On this day
September 17 in literary history
Literary history for September 17: 25 writers born, 15 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1543 to 2024. Born on this day: Sam Esmail, Cheryl Strayed, Cassandra Peterson.
Writers born on September 17
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Sam Esmail | American screenwriter, director, and producer |
| 1968 | Cheryl Strayed | American writer (born 1968) |
| 1951 | Cassandra Peterson | American actress, author, comedian, television host, dancer and singer (born 1951) |
| 1947 | Gail Carson Levine | American writer (born 1947) |
| 1947 | Jeff MacNelly | American cartoonist (1947–2000) |
| 1942 | Robert Graysmith | American writer (born 1942) |
| 1939 | Carl Dennis | American poet and educator |
| 1937 | Sitakant Mahapatra | Indian poet and literary critic (born 1937) |
| 1935 | Ken Kesey | American writer and countercultural figure (1935–2001) |
| 1932 | Robert B. Parker | American crime writer (1932–2010) |
| 1931 | Jean-Claude Carrière | French writer (1931–2021) |
| 1917 | Ib Melchior | Danish-American writer and filmmaker (1917–2015) |
| 1916 | Mary Stewart (novelist) | British novelist (1916–2014) |
| 1912 | Maksim Tank | Belarusian poet |
| 1909 | Elizabeth Enright | American writer (1907–1968) |
| 1908 | John Creasey | English writer (1908–1973) |
| 1903 | Frank O'Connor | Irish writer (1903–1966) |
| 1900 | Martha Ostenso | American screenwriter |
| 1883 | William Carlos Williams | American poet (1883–1963) |
| 1874 | Walter Murdoch | Australian academic and essayist (1874-1970) |
| 1871 | Eivind Astrup | Norwegian explorer and writer (1871–1895) |
| 1864 | Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky | Ukrainian author (1864–1913) |
| 1820 | Émile Augier | French dramatist (1820–1889) |
| 1783 | Aleksandr Aleksandrov | Russian military officer and writer (1783–1866) |
| 1771 | Johann August Apel | German writer and jurist (1771–1816) |
Writers who died on September 17
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nelson DeMille | American author (1943–2024) |
| 2024 | Neil King Jr. | American journalist and author (1959–2024) |
| 2019 | Cokie Roberts | American journalist and author (1943–2019) |
| 2005 | Jacques Lacarrière | French writer |
| 1965 | Alejandro Casona | Spanish poet and playwright (1903–1965) |
| 1951 | Jimmy Yancey | American pianist, composer, and lyricist (1895-1951) |
| 1938 | Bruno Jasieński | Polish poet and activist (1901–1938) |
| 1936 | Ettie Rout | New Zealand writer and safer sex pioneer |
| 1923 | Stefanos Dragoumis | Greek judge, writer and the Prime Minister of Greece (January 1910 – October 1910) |
| 1908 | Henri Julien | Canadian artist and cartoonist (1852–1908) |
| 1879 | Eugène Viollet-le-Duc | French architect and author (1814–1879) |
| 1864 | Walter Savage Landor | English writer, poet, and activist (1775–1864) |
| 1863 | Charles Robert Cockerell | English architect, archaeologist, and writer |
| 1863 | Alfred de Vigny | French poet, playwright, and novelist (1797–1863) |
| 1771 | Tobias Smollett | Scottish writer and surgeon (1721–1771) |
Literary events on September 17
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Adbusters, a Canadian anti-consumerist publication, organized a protest against corporate influence on democracy at Zuccotti Park in New York City that became known as Occupy Wall Street. |
| 1543 | The first Finnish-language book, the Abckiria by Mikael Agricola, is published in Stockholm. |
Featured
Sam Esmail (1977) — Sam Esmail is an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter who runs the production company Esmail Corp. He is best known as the creator, writer, and director of the award-winning USA Network television series Mr. Robot (2015–2019), starring Rami Malek.
Cheryl Strayed (1968) — Cheryl Strayed is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel Torch (2006) and the nonfiction books Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012), Tiny Beautiful Things (2012) and Brave Enough (2015).
Cassandra Peterson (1951) — Cassandra Gay Peterson is an American dancer, actress, comedian, writer, television personality, and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.