Artists & Writers
Painters, poets, and storytellers of the human soul.
records written
Modern era
Jack Kerouac
March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969
American writer (1922–1969)
Modern era
Allen Ginsberg
June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997
American poet and writer (1926–1997)
Modern era
Charles Bukowski
August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994
German-American writer (1920–1994)
Modern era
E. B. White
July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985
American author (1899–1985)
Modern era
Beatrix Potter
July 28, 1866 – December 22, 1943
British children's writer and illustrator (1866–1943)
Modern era
L. Frank Baum
May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919
American author of children's books (1856–1919)
Modern era
J. M. Barrie
May 9, 1860 – June 19, 1937
Scottish writer and playwright (1860–1937)
Modern era
Lucy Maud Montgomery
November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942
Canadian writer (1874–1942)
Modern era
Enid Blyton
August 11, 1897 – November 28, 1968
English author (1897–1968)
Modern era
Astrid Lindgren
November 14, 1907 – January 28, 2002
Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays (1907–2002)
Modern era
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
June 29, 1900 – July 31, 1944
French writer and aviator (1900–1944)
Modern era
Guy de Maupassant
August 5, 1850 – July 6, 1893
French writer (1850-1893)
Early Modern era
Stendhal
January 23, 1783 – March 23, 1842
French writer (1783–1842)
Modern era
George Sand
July 1, 1804 – June 8, 1876
French novelist and memoirist (1804–1876)
Modern era
Emile Zola
April 2, 1840 – September 29, 1902
French novelist, journalist, playwright, and poet (1840–1902)
Modern era
Federico Garcia Lorca
June 5, 1898 – August 18, 1936
Spanish poet, dramatist and prose writer (1898–1936)
Modern era
Fernando Pessoa
June 13, 1888 – November 30, 1935
Portuguese poet, writer, and philosopher (1888–1935); creator of the heteronymic system including Alberto Caeiro, Ricardo Reis, Álvaro de Campos, and Bernardo Soares
Early Modern era
Luis de Camoes
1524 – June 10, 1580
16th-century Portuguese poet
Modern era
Jose Saramago
November 16, 1922 – June 18, 2010
Portuguese novelist (1922–2010)
Modern era
Machado de Assis
June 21, 1839 – September 29, 1908
Brazilian writer (1839–1908)
Modern era
Clarice Lispector
December 10, 1920 – December 9, 1977
Ukrainian-Brazilian writer, poet, and journalist (1920–1977)
Modern era
Gabriela Mistral
April 7, 1889 – January 10, 1957
Chilean poet, diplomat and educator (1889–1957)
Modern era
Julio Cortazar
August 26, 1914 – February 12, 1984
Argentine writer and translator (1914–1984)
Modern era
Mario Vargas Llosa
March 28, 1936 – April 13, 2025
Peruvian, Spanish and Dominican novelist and writer (1936–2025)
Modern era
Ivan Turgenev
October 28, 1818 – September 3, 1883
Russian writer (1818–1883)
Modern era
Maxim Gorky
March 16, 1868 – June 18, 1936
Russian and Soviet writer (1868–1936)
Modern era
Boris Pasternak
February 10, 1890 – May 30, 1960
Russian writer (1890–1960)
Modern era
Mikhail Bulgakov
May 3, 1891 – March 10, 1940
Russian author (1891–1940)
Modern era
Anna Akhmatova
June 11, 1889 – March 5, 1966
Russian poet (1889–1966)
Modern era
Stefan Zweig
November 28, 1881 – February 23, 1942
Austrian writer (1881–1942)
Modern era
Erich Maria Remarque
June 22, 1898 – September 25, 1970
German-born novelist (1898–1970)
Modern era
Gunter Grass
October 16, 1927 – April 13, 2015
German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, and sculptor (1927-2015)
Modern era
Milan Kundera
April 1, 1929 – July 11, 2023
Franco-Czechoslovak poet and novelist (1929—2023)
Modern era
Umberto Eco
January 5, 1932 – February 19, 2016
Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist (1932–2016)
Modern era
Italo Calvino
October 15, 1923 – September 19, 1985
Italian journalist and writer (1923-1985)
Modern era
Lu Xun
September 25, 1881 – October 19, 1936
Chinese novelist and essayist (1881–1936)
Early Modern era
Cao Xueqin
July 12, 1724 – 1763
Chinese novelist and poet (1710–1765)
Medieval era
Luo Guanzhong
March 30, 1334 – 1400
14th-century Chinese writer
Modern era
Natsume Soseki
February 9, 1867 – December 9, 1916
Japanese novelist
Modern era
Yasunari Kawabata
June 11, 1899 – April 16, 1972
Japanese novelist (1899–1972)
Modern era
Yukio Mishima
January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970
Japanese author (1925–1970)
Medieval era
Saadi Shirazi
1210 – 1291
Persian poet
Early Modern era
Mirza Ghalib
December 27, 1797 – February 15, 1869
Indian poet (1797-1869)
Modern era
Mahmoud Darwish
March 13, 1941 – August 9, 2008
The national Palestinian poet, and author (1941–2008)
Modern era
Munshi Premchand
July 31, 1880 – October 8, 1936
Indian writer of Hindi and Urdu fiction (1880–1936); pioneer of social realism in Hindustani literature
Modern era
R. K. Narayan
October 10, 1906 – May 13, 2001
Indian English-language writer (1906–2001)
Contemporary era
Salman Rushdie
b. June 19, 1947
Indian-born English and American novelist (born 1947)
Modern era
V. S. Naipaul
August 17, 1932 – August 11, 2018
Trinidadian-British writer (1932–2018)
Modern era
Wole Soyinka
b. July 13, 1934
Nigerian writer (born 1934)
Modern era
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
January 5, 1938 – May 28, 2025
Kenyan writer (1938–2025)
Contemporary era
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
b. September 15, 1977
Nigerian writer (born 1977)
Modern era
Ursula K. Le Guin
October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018
American fantasy and science fiction author (1929–2018)
Contemporary era
Octavia Butler
June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006
American science fiction writer (1947-2006)
Modern era
Philip K. Dick
December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982
American science fiction author (1928–1982)
Modern era
Frank Herbert
October 8, 1920 – February 11, 1986
American writer (1920–1986)
Contemporary era
Terry Pratchett
April 28, 1948 – March 12, 2015
English fantasy author (1948–2015)
Contemporary era
George R. R. Martin
b. September 20, 1948
American writer and television producer (born 1948)
Contemporary era
Neil Gaiman
b. November 10, 1960
English writer (born 1960)
Modern era
Michel Foucault
October 15, 1926 – June 25, 1984
French philosopher (1926–1984)
Modern era
Jacques Derrida
July 15, 1930 – October 8, 2004
French philosopher (1930–2004)