On this day
March 31 in literary history
Literary history for March 31: 26 writers born, 15 writers who died and 2 literary events from 32 BC to 2016. Born on this day: Mira Bellwether, Alejandro Amenábar, Annabelle Neilson.
Writers born on March 31
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Mira Bellwether | American author (1982–2022) |
| 1972 | Alejandro Amenábar | Spanish-Chilean film director, screenwriter and composer |
| 1969 | Annabelle Neilson | British socialite, fashion model, author, and television personality (1969–2018) |
| 1965 | Steven T. Seagle | American writer (born 1965) |
| 1961 | Howard Gordon | American television writer and producer (born 1961) |
| 1959 | Markus Hediger | Swiss writer and translator (born 1959) |
| 1942 | Michael Savage | American radio talk show host and author |
| 1939 | Israel Horovitz | American playwright (1939–2020) |
| 1936 | Marge Piercy | American novelist and poet (born 1936) |
| 1935 | Judith Rossner | American novelist |
| 1934 | Kamala Surayya | Indian poet and author (1934–2009) |
| 1933 | Nichita Stănescu | Romanian poet and essayist |
| 1932 | John Jakes | American writer (1932–2023) |
| 1926 | John Fowles | English novelist (1926–2005) |
| 1926 | Beni Montresor | Italian illustrator, costume and set designer, director |
| 1924 | Leo Buscaglia | American professor of special education, motivational speaker, author (1924–1998) |
| 1920 | Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire | English aristocrat and writer (1920–2014) |
| 1914 | Octavio Paz | Mexican writer, poet and diplomat (1914–1998) |
| 1914 | Dagmar Lange | Swedish writer |
| 1912 | William Lederer | American novelist |
| 1895 | Vardis Fisher | American novelist (1895–1968) |
| 1876 | Borisav Stanković | Serbian writer (1876–1927) |
| 1871 | Arthur Griffith | Irish politician and writer, founder of Sinn Féin (1871–1922) |
| 1833 | Mary Abigail Dodge | American writer and essayist |
| 1809 | Edward FitzGerald (poet) | English poet and translator (1809–1883) |
| 1621 | Andrew Marvell | English poet and politician (1621–1678) |
Writers who died on March 31
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Imre Kertész | Hungarian author (1929–2016) |
| 2016 | Denise Robertson | British writer and broadcaster (1932–2016) |
| 2015 | Cocoa Fujiwara | Japanese manga artist and illustrator |
| 2013 | Bob Clarke (illustrator) | American illustrator (1926–2013) |
| 2011 | Alan Fitzgerald (satirist) | Australian author and journalist (1935–2011) |
| 1993 | Mitchell Parish | American lyricist (1900–1993) |
| 1983 | Christina Stead | Australian writer |
| 1981 | Enid Bagnold | English dramatist, playwright, and memoirist (1889–1981) |
| 1980 | Vladimír Holan | Czech poet and translator |
| 1910 | Jean Moréas | Greek poet, essayist, and art critic (1856–1910) |
| 1907 | Galusha A. Grow | American politician, lawyer, writer and businessman (1823–1907) |
| 1855 | Charlotte Brontë | English novelist and poet (1816–1855) |
| 1797 | Olaudah Equiano | Black British abolitionist and writer (c. 1745 – 1797) |
| 1631 | John Donne | English poet and cleric (1572–1631) |
| 32 BC | Titus Pomponius Atticus | Roman banker, writer and philosopher (c.110 BC – 32 BC) |
Literary events on March 31
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2004 | The Old National Library Building in Singapore was closed to make way for a tunnel, despite widespread protests. |
| 1174 | A conspiracy against Saladin, aiming to restore the Fatimid Caliphate, is revealed in Cairo, involving senior figures of the former Fatimid regime and the poet Umara al-Yamani. Modern historians doubt the extent and danger of the conspiracy reported in official sources, but its ringleaders will be publicly executed over the following weeks. |
Featured
Mira Bellwether (1982) — Mira Bellwether was an American author, artist, and sex educator best known for Fucking Trans Women, a single-issue zine in which she wrote and illustrated all articles.
Alejandro Amenábar (1972) — Alejandro Fernando Amenábar Cantos is a Chilean-Spanish film director, screenwriter and composer.
Annabelle Neilson (1969) — Iona Annabelle Neilson was a British socialite, model, author and television personality. Neilson gained media attention as the primary muse of the fashion designer Alexander McQueen. In 2014, she gained notoriety in America as a cast member of the Bravo reality television series Ladies of London (2014–2015).
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.