callings of the archive
Poet Biographies
Every archived life recorded as poet, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Modern era
Juan Benet
October 7, 1927 – January 5, 1993
Spanish writer (1927–1993)
Contemporary era
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
b. July 15, 1949
Emirati royal and politician (born 1949)
Modern era
Agostinho Neto
September 17, 1922 – September 10, 1979
President of Angola (1975-1979)
Modern era
Michel Temer
b. September 23, 1940
24th Vice-President of Brazil from 2011 to 2016 and 37th President of Brazil from 2016 to 2019
Contemporary era
Jadranka Kosor
b. July 1, 1953
Croatian politician
Modern era
Joaquín Balaguer
September 1, 1906 – July 14, 2002
President of the Dominican Republic (1906-2002)
Modern era
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
December 24, 1924 – August 16, 2018
Prime Minister of India (1996, 1988-2004)
Modern era
P. V. Narasimha Rao
June 28, 1921 – December 23, 2004
Prime Minister of India (1991-1996)
Modern era
Michael D. Higgins
b. April 18, 1941
President of Ireland (2011–2018; 2018–2025)
Contemporary era
Igor Lukšić
b. June 14, 1976
Politician from Montenegro
Modern era
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
May 6, 1918 – November 2, 2004
Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1966 to 2003
Ancient era
King David
1040 BCE – 969 BCE
King of Israel and Judah
Ancient era
Zoroaster
628 BCE – 551 BCE
Founder of Zoroastrianism
Medieval era
Guru Nanak
April 15, 1469 – September 22, 1539
First Sikh Guru and founder of Sikhism
Medieval era
Adi Shankara
788 CE – 820 CE
An Indian philosopher and theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta and revitalized Sanskrit scholasticism.
Medieval era
Abu Bakr
October 27, 573 CE – August 23, 634 CE
1st Rashidun Caliph and father-in-law of Muhammad
Medieval era
Al-Ghazali
1058 – December 19, 1111
Persian Sunni Muslim scholar and mystic (c.1058–1111)
Medieval era
Rumi
September 30, 1207 – December 17, 1273
Persian poet and Sufi mystic, among the best-selling poets in the world today
Medieval era
Francis of Assisi
June 24, 1182 – October 3, 1226
Italian Catholic saint, friar, deacon and preacher and founder of the Franciscan Order (1181/2–1226)
Modern era
Bahaullah
November 12, 1817 – May 29, 1892
Founder of the Bahá'í Faith (1817–1892)
Modern era
Swami Vivekananda
January 12, 1863 – July 4, 1902
Indian Hindu monk and philosopher (1863–1902)
Modern era
Thich Nhat Hanh
October 11, 1926 – January 22, 2022
Vietnamese Buddhist monk and activist (1926–2022)
Medieval era
Muawiya I
603 CE – 680 CE
Founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate (r. 661–680)
Medieval era
Abu Jafar al-Mansur
714 CE – October 7, 775 CE
Second Abbasid Caliph (714-775)
Medieval era
Selim I
October 10, 1470 – September 22, 1520
9th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520
Ancient era
Plato
427 BCE – 347 BCE
Athenian philosopher, founder of the Academy and author of the Republic
Ancient era
Eratosthenes
276 BCE – 194 BCE
Greek mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer, librarian and music theorist
Ancient era
Cicero
106 BCE – 43 BCE
Roman statesman, lawyer, orator, and philosopher (106–43 BC)
Ancient era
Marcus Junius Brutus
85 BCE – 42 BCE
Assassin of Julius Caesar
Ancient era
Nero
December 15, 1937 CE – June 9, 1968 CE
Fifth and last Roman Emperor of Julio-Claudian dynasty (54–68)
Ancient era
Hadrian
January 24, 1976 CE – July 10, 138 CE
14th Roman Emperor (117–138)
Ancient era
Emperor Wu of Han
156 BCE – 87 BCE
Seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of China (157 BC–87 BC)
Ancient era
Cao Cao
155 CE – 220 CE
Chinese warlord and statesman (155–220)
Ancient era
Seneca the Younger
c. 4 BCE – April 12, 1965 CE
Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist (c. 4 BCE–65 CE)
Medieval era
Richard the Lionheart
September 8, 1157 – April 6, 1199
King of England from 1189 to 1199 (1157–1199)
Medieval era
Harun al-Rashid
March 7, 766 CE – March 24, 809 CE
5th Abbasid caliph (r. 786–809)
Medieval era
Mehmed the Conqueror
March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481
Seventh Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1444–1446, 1451–1481)
Medieval era
Babur
February 14, 1483 – December 26, 1530
Founder of the Mughal Empire (1526–1530)
Early Modern era
Qianlong Emperor
September 25, 1711 – February 7, 1799
Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1711–1799)
Modern era
Ho Chi Minh
May 19, 1890 – September 2, 1969
Vietnamese communist leader, founder of North Vietnam (1890–1969)
Modern era
Che Guevara
June 14, 1928 – October 9, 1967
Argentine Marxist revolutionary (1928–1967)
Modern era
Ada Lovelace
December 10, 1815 – November 27, 1852
Mathematician who wrote the first computer program a century early
Early Modern era
Tycho Brahe
December 14, 1546 – October 24, 1601
Danish astronomer and alchemist, 1546–1601
Medieval era
Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
980 CE – June 18, 1037
Persian polymath whose Canon of Medicine taught Europe for 600 years
Ancient era
Homer
c. 900 BCE – c. 800 BCE
Ancient Greek poet credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey
Ancient era
Sappho
c. 650 BCE – c. 550 BCE
Ancient Greek poet from Lesbos (c. 630-c. 570 BC)
Ancient era
Euripides
c. 480 BCE – c. 406 BCE
Classical Athenian playwright
Ancient era
Aristophanes
448 BCE – 386 BCE
Classical Athenian comic playwright (c. 446 – c. 386 BC)
Ancient era
Virgil
70 BCE – 19 BCE
Roman poet (1st century BC)
Ancient era
Ovid
43 BCE – 17 CE
Roman poet (43 BC – 17/18 AD)
Kalidasa
A classical Sanskrit writer widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist of ancient India.
Ancient era
Sima Qian
145 BCE – 86 BCE
Chinese historian (c. 145 – c. 86 BCE)
Medieval era
Li Bai
May 19, 701 CE – November 30, 762 CE
Classical Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty (701–762)
Medieval era
Du Fu
712 CE – 770 CE
Tang dynasty Chinese poet (712–770)
Medieval era
Murasaki Shikibu
978 CE – 1014
Japanese novelist and poet (c.973–c.1014)
Medieval era
Ferdowsi
940 CE – 1020
Persian poet, author of Shahnameh (940–1020)
Medieval era
Omar Khayyam
May 18, 1048 – December 4, 1131
Persian mathematician and poet (1048–1131)
Medieval era
Hafez
1326 – 1389
Persian poet and mystic (1325–1389)
Medieval era
Dante Alighieri
May 30, 1265 – September 13, 1321
Florentine poet, writer, and philosopher (c. 1265–1321)
Medieval era
Geoffrey Chaucer
1343 – October 25, 1400
14th century English poet and author (1343–1400)