callings of the archive
Writer Biographies
Every archived life recorded as writer, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Modern era
Vaclav Havel
October 5, 1936 – December 18, 2011
Czech statesman, playwright, and former dissident, the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic (1936–2011)
Early Modern era
Bernardo O'Higgins
August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842
Chilean independence leader (1778–1842)
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
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
b. October 29, 1938
24th president of Liberia
Contemporary era
Narendra Modi
b. September 17, 1950
Prime Minister of India since 2014
Modern era
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
March 17, 1920 – August 15, 1975
President of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh and the 2nd Prime Minister and first President of Bangladesh
Modern era
Donald Knuth
b. January 10, 1938
American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
Modern era
Dennis Ritchie
September 9, 1941 – October 12, 2011
American computer scientist, co-inventor of the Unix operating system and the C programming language (1941–2011)
Modern era
Steven Weinberg
May 3, 1933 – July 23, 2021
American theoretical physicist (1933-2021)
Modern era
Kip Thorne
b. June 1, 1940
American physicist (born 1940)
Modern era
Fred Hoyle
June 24, 1915 – August 20, 2001
British astronomer (1915–2001)
Medieval era
Al-Jazari
1164 – 1206
Mathematician and engineer from Jazira, Artuqid State (1164–1206)
Modern era
William Osler
July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919
Canadian physician and co-founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital (1849–1919)
Modern era
Christiaan Barnard
November 8, 1922 – September 2, 2001
South African cardiac surgeon
Modern era
Stephen Jay Gould
September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002
American biologist and historian of science (1941–2002)
Modern era
Konrad Lorenz
November 7, 1903 – February 27, 1989
Austrian zoologist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973 (1903–1989)
Modern era
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
July 8, 1926 – August 24, 2004
Swiss-American psychiatrist and pioneer in near-death studies (1926-2004)
Modern era
Oliver Sacks
July 9, 1933 – August 30, 2015
British neurologist and writer (1933–2015)
Contemporary era
Temple Grandin
b. August 29, 1947
American doctor of animal science, author, and autism activist
Early Modern era
John Bunyan
November 28, 1628 – August 31, 1688
English Christian writer and preacher (1628-1688)
Early Modern era
Alexander Pope
May 21, 1688 – May 30, 1744
English poet (1688–1744)
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
Anne Bronte
January 17, 1820 – May 28, 1849
British novelist and poet (1820-1849)
Modern era
William Makepeace Thackeray
July 18, 1811 – December 24, 1863
British novelist (1811–1863)
Modern era
Joseph Conrad
December 3, 1857 – August 3, 1924
Polish-British writer (1857–1924)
Modern era
Henry James
April 15, 1843 – February 28, 1916
American and British writer (1843–1916)
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
E. M. Forster
January 1, 1879 – June 7, 1970
English novelist (1879-1970)
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
Jack London
January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916
American author, journalist and social activist (1876–1916)
Modern era
Upton Sinclair
September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968
American writer (1878–1968)
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
Truman Capote
September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984
American writer (1924-1984)
Modern era
J. D. Salinger
January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010
American author (1919–2010)
Modern era
Joseph Heller
May 1, 1923 – December 12, 1999
American writer
Modern era
Flannery O'Connor
March 25, 1925 – August 3, 1964
American writer (1925–1964)
Modern era
Ralph Ellison
March 1, 1914 – April 16, 1994
American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer (1914-1994)
Modern era
Alice Walker
b. February 9, 1944
American author and activist (born 1944)
Modern era
Joan Didion
December 5, 1934 – December 23, 2021
American writer (1934-2021)
Modern era
Susan Sontag
January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004
American writer and filmmaker, professor, and activist (1933–2004)
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)
Early Modern era
Stendhal
January 23, 1783 – March 23, 1842
French writer (1783–1842)