callings of the archive
Translator Biographies
Every archived life recorded as translator, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Contemporary era
Guðni Jóhannesson
b. June 26, 1968
President of Iceland (2016-2024)
Early Modern era
Martin Luther
November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546
Reformer whose 95 Theses split Western Christianity
Modern era
Julius Nyerere
April 13, 1922 – October 14, 1999
Tanzanian politician and writer, first Prime Minister and President of Tanzania (1922–1999)
Medieval era
Petrarch
July 19, 1304 – July 18, 1374
Italian scholar and poet (1304-1374)
Medieval era
Giovanni Boccaccio
June 16, 1313 – September 21, 1375
Italian author and poet (1313–1375)
Medieval era
Erasmus
October 28, 1466 – July 12, 1536
Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and theologian (1466-1536)
Early Modern era
Michel de Montaigne
February 28, 1533 – September 12, 1592
French author, philosopher, and statesman (1533–1592)
Early Modern era
Christopher Marlowe
February 6, 1564 – May 30, 1593
English dramatist, poet and translator (1564–1593)
Early Modern era
John Donne
1572 – March 31, 1631
English poet and cleric (1572–1631)
Early Modern era
Mary Wollstonecraft
April 27, 1759 – September 10, 1797
English writer and intellectual (1759–1797)
Early Modern era
Percy Bysshe Shelley
August 4, 1792 – July 8, 1822
British Romantic poet (1792–1822)
Early Modern era
Walter Scott
August 15, 1771 – September 21, 1832
Scottish novelist, poet and playwright (1771–1832)
Modern era
Charles Baudelaire
April 9, 1821 – August 31, 1867
French poet and critic (1821–1867)
Early Modern era
Alexander Pushkin
May 26, 1799 – January 29, 1837
Russian poet, playwright, and novelist (1799–1837)
Modern era
Fyodor Dostoevsky
November 11, 1821 – January 28, 1881
Russian novelist (1821–1881)
Modern era
George Eliot
November 22, 1819 – December 22, 1880
English novelist, essayist, poet and journalist (1819–1880)
Modern era
Rainer Maria Rilke
December 4, 1875 – December 29, 1926
Austrian poet and writer (1875–1926)
Modern era
Jorge Luis Borges
August 24, 1899 – June 14, 1986
Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator (1899–1986)
Modern era
Naguib Mahfouz
December 11, 1911 – August 30, 2006
Egyptian writer (1911–2006)
Contemporary era
Haruki Murakami
b. January 12, 1949
Japanese writer (born 1949)
Modern era
Richard Francis Burton
March 19, 1821 – October 20, 1890
British explorer, army officer, writer and scholar (1821–1890)
Modern era
Saadat Hasan Manto
May 11, 1912 – January 18, 1955
Indo-Pakistani novelist, playwright and writer (1912-1955)
Early Modern era
Sarmad Kashani
1590 – 1661
Persian mystic, poet and saint
Modern era
C. Rajagopalachari
December 10, 1878 – December 25, 1972
Indian politician and activist (1878–1972)
Modern era
Amin Ahsan Islahi
1904 – December 15, 1997
Quran translator
Modern era
Wahiduddin Khan
January 1, 1925 – April 21, 2021
Islamic Scholar (1925–2021)
Early Modern era
Tukaram
1608 – 1650
Bhakti sant-poet
Early Modern era
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
May 22, 1772 – September 27, 1833
Indian religious, social, and educational reformer, and humanitarian
Modern era
Sri Aurobindo
August 15, 1872 – December 5, 1950
Indian Bengali philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet and nationalist (1872–1950)
Modern era
Ibn-e-Insha
June 15, 1927 – January 11, 1978
Pakistani writer (1927–1978)
Contemporary era
Fahmida Riaz
July 28, 1946 – November 21, 2018
Pakistani Urdu writer, poet, feminist (1946-2018)
Modern era
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
September 23, 1908 – April 24, 1974
Indian Hindi poet, essayist (1908-1974)
Modern era
Kazi Nazrul Islam
May 24, 1899 – August 29, 1976
National poet of Bangladesh (1899-1976)
Modern era
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
January 25, 1824 – June 29, 1873
Bengali poet and dramatist (1824–1873)
Modern era
Intizar Hussain
December 7, 1923 – February 2, 2016
Pakistani fiction writer (1923-2016)
Modern era
Abdullah Hussain
March 25, 1920 – December 31, 2014
Malaysian novelist
Modern era
Annemarie Schimmel
April 7, 1922 – January 26, 2003
German scholar of Islam (1922-2003)
Modern era
Bhanubhakta Acharya
July 13, 1814 – April 23, 1868
The First-ever poet of Nepali Language
Modern era
Fukuzawa Yukichi
January 10, 1835 – February 3, 1901
Modern Enlightenment thinker, educator, philosopher, scholar, author, writer, journalist, translator, entrepreneur, and founder of Keio University in Japan's Meiji era (1835-1901)
Modern era
Abai Qunanbaiuly
July 29, 1845 – June 23, 1904
Kazakh poet, philosopher and composer (1845-1904)
Ancient era
Mesrop Mashtots
362 CE – February 17, 440 CE
Armenian theologian and linguist (362–440)
Modern era
Taha Hussein
November 14, 1889 – October 28, 1973
Egyptian writer and literary critic (1889–1973)
Modern era
Abd el-Krim
January 12, 1882 – February 6, 1963
War leader and president of the Rif Republic from 1921 to 1926
Early Modern era
Francisco de Miranda
March 28, 1750 – July 14, 1816
Venezuelan military leader (1750–1816)
Modern era
Cesar Vallejo
March 16, 1892 – April 15, 1938
Peruvian writer
Medieval era
William Caxton
1422 – 1491
English merchant and printer (c. 1422–c. 1491)
Medieval era
Hasdai ibn Shaprut
915 CE – 975 CE
9th century Andalusian Jewish scholar, physician and official
Medieval era
Cardinal Cisneros
1436 – November 8, 1517
Spanish Catholic cardinal (1436-1517)
Medieval era
Antonio de Nebrija
1444 – July 2, 1522
Spanish scholar
Medieval era
Peter Chelcicky
1390 – 1460
15th century Bohemian Christian radical
Medieval era
Saint Cyril
827 CE – February 14, 869 CE
Christian missionary to the Slavs (9th c.)
Medieval era
Saint Methodius
815 CE – April 6, 885 CE
Christian missionary to the Slavs
Medieval era
Bede
672 CE – 735 CE
Anglo-Saxon monk, writer and saint (672/3–735)
Medieval era
Marsilio Ficino
October 19, 1433 – October 1, 1499
Italian philosopher and Catholic priest (1433–1499)
Medieval era
John Scotus Eriugena
c. 800 CE – 877 CE
Irish Catholic philosopher and theologian (c. 800 – c. 877)
Medieval era
Leonardo Bruni
1369 – 1444
Italian humanist historian (c. 1370–1444)
Medieval era
Poggio Bracciolini
February 11, 1380 – October 30, 1459
Italian scholar, writer and humanist (1380–1459)
Medieval era
Manuel Chrysoloras
1350 – September 15, 1415
Byzantine Greek scholar, diplomat, and professor (c. 1350–1415)
Medieval era
Gerard of Cremona
1114 – 1187
Italian translator and astrologer (c. 1114 – 1187)
Medieval era
Adelard of Bath
1075 – 1160
12th-century English natural philosopher