November 3 Writer Birthdays

0039 – Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (better known in English as Lucan), Roman poet, writer, and historian who is considered one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial Latin period, known in particular for his epic Pharsalia.

1794 – William Cullen Bryant, U.S. romantic poet, journalist, and short-story writer who was also editor of the New York Evening Post.

1867 – Pearl Mary Teresa Richards, Anglo-U.S. novelist and dramatist who wrote under the pen name of John Oliver Hobbes and was wildly successful in her day; her first book, Some Emotions and a Moral, sold 80,000 copies in only a few weeks.

1873 – Margarita Morozova, Russian writer, publisher, memoirist, salonnière, and patron of the arts.

1874 – Lucie Delarue-Mardrus, prolific French writer, journalist, poet, novelist, sculptor, historian, and designer; she is best known in France for her poem beginning with the line “L’odeur de mon pays était dans une pomme” (“In an apple I held the smell of my native land.”) Her writings express her love of travel and her love for her native Normandy.

1886 – Vyvyan Holland, British author, translator, writer, poet, biographer, and linguist who was the son of poet and playwright Oscar Wilde.

1900 – Nikolai Pogodin, Soviet Russian writer, playwright, screenwriter, and journalist whose plays were recognized for their realistic portrayals of common life combined with socialist and communist themes.

1901 – André Malraux, award-winning French novelist who also wrote about art and was Minister for Cultural Affairs and Minister of Information.

1913 – Albert Cossery, Egyptian-born novelist and screenwriter who wrote in French and set all of his novels either in his home country of Egypt or in an imaginary Middle Eastern country; his writings pay tribute to the lowborn and the misfits of his childhood in Cairo. He was nicknamed “The Voltaire of the Nile.”

1919 – Jesús Blasco, influential Spanish author and comic-book artist whose work ranged from cute animal cartoons to shadowplay realism.

1919 – Květa Legátová, Czech novelist, short-story author, essayist, and screenwriter.

1920 – Oodgeroo Noonuccal (also known as Kath Walker), Australian poet, children’s author, artist, educator, and activist for Aboriginal rights.

1924 – Toyoko Yamasaki, Japanese writer, journalist, novelist, and short-story author.

1925 – Monica Hughes, English-Canadian author of books, mostly for children and young adults; her science fiction is especially well regarded, but she also wrote adventure and historical novels set in Canada, as well as children’s picture books.

1926 – Alice Rasmussen (born Alice Fallai), Italian-Swedish art historian, author, and translator who specialized in art history and botany.

1928 – Osamu Tezuka, prolific, influential Japanese manga artist, writer, cartoonist, animator, and film producer who has been called “the father of manga,” and “the Japanese Walt Disney.”

1931 – Mabel Condemarín, Chilean writer, children’s author, and educator.

1931 – Arun Sarma, Indian Assamese writer, novelist, and playwright who is known for his novels describing the Assamese way of life and for his unconventional plays.

1938 – Bette Bao Lord, Chinese-born writer and civic activist for human rights and democracy.

1938 – Terrence McNally, U.S. playwright whose many awards include four Tony Awards and an Emmy.

1938 – Daniel Sleigh, award-winning South African novelist, poet, children’s writer, nonfiction author, and historian; he writes in Afrikaans.

1942 – Martin Cruz Smith, U.S. mystery novelist best known for Gorky Park and other novels about Russian investigator Arkady Renko.

1948 – Mercedes Franco, Venezuelan novelist and editorial writer.

1952 – Michel Boujenah, Tunisian and French author, screenwriter, actor, comedian, and film director.

1954 – Heike Hohlbein, bestselling German author of children’s books, science fiction, and fantasy.

1964 – Farzona, award-winning Tajikistani poet and writer whose real name is Inoyat Hojieva.

1965 – Anne Scott, French novelist of social realism who has a cult following for her second novel, Superstars.

1967 – Amy Siu-haan Cheung, Chinese novelist, essayist, and blogger who is one of Hong Kong’s most popular writers; most of her books deal with love and relationships.