callings of the archive
Writer Biographies
Every archived life recorded as writer, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Modern era
Primo Levi
July 31, 1918 – April 11, 1987
Italian chemist, partisan, Holocaust survivor, and writer (1919–1987)
Modern era
Helen Keller
June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968
American deafblind author, political activist, lecturer, scholar (1880-1968)
Modern era
Nellie Bly
May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922
American journalist
Contemporary era
Steve Biko
December 18, 1946 – September 12, 1977
South African anti-apartheid activist (1946–1977)
Contemporary era
Rigoberta Menchu
b. January 9, 1959
Guatemalan human rights activist
Contemporary era
Malala Yousafzai
b. July 12, 1997
Youngest Nobel laureate, voice for girls' education
Modern era
Buster Keaton
October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966
American motion picture director, motion picture producer, motion picture producers and director, comedian, actor
Modern era
Federico Fellini
January 20, 1920 – October 31, 1993
Italian filmmaker (1920–1993)
Modern era
Satyajit Ray
May 2, 1921 – April 23, 1992
Indian filmmaker and writer (1921–1992)
Contemporary era
Christopher Nolan
b. July 30, 1970
English-American filmmaker (born 1970)
Modern era
Cary Grant
January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986
British-American actor (1904–1986)
Contemporary era
Tom Hanks
b. July 9, 1956
American actor and film producer (born 1956)
Contemporary era
Bruce Lee
November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973
Martial artist and actor who carried kung fu to the world
Modern era
John Lennon
October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980
British musician (1940–1980)
Contemporary era
Venus Williams
b. June 17, 1980
American tennis player (born 1980)
Contemporary era
Martina Navratilova
b. October 18, 1956
Czech-American tennis player
Modern era
Billie Jean King
b. November 22, 1943
American tennis player (born 1943)
Modern era
Arthur Ashe
July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993
American tennis player (1943–1993)
Contemporary era
Tiger Woods
b. December 30, 1975
American golfer
Modern era
Henry Ford
July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947
American business magnate (1863–1947)
Modern era
Ray Kroc
October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984
American businessman
Contemporary era
Richard Branson
b. July 18, 1950
British business magnate
Modern era
Fatima Jinnah
July 31, 1893 – July 9, 1967
Pakistani dental surgeon, biographer and stateswoman (1893–1967)
Modern era
Ruth Pfau
September 9, 1929 – August 10, 2017
German-Pakistani physician and Catholic nun (1929–2017)
Contemporary era
Faisal Kapadia
b. June 29, 1971
Vocalist
Modern era
Anwar Maqsood
b. 1935
Pakistani writer
Contemporary era
Moin Akhtar
December 24, 1950 – April 22, 2011
Pakistani comedian (1950–2011)
Contemporary era
Parveen Shakir
November 24, 1952 – December 26, 1994
Pakistani writer and poet (1952–1994)
Modern era
Ahmad Faraz
January 12, 1931 – August 25, 2008
Pakistani writer (1931–2008)
Modern era
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
February 13, 1911 – November 20, 1984
Pakistani Urdu poet and author (1911–1984)
Modern era
Saadat Hasan Manto
May 11, 1912 – January 18, 1955
Indo-Pakistani novelist, playwright and writer (1912-1955)
Modern era
Bano Qudsia
November 28, 1928 – February 4, 2017
Pakistani writer
Modern era
Mustansar Hussain Tarar
b. March 1, 1939
Pakistani writer and actor
Medieval era
Ali Hujwiri
1009 – September 25, 1072
Sufi mystic
Medieval era
Fariduddin Ganjshakar
1175 – 1265
12th-century Punjabi Sunni Muslim preacher and mystic
Medieval era
Amir Khusrau
1253 – September 27, 1325
Indian poet, writer, singer and scholar (1253–1325)
Medieval era
Bande Nawaz
August 7, 1321 – November 10, 1422
Indian Sufi saint
Modern era
Waris Ali Shah
1817 – 1905
Indian Sufi saint
Early Modern era
Bulleh Shah
1680 – August 22, 1757
Punjabi poet
Early Modern era
Sultan Bahu
1630 – 1691
Punjabi Sufi mystic, poet and scholar (1630–1691)
Modern era
Mian Muhammad Bakhsh
1830 – 1907
Punjabi poet
Early Modern era
Waris Shah
January 23, 1722 – June 24, 1798
Punjabi poet (1722-1798)
Early Modern era
Sarmad Kashani
1590 – 1661
Persian mystic, poet and saint
Early Modern era
Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi
1743 – October 16, 1824
Islamic scholar
Early Modern era
Sachal Sarmast
1739 – April 11, 1827
Sindhi poet
Medieval era
Lal Ded
1320 – 1392
Kashmiri writer, mystic and saint.
Early Modern era
Rahman Baba
1632 – 1706
Pashtun Sufi Saint
Early Modern era
Dara Shikoh
March 20, 1615 – August 30, 1659
Indian prince
Modern era
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan
January 19, 1873 – 1956
Pakistani writer (1873–1956)
Modern era
Hasrat Mohani
January 1, 1875 – May 13, 1951
Indian independence activist and an Urdu language poet
Modern era
Mohsin-ul-Mulk
December 9, 1837 – October 16, 1907
Indian Muslim politician
Early Modern era
Haji Shariatullah
1781 – 1840
Islamic reformer
Modern era
Shibli Nomani
June 3, 1857 – November 18, 1914
Indian Islamic Scholar (1857–1914)
Early Modern era
Bahadur Shah Zafar
October 24, 1775 – November 7, 1862
18th and last Mughal Emperor from 1837 to 1857
Modern era
Ram Prasad Bismil
June 11, 1897 – December 19, 1927
Revolutionary, poet & writer (1897–1927)
Modern era
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
July 23, 1856 – September 1, 1920
Indian nationalist leader, writer and journalist (1856–1920)
Modern era
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
May 9, 1866 – February 19, 1915
Indian political leader and social reformer (1866–1915)
Modern era
Lala Lajpat Rai
January 28, 1865 – November 17, 1928
Indian author and politician (1865-1928)
Modern era
Bipin Chandra Pal
November 7, 1858 – May 20, 1932
British Indian Bengali academic and politician (1858–1932)
Modern era
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
November 11, 1888 – February 22, 1958
Indian politician and writer (1888–1958)