Category Archives: Writer Birthdays

1664 – Silvio Stampiglia, Italian poet and opera librettist who used the pen name Palemone Licurio. 1743 – Hannah Cowley, English writer, poet, and playwright who has been called, “one of the foremost playwrights of the late eighteenth century,” and whose “skill in writing fluid, sparkling dialogue and creating sprightly, memorable comic characters compares favourablyContinue reading “March 14 Writer Birthdays”

1742 – Anne Hunter, Irish-born British poet, lyricist, and salonnière who is mostly remembered now for writing the texts to at least nine of Joseph Haydn’s 14 songs in English. 1753 – József Fabchich, Hungarian writer, translator, linguist, lexicographer, and priest known mainly for his translations of Ancient Greek poetry into the Hungarian language; heContinue reading “March 13 Writer Birthdays”

1598 – Guillaume Colletet, French writer, poet, playwright, and translator. 1649 – Govert Bidloo, prolific Dutch poet, playwright, writer, physician, surgeon, anatomist, composer, physician, musician, librettist, and university teacher. 1739 – Josefa de los Dolores Peña y Lillo Barbosa (also known as sor Josefa de los Dolores or sor Dolores Peña y Lillo), influential ChileanContinue reading “March 12 Writer Birthdays”

1526 – Heinrich Rantzau, German humanist writer, poet, scientist, astrologer, statesman, and patron of the arts. 1544 – Torquato Tasso, Italian poet, author, and playwright who died a few days before the Pope was to crown him as the King of Poets; his work was widely translated and adapted, and until the 20th century, heContinue reading “March 11 Writer Birthdays”

1627 – Catharina Wallenstedt (née Wallia), Swedish writer, courtier, and noblewoman known for about 350 letters she wrote to her husband and daughter; her letters have provided researchers with valuable historical information about life at the Swedish court, where she was maid of honor to Queen Christina. 1746 – Gajaman Nona (real name Donna IsabellaContinue reading “March 10 Writer Birthdays”

1291 – Cangrande (born Can Francesco della Scala), Italian writer, warrior, politician, and patron of the arts who ruled Verona and was regarded as the leader of the Ghibelline faction in northern Italy, but who is now best known as the leading patron of the poet Dante Alighieri. 1695 – Martín Sarmiento (born Pedro JoséContinue reading “March 9 Writer Birthdays”

1321 – Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi al-Gharnati, Spanish-born Moorish scholar, writer of poetry, history, travel literature, and law. 1607 – Johann von Rist, German poet, writer, and dramatist who was better known as a hymnwriter. 1707 – Mary Jones, modest but critically acclaimed English poet and postmistress of Oxford who had many friendsContinue reading “March 8 Writer Birthdays”

1601 – Johann Michael Moscherosch, German writer, poet, translator, satirist, statesperson, lawyer, and educator whose bitterly brilliant but partisan writings graphically describe life in a Germany ravaged by the Thirty Years’ War. 1679 – Carl Gyllenborg, Swedish author, poet, statesman, diplomat, and count. While a diplomat in England, he married the Sarah Wright Derith, aContinue reading “March 7 Writer Birthdays”

1483 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian writer, historian, politician, diplomat, and philosopher. 1486 – Francysk Skaryna (or Francisk Skorina), Belarusian humanist, physician, and translator who was one of the first book printers in Eastern Europe, laying the groundwork for the development of the Belarusian language. 1619 – Cyrano de Bergerac, pen name of Hercule-Savinein de Cyrano deContinue reading “March 6 Writer Birthdays”

1145 – Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad, Iraqi poet, writer, biographer, theologian, jurist, and professor. 1749 – Friederike von Alvensleben, German playwright, librettist, theater director, and actress. 1775 – Charlotte Richardson (also known as Charlotte Smith), British poet and writer; her poetry explores such topics as the French invasion, the slave trade, and her reading ofContinue reading “March 5 Writer Birthdays”