1450 – Marko Marulic. Croatian national poet, Christian humanist, and judge who wrote under several names, including Marko Marulić Splićanin (“Marko Marulić of Split”), Marko Pečenić, Marcus Marulus (or de Marulis) Spalatensis, and Dalmata; he also wrote nonfiction works in Latin that were widely published throughout Europe; he is credited with coining the term, “psychology.”
1841 – Robert Williams Buchanan, Scottish poet, novelist, and dramatist.
1860 – Kristína Royová, Slovak novelist, poet, children’s writer, and activist; she has been called the “Slovak Kierkegaard.”
1885 – Nettie Palmer (real name Janet Gertrude Palmer née Higgins), Australian author, poet, essayist, and Australia’s leading literary critic of her day.
1908 – Edgar Faure, French Prime Minister who was also an author, essayist, historian, memoirist, and lawyer.
1908 – Armijn Pane, influential Indonesian novelist, poet, nonfiction author, and playwright who also wrote under the names Adinata, A. Soul, Empe, A. Mada, A. Banner, and Kartono.
1912 – Elsa Morante, Italian novelist, poet, and short-story writer; her work, mostly set in the south of Italy, often deals with persecution and injustice, and is influenced by 19th-century French and Russian novels.
1922 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French novelist, publisher, screenwriter, and filmmaker of the Nouveau Roman movement.
1925 – Brian Aldiss, English author of fiction and science fiction who has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was awarded the designation Grand Master by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.
1934 – Vincent Bugliosi, American attorney and author of nonfiction crime books; he is best known for the successful prosecution of cult leader and mass murderer Charles Manson.
1934 – Sonia Levitin, award-winning German-born novelist, essayist, playwright, lyricist, painter, and Holocaust survivor who is best known for her books for children; much of her work deals with Jewish themes, history, and stories of immigration.
1938 – Arvid Torgeir Lie, Norwegian poet, short-story writer, linguist, and translator.
1940 – Jan Owen, award-winning Australian poet, writer, writing teacher, and editor.
1944 – Paula Danziger, American children’s author, best known for the novel The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and her “Amber Brown” series; she also lived in the UK and was a regular presenter on children’s literature for the BBC.
1945 – Gillian Bouras, expatriate Australian writer who has written short stories, novels, memoir, children’s books, and articles, many of them about her experiences as an Australian woman living in Greece and exploring themes of exile, cultural identity, and family.
1945 – Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr., American Marine Corps officer and attorney whose autobiography won a Pulitzer Prize.
1945 – Lenin El-Ramly, Egyptian writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker who is known for satire, farce, parody, existentialism, and Theatre of the Absurd.
1948 – Constance Dima (born Konstantina Karadimou), Greek novelist, short-story writer, poet, essayist, teacher, and translator who speaks six languages.
1950 – Fusanosuke Natsume, Japanese columnist, manga writer and artist, literary critic, and cartoonist.
1953 – Ma Jian, Chinese-born British novelist, memoirist, travel writer, photojournalist, painter, and short-story writer; a vocal critic of China’s Communist government, he often writes on themes that are prohibited in China.
1959 – Kate De Goldi (full name Kathleen De Goldi), award-winning New Zealand children’s author, novelist, and short-story writer; she has also published work under the pen name Kate Flannery.
1960 – Salimjon Aioubov, award-winning Tajikistani journalist, reporter, author, and documentary filmmaker.
1961 – Huw Edwards, Welsh journalist and news presenter.
1961 – Brian Pinkney, award-winning American children’s book author, biographer, and illustrator; many of his books center on African-American characters.
1965 – Paula Jane Kiri Morris, award-winning New Zealand novelist, young-adult author, and short-story writer.
1967 – Brian Michael Bendis, American comic-book writer, best known for his work in the Ultimate Marvel universe.
1967 – Carolin Emcke, award-winning German journalist, writer, columnist, autobiographer, and nonfiction writer.
1968 – Phan Thị Vàng Anh, Vietnamese poet, children’s writer, and short-story writer; her work touches on themes of family life, friendship, love, and coming of age.
1970 – Jayanta Madhab Bora, award-winning Indian novelist who writes in the Assamese language.
1970 – Samar Yazbek, Syrian writer and journalist whose work includes novels, short stories, film scripts, television dramas, film and television criticism, and literary narratives.
1972 – Victoria Elizabeth Coren, British author, reviewer, columnist, quiz-show host, and professional poker player.
1972 – Adda Djørup, Danish poet, novelist, and short-story writer.
1974 – Nicole Krauss, American novelist who was a National Book Award finalist and was listed in New Yorker’s “20 Under 40” fiction writers to watch; she is married to author Jonathan Safran Foer.
1975 – Rose Namayanja, Ugandan author, journalist, lawyer, and politician.
1976 – Kirsten Auke Elisabeth van den Hul, Dutch writer, columnist, and politician who was elected to the Netherlands’ House of Representatives.
1986 – Rossy Evelin Lima, Mexican-born poet, professor, and activist.
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