Author Archives: petrini1

0508 – Xiao Yi (Emperor Yuan of Liang), Chinese emperor of the Liang Dynasty who was a renowned writer and collector of ancient books. 1462 – Pietro Pomponazzi (also known by his Latin name, Petrus Pomponatius), Italian writer, philosopher, professor, and medical doctor; he has been called the Herald of the Renaissance. 1557 – MartinContinue reading “September 16 Writer Birthdays”

1613 – François de La Rochefoucauld, French author of maxims and memoirs who was was one of the leading exponents of the “maxime,” a French literary form of epigram that expresses a harsh or paradoxical truth with brevity. 1789 – James Fenimore Cooper, U.S. writer of romantic historical fiction dealing with frontier and Indian life,Continue reading “September 15 Writer Birthdays”

1486 – Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, German writer, astronomer, occultist, philosopher, physician, lawyer, theologian, alchemist, feminist, magician, and astrologer; his Three Books of Occult Philosophy, published in 1533, drew heavily upon Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and neo-Platonism. 1584 – Francisco de Quevedo, Spanish writer, Baroque poet, and politician who was one of the prominent Spanish poets of hisContinue reading “September 14 Writer Birthdays”

1756 – Benedikt Naubert (born Christiana Benedicta Hebenstreit), prolific German writer who published more than 50 historical novels; she is considered a pioneer of the genre. All but her final book were published under pseudonyms, including Verfasser des Walther von Montbarry, Verfasser der Alme, Verfasserin des Walther von Montbarry, and Fontanges. Her works were widelyContinue reading “September 13 Writer Birthdays”

1590 – María de Zayas y Sotomayor, Spanish baroque author who was a pioneer of modern literary feminism. 1829 – Charles Dudley Warner, U.S. essayist and novelist who co-authored the novel The Gilded Age with his friend Mark Twain. 1831 – Álvares de Azevedo, Brazilian Romantic poet, essayist, short-story writer, and playwright who was aContinue reading “September 12 Writer Birthdays”

1700 – James Thomson, Scottish poet who wrote the first long nature poem in the English language; he is also remembered for writing the lyrics of “Rule Britannia!” 1711 – Alexandre Guy Pingré, French and Swedish astronomer, librarian, author, naval geographer, professor, and Catholic priest; his publications include, among others, a substantial treatise on theContinue reading “September 11 Writer Birthdays”

0877 – Eutychius of Alexandria, Egyptian writer, historian, and physician who was one of the first Christian Egyptian writers to use the Arabic language. His most important work is Nazm al-Jauhar (“Row of Jewels”), also known by its Latin title Eutychii Annales (“The Annals of Eutychius”), which begins with the Creation, and runs down toContinue reading “September 10 Writer Birthdays”

1516 – Francesco Robortello, Italian writer, translator, editor, humanist, and university teacher; he was nicknamed Canis grammaticus (“the grammatical dog”) for his confrontational and demanding manner. 1595 – Juan Eusebio Nieremberg, Spanish and German Jesuit who was a writer, naturalist, theologian, philosopher, lecturer, and mystic; he was born and died in Madrid, but his parentsContinue reading “September 9 Writer Birthdays”