mencken | American journalist and writer (1880–1956) |
| 1954 | Walter Conrad Arensberg | American art collector, critic and poet |
| 1951 | James Bridie | Scottish playwright, screenwriter and physician (1888–1951) |
| 1933 | Sara Teasdale | American writer and poet (1884–1933) |
| 1916 | Sibylle von Olfers | German art teacher, nun, author and illustrator |
| 1912 | Herman Bang | Danish journalist and author (1857–1912) |
| 1910 | Édouard Rod | French-Swiss novelist |
| 1888 | Edward Lear | British artist, poet and writer (1812–1888) |
| 1763 | Louis Racine | French poet (1692–1763) |
| 1706 | Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset | English politician, courtier and poet |
| 1647 | Francis Meres | English churchman and author (1565/1566–1647) |
Literary events on January 29
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1845 | "The Raven" is published in The Evening Mirror in New York, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe. |
| 1845 | American poet Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" appeared in The Evening Mirror as the newspaper's first publication attributed to Poe. |
Featured
Ayobami Adebayo (1988) — Ayobami Adebayo is a Nigerian writer, whose debut novel, Stay With Me, won the 9mobile Prize for Literature in 2017. She was awarded The Future Awards Africa Prize for Arts and Culture in the same year.
Jessica Burkhart (1987) — Jessica Ashley, better known by her pen name Jessica Burkhart, is an American author. Burkhart works primarily in the tween fiction genre, and is the writer of the Canterwood Crest series of novels.
Sam Jaeger (1977) — Samuel Heath Jaeger is an American actor and screenwriter.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.