On this day
January 9 in literary history
Literary history for January 9: 21 writers born, 21 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1283 to 2015. Born on this day: Souhardya De, Eric Erlandson, Philippa Gregory.
Writers born on January 9
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Souhardya De | Indian author and columnist |
| 1963 | Eric Erlandson | American musician, guitarist, and writer |
| 1954 | Philippa Gregory | English historical novelist (born 1954) |
| 1944 | Harun Farocki | German filmmaker, author, and lecturer in film (1944–2014) |
| 1943 | Robert Drewe | Australian author |
| 1933 | Wilbur Smith | South African novelist (1933–2021) |
| 1931 | Algis Budrys | Lithuanian-American author, editor, and critic (1931–2008) |
| 1929 | Brian Friel | Irish dramatist, author and theatre director (1929–2015) |
| 1929 | Heiner Müller | German writer, poet, and theatre director (1929–1995) |
| 1928 | Judith Krantz | American writer (1928–2019) |
| 1919 | William Morris Meredith Jr. | American poet (1919-2007) |
| 1900 | Richard Halliburton | American travel writer and adventurer (1900–1939) |
| 1890 | Karel Čapek | Czech science fiction writer and playwright (1890–1938) |
| 1890 | Kurt Tucholsky | German journalist, satirist and writer |
| 1889 | Vrindavan Lal Verma | Hindi novelist and playwright (1889 – 1969) |
| 1881 | Lascelles Abercrombie | British poet (1881–1938) |
| 1881 | Giovanni Papini | Italian writer (1881–1956) |
| 1873 | Hayim Nahman Bialik | Hebrew poet, author, and editor (1873–1934) |
| 1856 | Anton Aškerc | Slovenian poet and Roman Catholic priest |
| 1829 | T. W. Robertson | English dramatist and stage director (1829–1871) |
| 1728 | Thomas Warton | 18th-century English literary historian, critic, and poet |
Writers who died on January 9
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Michel Jeury | French writer (1934–2015) |
| 2014 | Amiri Baraka | African-American writer (1934–2014) |
| 2014 | Josep Maria Castellet | Spanish writer and poet (1926–2014) |
| 2009 | T. Llew Jones | Welsh children's writer |
| 2006 | W. Cleon Skousen | American law enforcement officer and author (1913–2006) |
| 2000 | Nigel Tranter | Scottish writer |
| 1996 | Walter M. Miller Jr. | American writer |
| 1996 | Abdullah al-Qasemi | Saudi Arabian writer and intellectual |
| 1992 | Bill Naughton | Irish-British playwright and author |
| 1990 | Cemal Süreya | Kurdish poet, writer, and translator |
| 1964 | Halide Edib Adıvar | Turkish novelist, teacher, and a nationalist and feminist intellectual (1884-1964) |
| 1960 | Elsie J. Oxenham | English writer (1880–1960) |
| 1946 | Countee Cullen | American author (1903–1946) |
| 1945 | Osman Cemal Kaygılı | Turkish writer and journalist (1890-1945) |
| 1930 | Edward Bok | Dutch-born American editor and writer (1863–1930) |
| 1923 | Katherine Mansfield | New Zealand author (1888–1923) |
| 1917 | Luther D. Bradley | American cartoonist (1853–1917) |
| 1908 | Wilhelm Busch | German humorist, poet, illustrator, and painter (1832–1908) |
| 1908 | Abraham Goldfaden | Russian-born Jewish poet and playwright (1840–1908) |
| 1757 | Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle | French writer and philosopher of the enlightenment (1657–1757) |
| 1283 | Wen Tianxiang | Song dynasty poet and politician (1236–1283) |
Literary events on January 9
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1978 | Iranian Revolution: Protests took place in Qom after an article insulting Ruhollah Khomeini was published. |
| 1903 | Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia. |
Featured
Souhardya De (2004) — Souhardya De is an Indian writer, columnist, and commentator from Midnapore, West Bengal. He is a recipient of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, a civilian award for Indian citizens under the age of 18, in 2021.
Eric Erlandson (1963) — Eric Theodore Erlandson is an American musician, guitarist, and writer, primarily known as a founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole from 1989 to 2002.
Philippa Gregory (1954) — Philippa Gregory is a Kenyan-born English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is The Other Boleyn Girl (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association and has been adapted into two films.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.