On this day
January 31 in literary history
Literary history for January 31: 19 writers born and 12 writers who died from 1686 to 2014. Born on this day: Daniel Tammet, Matt King (comedian), Thant Myint-U.
Writers born on January 31
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Daniel Tammet | British writer and savant (born 1979) |
| 1968 | Matt King (comedian) | British actor, comedian and writer |
| 1966 | Thant Myint-U | Writer and historian |
| 1964 | Dawn Prince-Hughes | American anthropologist, primatologist, author |
| 1960 | Grant Morrison | Scottish comic book writer and playwright (born 1960) |
| 1956 | John Lydon | English musician, author and media personality (born 1956) |
| 1950 | Denise Fleming | American writer |
| 1950 | Janice Rebibo | American poet |
| 1949 | Norris Church Mailer | American writer; widow of Norman Mailer (1949–2010) |
| 1949 | Ken Wilber | American writer and public speaker (born 1949) |
| 1946 | Mike Carlton | Australian media commentator and author |
| 1941 | Gerald McDermott | American film director, children's writer and illustrator |
| 1940 | Stuart Margolin | American actor, director, and writer (1940–2022) |
| 1935 | Kenzaburō Ōe | Japanese writer (1935–2023) |
| 1923 | Norman Mailer | American writer (1923–2007) |
| 1905 | John O'Hara | American novelist and short story writer (1905–1970) |
| 1872 | Zane Grey | American novelist (1872–1939) |
| 1799 | Rodolphe Töpffer | Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricature artist (1799–1846) |
| 1785 | Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová | Czech cookery writer |
Writers who died on January 31
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Miklós Jancsó | Hungarian film director and screenwriter (1921–2014) |
| 2013 | Rubén Bonifaz Nuño | Mexican poet and scholar (1923–2013) |
| 2011 | Bartolomeu Anania | Romanian Orthodox bishop, translator and writer |
| 2001 | Gordon R. Dickson | American science fiction writer (1923–2001) |
| 1985 | Tatsuzō Ishikawa | Japanese writer |
| 1956 | A. A. Milne | English writer (1882–1956) |
| 1944 | Jean Giraudoux | French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright (1882–1944) |
| 1933 | John Galsworthy | English novelist and playwright (1867–1933) |
| 1892 | Charles Spurgeon | British preacher, author, pastor and evangelist (1834–1892) |
| 1888 | John Bosco | 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator, and writer |
| 1836 | John Cheyne (physician) | British physician, surgeon and author (1777–1836) |
| 1686 | Jean Mairet | Jean Mairet, French playwright (born 1604) |
Featured
Daniel Tammet (1979) — Daniel Paul Tammet is an English writer and savant. His memoir, Born on a Blue Day (2006), is about his early life with Asperger syndrome and savant syndrome, and was named a "Best Book for Young Adults" in 2008 by the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services magazine.
Matt King (comedian) (1968) — Matt King is an English actor, DJ and comedian. He is best known for his role as Super Hans in the British sitcom Peep Show.
Thant Myint-U (1966) — Thant Myint-U is an historian, writer, grandson of former United Nations Secretary-General U Thant, former UN official, former Myanmar peace process mediator, and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.