callings of the archive
Poet Biographies
Every archived life recorded as poet, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Modern era
Jose Marti
January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895
Cuban poet, philosopher and nationalist (1853-1895)
Modern era
Shimon Peres
August 2, 1923 – September 28, 2016
Israeli politician (1923–2016) –Former President of Israel (2007–2014) and Prime Minister of Israel (1977, 1984–1986, 1995–1996)
Modern era
Leopold Sedar Senghor
October 9, 1906 – December 20, 2001
First president of Senegal, poet, and cultural theorist (1906–2001)
Modern era
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
October 15, 1931 – July 27, 2015
Indian scientist, president and statesman (1931–2015)
Early Modern era
Jonathan Swift
November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745
Anglo-Irish satirist and essayist (1667–1745)
Early Modern era
Alexander Pope
May 21, 1688 – May 30, 1744
English poet (1688–1744)
Early Modern era
Samuel Johnson
September 18, 1709 – December 13, 1784
English writer and lexicographer (1709–1784)
Modern era
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882
American poet and educator (1807–1882)
Modern era
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
August 6, 1809 – October 6, 1892
British Poet Laureate (1809–1892)
Modern era
Robert Browning
May 7, 1812 – December 12, 1889
English poet and playwright (1812–1889)
Modern era
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
March 6, 1806 – June 29, 1861
English poet (1806–1861)
Modern era
Anne Bronte
January 17, 1820 – May 28, 1849
British novelist and poet (1820-1849)
Modern era
Edith Wharton
January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937
American writer and designer (1862–1937)
Modern era
Willa Cather
December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947
American writer (1873–1947)
Modern era
D. H. Lawrence
September 11, 1885 – March 2, 1930
English writer and poet (1885–1930)
Modern era
Henrik Ibsen
March 20, 1828 – May 23, 1906
Norwegian playwright and theatre director (1828–1906)
Modern era
W. H. Auden
February 21, 1907 – September 29, 1973
British-American poet (1907–1973)
Modern era
Dylan Thomas
October 27, 1914 – November 9, 1953
Welsh poet and writer (1914–1953)
Modern era
Wilfred Owen
March 18, 1893 – November 4, 1918
English poet and soldier (1893-1918)
Modern era
Seamus Heaney
April 13, 1939 – August 30, 2013
Irish poet, playwright, translator, lecturer (1939–2013)
Modern era
Gertrude Stein
February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946
American author (1874–1946)
Modern era
e. e. cummings
October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962
American author (1894–1962)
Modern era
Dorothy Parker
August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967
American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist (1893-1967)
Modern era
Alice Walker
b. February 9, 1944
American author and activist (born 1944)
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
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
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
Machado de Assis
June 21, 1839 – September 29, 1908
Brazilian writer (1839–1908)
Modern era
Gabriela Mistral
April 7, 1889 – January 10, 1957
Chilean poet, diplomat and educator (1889–1957)
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
Anna Akhmatova
June 11, 1889 – March 5, 1966
Russian poet (1889–1966)
Modern era
Gunter Grass
October 16, 1927 – April 13, 2015
German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, and sculptor (1927-2015)
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)
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)
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
Wole Soyinka
b. July 13, 1934
Nigerian writer (born 1934)
Contemporary era
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
b. September 15, 1977
Nigerian writer (born 1977)
Modern era
Max Ernst
April 2, 1891 – April 1, 1976
German artist (1891–1976)
Modern era
Qi Baishi
January 1, 1864 – September 16, 1957
Chinese painter (1864-1957)
Modern era
John Cage
September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992
American avant-garde composer (1912-1992)
Modern era
Ken Saro-Wiwa
October 10, 1941 – November 10, 1995
Nigerian social rights activist (1941–1995)
Contemporary era
Liu Xiaobo
December 28, 1955 – July 13, 2017
Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist (1955–2017)
Modern era
John Denver
December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997
American singer (1943–1997)