On this day
November 23 in literary history
Literary history for November 23: 27 writers born, 11 writers who died and 3 literary events from 1496 to 2016. Born on this day: Ishmael Beah, Karsten Müller, Jennifer Michael Hecht.
Writers born on November 23
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Ishmael Beah | Sierra Leonean author and human rights activist (born 1980) |
| 1970 | Karsten Müller | German chess grandmaster and author (born 1970) |
| 1965 | Jennifer Michael Hecht | American historian, teacher and poet (born 1965) |
| 1961 | Keith Ablow | American novelist and life coach |
| 1961 | Peter Stanford | English writer, editor, journalist and presenter (born 1961) |
| 1955 | Steven Brust | American fantasy and science fiction author (born 1955) |
| 1950 | Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri | Indian historian and writer (born 1950) |
| 1948 | Bruce Vilanch | American comedy writer, head writer for the Oscars (born 1948) |
| 1945 | Assi Dayan | Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter and producer (1945–2014) |
| 1944 | Joe Eszterhas | Hungarian-American screenwriter and author |
| 1944 | James Toback | American screenwriter and film director |
| 1934 | Robert Towne | American screenwriter, producer, director and actor (1934–2024) |
| 1929 | Hal Lindsey | American evangelist and Christian writer (1929–2024) |
| 1927 | Guy Davenport | American writer and painter (1927–2005) |
| 1924 | Irvin J. Borowsky | American publisher and philanthropist |
| 1923 | Gloria Whelan | American poet and children's writer (born 1923) |
| 1920 | Paul Celan | German-language poet of Romanian birth, Holocaust survivor (1920–1970) |
| 1916 | P. K. Page | Canadian poet (1916–2010) |
| 1915 | Marc Simont | Paris-born American artist, political cartoonist, and illustrator (1915-2013) |
| 1914 | Wilson Tucker (writer) | American writer (1914–2006) |
| 1912 | George O'Hanlon | American actor and writer (1912–1989) |
| 1909 | Nigel Tranter | Scottish writer |
| 1908 | Nelson S. Bond | American writer |
| 1906 | Betti Alver | Estonian novelist and poet |
| 1897 | Nirad C. Chaudhuri | Indian writer (1897–1999) |
| 1875 | Anatoly Lunacharsky | Russian revolutionary, Soviet statesman and writer (1875–1933) |
| 1496 | Clément Marot | French poet (1496–1544) |
Writers who died on November 23
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Joe Esposito (author) | American writer (1938–2016) |
| 2015 | Jamiluddin Aali | Pakistani poet, writer, and scholar (1926–2015) |
| 2012 | José Luis Borau | Spanish producer, writer, and director |
| 2006 | Betty Comden | American dramatist and lyricist (1917–2006) |
| 1996 | Idries Shah | Afghan writer and Sufi teacher (1924–1996) |
| 1990 | Roald Dahl | British writer and poet (1916–1990) |
| 1984 | Leonard Baker | American writer (1931–1984) |
| 1976 | André Malraux | French novelist, art theorist, and statesman (1901–1976) |
| 1896 | Ichiyō Higuchi | Japanese writer (1872–1896) |
| 1804 | Richard Graves | English minister and writer (1715–1804) |
| 1616 | Richard Hakluyt | English author, editor and translator (1553–1616) |
Literary events on November 23
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1924 | Edwin Hubble's discovery, that the Andromeda "nebula" is actually another island galaxy far outside our own Milky Way, is first published in The New York Times. |
| 1924 | The New York Times published evidence from Edwin Hubble (pictured) stating that the Andromeda Nebula, previously believed to be part of the Milky Way, is in fact another galaxy. |
| 1644 | In opposition to licensing and censorship during the English Civil War, John Milton's Areopagitica was published, arguing for the right to free expression. |
Featured
Ishmael Beah (1980) — Ishmael Beah is a Sierra Leonean author and human rights activist who rose to fame with his acclaimed memoir, A Long Way Gone. His novel Radiance of Tomorrow was published in January 2014. His most recent novel Little Family was published in April 2020.
Karsten Müller (1970) — Dr. Karsten Müller is a German chess Grandmaster and author. He earned the Grandmaster title in 1998 and a PhD in mathematics in 2002 at the University of Hamburg. He had placed third in the 1996 German championship and second in the 1997 German championship.
Jennifer Michael Hecht (1965) — Jennifer Michael Hecht is a teacher, author, poet, historian, and philosopher. She was an associate professor of history at Nassau Community College (1994–2007) and most recently taught at The New School in New York City.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.