Authors Summaries

Last reviewed: June 2018 German novelist, short-story writer, and playwright Born: November 10, 1887 Birthplace: Gross-Glogau, Prussia (now Głogów, Poland) Died: November 26, 1968 Place of death: East Berlin, East Germany (now Berlin, Germany) Biography Arnold Zweig was born into a Jewish middle-class family in 1887. His father, Adolf Zweig, was a saddler and grocer; his mother […]

American poet Author Works Poetry: Fifty-five Poems, 1941 Anew, 1946 Barely and Widely, 1958 I’s (Pronounced “Eyes”), 1963 After I’s, 1964 All: The Collected Short Poems, 1923-1958, 1965 All: The Collected Short Poems, 1956-1964, 1965 Little, 1970 All: The Collected Short Poems, 1923-1964, 1971 “A,” 1978, 1993 Eighty Flowers, 1978 Complete Short Poetry, 1991 Translation: […]

Spanish playwright and poet Author Works Drama: Juan Dándolo, pb. 1830 (with Antonio García Gutiérrez) Vivir loco y morir más, pb. 1837 Más vale llegar a tiempo que rondar un año, pb. 1839 Cada cual con su razón, pr. 1839 Ganar perdiendo, pb. 1839 (adaptation of Lope de Vega Carpio’s play La noche de San […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 French novelist, playwright, and journalist. Born: April 2, 1840 Birthplace: Paris, France Died: September 29, 1902 Place of death: Paris, France Biography Émile Zola was probably the most important and controversial French novelist of the late nineteenth century. The son of an engineer of mixed Greek and Italian ancestry who died when his […]

American playwright and novelist Author Works Drama: Dimensions of Peacocks, pr. 1959 Euthanasia and the Endless Hearts, pr. 1960 A Dream of Swallows, pr. 1964 The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, pr. 1965 And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, pr. 1967 The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild, pr. 1972 The Ladies Should Be […]

Chinese novelist and short-story writer Author Works Long Fiction: Chenzhong de chibang, 1981 (Leaden Wings, 1987; better known as Heavy Wings, 1989) Zhi you yi ge taiyang, 1988 Short Fiction: Ai, shi buneng wangji de, 1979 (Love Must Not Be Forgotten, 1986) Fangzhou, 1983 Zai nei lu cao dishang, 1983 Zum lu, 1985 Zhang Jie […]

Polish novelist Author Works Long Fiction: Syzyfowe Prace, 1897 Ludzie bezdomni, 1900 Popioły, 1904 (Ashes, 1928) Wierna rzeka, 1912 (The Faithful River, 1943) Wiatr od morza, 1922 Przedwiośnie, 1925 Puszcza jodłowa, 1925 Short Fiction: Rozdziobią nas kruki, wrony, 1895 Opowiadania, 1895 Utwory powieścowe, 1898 Drama: Róza, pr. 1909 Uciekła mi przepióreczka, pr. 1924 Biography Stefan […]

English novelist Identity: Jewish Author Works Long Fiction: The Premier and the Painter, 1888 (with Louis Cowen, as J. Freeman Bell) The Big Bow Mystery: The Perfect Crime, 1892 Children of the Ghetto: Being Pictures of a Peculiar People, 1892 The Master, 1895 The People’s Saviour, 1898 The Mantle of Elijah, 1900 Jinny the Carrier: […]

Russian novelist Biography Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin (zuhm-YAHT-yihn) was an important Russian satirist, one of the formulators of the dystopian genre, and a masterful essayist, dramatist, and writer of short fiction. He was born on February 1, 1884, in Lebedyan, Tambov Province, in the central farmland of Russia. His family belonged to the educated middle class, […]

Belgian-born American novelist Biography The first woman to be elected to the French Academy, Marguerite Yourcenar (yewr-suh-nahr) was one of the most original writers of post-World War II France. She was born in Brussels, Belgium, on June 8, 1903, the only daughter of aristocratic and wealthy parents, Michel and Fernande de Crayencour. Several days after […]

American novelist and critic Author Works Long Fiction: Heaven Trees, 1926 The Torches Flare, 1928 River House, 1929 So Red the Rose, 1934 Short Fiction: The Street of the Islands, 1930 Feliciana, 1935 Drama: Guenevere, pb. 1906 Addio, Madretta, and Other Plays, pb. 1912 The Queen of Sheba, pb. 1922 The Colonnade, pb. 1924 The […]

American novelist, poet, and historian Biography From early childhood, Marguerite Vivian Young believed she was destined to be a writer. She was right: Her long career was devoted to writing, as author, editor, and teacher. While she published few books during her lifetime, the sheer mass of two of them clearly illustrates her passion for […]

English critic and poet Author Works Nonfiction: A Vindication of Providence: Or, A True Estimate of Human Life, 1728 An Apology for Princes: Or, The Reverence Due to Government, 1729 The Centaur Not Fabulous: In Six Letters to a Friend on the Life in Vogue, 1755 An Argument Drawn from the Circumstances of Christ’s Death […]

American novelist and poet Identity: African American Author Works Long Fiction: Snakes, 1970 Who Is Angelina?, 1975 Sitting Pretty, 1976 Ask Me Now, 1980 Seduction by Light, 1988 Poetry: Dancing, 1969 The Song Turning Back into Itself, 1971 Geography of the Near Past, 1976 The Blues Don’t Change: New and Selected Poems, 1982 Heaven: Collected […]

American novelist Identity: Cuban American Author Works Long Fiction: A Wake in Ybor City, 1963 An Orderly Life, 1968 The Truth About Them, 1971 Double, Double, 1974 The Kill Price, 1976 Home Again, 1987 Tristan and the Hispanics, 1989 Break-In, 1996 The Old Gents, 1996 Short Fiction: The Guns in the Closet, 1996 Drama: Chattahoochee, […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 Polish-born Jewish American novelist Born: c. 1880 Birthplace: Płońsk, Poland, Russian Empire (now in Poland) Died: November 21, 1970 Place of death: Ontario, California Biography Anzia Yezierska, novelist and short-story writer, is generally acclaimed as a founding mother of Jewish American immigrant literature and Jewish feminism. Born into poverty in Russian Poland, Yezierska […]

Russian poet Biography Yevgeny Alexandrovich Yevtushenko (yehv-tew-SHEHNG-koh) is considered, with Andrey Voznesensky, among the best representatives of the generation of Russian poets after Stalin’s death. He was born at Zima Station, a small Siberian junction near Lake Baika. His ancestors had been deported from Ukraine for political reasons. He spent his childhood surrounded by beautiful […]

American novelist Identity: African American Author Works Long Fiction: The Foxes of Harrow, 1946 The Vixens, 1947 The Golden Hawk, 1948 Pride’s Castle, 1949 Floodtide, 1950 A Woman Called Fancy, 1951 The Saracen Blade, 1952 The Devil’s Laughter, 1953 Benton’s Row, 1954 Bride of Liberty, 1954 The Treasure of Pleasant Valley, 1955 Captain Rebel, 1956 […]

American novelist Identity: Chinese American Author Works Children’s/Young Adult Literature: Sweetwater, 1973 Dragonwings, 1975 Child of the Owl, 1977 Sea Glass, 1979 Dragon of the Lost Sea, 1982 Kind Hearts and Gentle Monsters, 1982 The Mark Twain Murders, 1982 Liar, Liar, 1983 The Tom Sawyer Fires, 1984 Serpent’s Children, 1984 Dragon Steel, 1985 Mountain Light, […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 Irish Nobel Prize–winning poet and playwright. Born: June 13, 1865 Birthplace: Sandymount, near Dublin, Ireland Died: January 28, 1939 Place of death: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France Biography William Butler Yeats was the son of John Butler Yeats, an artist of considerable merit who had given up a moderately lucrative law practice in order to devote […]

Mexican novelist Author Works Long Fiction: Archipiélago de mujeres, 1943 (novella) Pasión y convalecencia, 1943 Al filo del agua, 1947 (The Edge of the Storm, 1963) La tierra pródiga, 1960 Las tierras flacas, 1962 (The Lean Lands, 1968) Short Fiction: Espejismo de Juchitán, 1940 Esta es mala suerte, 1945 Nonfiction: Genio y figuras de Guadalajara, […]

Chinese novelist and short-story writer Author Works Long Fiction: Shengi chang, 1935 (The Field of Life and Death, 1979) Ma Bole, 1940 Hulanhe zhuan, 1941 (Tales of Hulan River, 1979) Short Fiction: Bashe, 1933 (with Xiao Jun) Qiao, 1936 Niuche shang, 1937 Kuangye li di hukan, 1946 Selected Stories of Xiao Hong, 1982 Nonfiction: Shangshi […]

Greek historian and essayist Author Works Nonfiction: Logos eis Agēsilaon Basilea (Agesilaus, 1832) Kyrou anabasis (Anabasis, 1623; also known as Expedition of Cyrus and The March Up Country) Apologia Sōkratous (Apology of Socrates, 1762) Kynēgetikos (also known as Cynegeticus; On Hunting, 1832) Poroi (On Ways and Means, 1832) Ellēnika (also known as Hellenica; History of […]

Swiss novelist Author Works Long Fiction: Der schweizerische Robinson, 1812-1827 (The Swiss Family Robinson, 1814, 1818, 1820) Edited Texts: Reise im Berner Oberland, 1808 Die Alpenrose, 1811-1830 (15 volumes) Idyllen, Volkssagen, Legenden, und Erzählungen aus der Schweiz, 1815-1822 Biography Johann Rudolf Wyss (vees), who is usually credited as the author of The Swiss Family Robinson, […]

American poet and novelist Author Works Poetry: Nets to Catch the Wind, 1921 Black Armour, 1923 Trivial Breath, 1928 Angels and Earthly Creatures, 1928 Last Poems, 1943 Long Fiction: Jennifer Lorn: A Sedate Extravaganza, 1923 The Venetian Glass Nephew, 1925 The Orphan Angel, 1926 Mr. Hodge and Mr. Hazard, 1928 Biography A woman of mercurial […]

English playwright Author Works Drama: Love in a Wood: Or, St. James’s Park, pr. 1671 The Gentleman Dancing-Master, pr. 1672 (adaptation of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s play El maestro de danzar) The Country Wife, pr., pb. 1675 The Plain-Dealer, pr. 1676 Complete Plays, pb. 1967 Poetry: Miscellany Poems: As Satyrs, Epistles, Love-Verses, Songs, Sonnets, […]

English poet Author Works Poetry: The Courte of Venus, c. 1539 (includes 3 to 10 Wyatt poems) Certayne Psalmes Chosen Out of the Psalter of David, 1549 Songes and Sonettes, 1557 (known as Tottel’s Miscellany, Richard Tottel, editor; includes 90 to 97 Wyatt poems) Collected Poems of Sir Thomas Wyatt, 1949 (Kenneth Muir, editor) Sir […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 Chinese novelist Born: c. 1500 Birthplace: Huaian (now in Jiangsu Province), China Died: c. 1582 Place of death: Huaian (now in Jiangsu Province), China Biography Few facts have been preserved concerning the life of Wu Chengen (woo chuhng-uhn). It is known that he was a native of Huainan, in Jiangsu Province, a town […]

American novelist and poet Identity: African American Author Works Long Fiction: This Child’s Gonna Live, 1969 Poetry: Give Me a Child, 1955 (with Lucy Smith) Children’s/Young Adult Literature: A. Philip Randolph: Integration in the Workplace, 1990 (biography) Biography Sarah Elizabeth Wright was born in the town of Wetipquin on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the birthplace of […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 American author of works of black radicalism Born: September 4, 1908 Birthplace: Roxie, Mississippi Died: November 28, 1960 Place of death: Paris, France Biography Richard Nathaniel Wright’s literary reputation has been largely determined by the political and racial concerns of his fiction. From the time he published Native Son until his death, he […]

American poet Identity: African American, American Indian (Cherokee) Author Works Poetry: Death as History, 1967 The Homecoming Singer, 1971 Soothsayers and Omens, 1976 Dimensions of History, 1976 The Double Invention of Komo, 1980 Explications/Interpretations, 1984 Elaine’s Book, 1986 Selected Poems of Jay Wright, 1987 Boleros, 1991 Transfigurations: Collected Poems, 2000 Biography Jay Wright was born […]

American poet Author Works Poetry: The Green Wall, 1957 Saint Judas, 1959 The Branch Will Not Break, 1963 Shall We Gather at the River, 1968 Collected Poems, 1971 Two Citizens, 1973 Moments of the Italian Summer, 1976 To a Blossoming Pear Tree, 1977 This Journey, 1982 Above the River: The Complete Poems, 1990 Nonfiction: Collected […]

American poet Author Works Poetry: The Dream Animal, 1968 The Grave of the Right Hand, 1970 The Venice Notebook, 1971 Hard Freight, 1973 Bloodlines, 1975 China Trace, 1977 The Southern Cross, 1981 Country Music: Selected Early Poems, 1982, 2d ed. 1991 The Other Side of the River, 1984 A Journal of the Year of the […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter Born: May 27, 1915 Birthplace: New York, New York Biography Herman Wouk (wohk) is one of the few twentieth century American novelists who created fiction that is both enjoyable entertainment and serious literature. He was born to Abraham Isaac and Esther Levine Wouk, both Russian Jewish immigrants. His […]

English poet Author Works Poetry: An Evening Walk, 1793 Descriptive Sketches, 1793 Lyrical Ballads, 1798 (with Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Lyrical Ballads, with Other Poems, 1800 (with Coleridge, includes preface) Poems in Two Volumes, 1807 The Excursion, 1814 Poems, 1815 The White Doe of Rylstone, 1815 Peter Bell, 1819 The Waggoner, 1819 The River Duddon, 1820 […]

English memoirist Author Works Nonfiction: The Alfoxden Journal, 1798 Journal of a Visit to Hamburg and of a Journey from Hamburg to Goslar, 1798 The Grasmere Journals, 1800-1803 Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland, 1803 Excursion of the Banks of Ullswater, 1805 Excursion up Scawfell Pike, 1818 Journal of a Tour on the Continent, […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 British author Born: January 25, 1882 Birthplace: London, England Died: March 28, 1941 Place of death: The River Ouse, near Rodmell, Sussex, England Biography The preeminent literary figure of the Bloomsbury circle, Adeline Virginia Stephen Woolf is an important modern experimental writer. The second daughter of Leslie Stephen (knighted in 1902) and his […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 American writer, teacher, and anthologist Born: 1949 Birthplace: Oakland, California Biography In the middle of the 1970s Shawn Wong made two major decisions; to begin the Before Columbus Foundation and to remove himself from his California roots and form his future along the misty shores of Puget Sound, near the University of Washington. […]

American memoirist Identity: Chinese American Author Works Nonfiction: Fifth Chinese Daughter, 1950 No Chinese Stranger, 1975 Biography A pioneering voice in Asian American literature, Jade Snow Wong was born to a large family of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco in 1922. As described in her first autobiography, Fifth Chinese Daughter, she grew up in a […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 English critic and philosopher Born: April 27, 1759 Birthplace: London, England Died: September 10, 1797 Place of death: London, England Biography The pioneer feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (WOOL-stuhn-kraft) endured a long eclipse of her literary and personal reputation until the emergence of the twentieth century feminist movement and the publication of a biography of […]

German poet Author Works Poetry: Lieder, c. 1200 Parzival, c. 1200-1210 (English translation, 1894) Willehalm, c. 1212-1217 (English translation, 1977) Titurel, c. 1217 (Schionatulander and Sigune, 1960) Biography Few facts are known about Wolfram von Eschenbach (VAWL-frahm vawn EHSH-uhn-bahk), the strongest of the thirteenth century epic poets writing in Middle High German. Probably born in […]

American short-story writer and memoirist Biography Tobias Jonathan Ansell Wolff is one of the most highly respected writers of short fiction to have achieved prominence in the 1980’s. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 19, 1945, the son of Arthur and Rosemary (Loftus) Wolff, and grew up in the state of Washington, where […]

American journalist and novelist Author Works Nonfiction: The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, 1965 The Pump House Gang, 1968 The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, 1968 Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers, 1970 The New Journalism, 1973 The Painted Word, 1975 Mauve Gloves and Madmen, Clutter and Vine, and Other Stories, Sketches, and Essays, 1976 The […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 Author Born: October 3, 1900 Birthplace: Asheville, North Carolina Died: September 15, 1938 Place of death: Baltimore, Maryland Biography Thomas Clayton Wolfe was born October 3, 1900, in Asheville, North Carolina. He was the youngest child in the family. His father, W. O. Wolfe, was a stonecutter who had been born in central […]

American playwright, director, actor, and producer Identity: African American Author Works Drama: Up for Grabs, pr. 1975 Block Party, pr. 1977 Tribal Rites, pr. 1978 Back Alley Tales, pr. 1978 Paradise, pr. 1985 (libretto and lyrics; music by Robert Forrest) The Colored Museum, pr. 1986 (libretto and lyrics) Queenie Pie, pr. 1986 (libretto; music by […]

German novelist Biography Christa Wolf (vawlf) is one of the most prominent novelists of the former East Germany. Born in the eastern part of Germany in what would later become Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland, she joined the German Socialist Party at the age of twenty and was a student of German literature at the Universities of […]

American novelist Author Works Long Fiction: What I’m Going to Do, I Think, 1969 Beyond the Bedroom Wall: A Family Album, 1975 Poppa John, 1981 Born Brothers, 1988 Indian Affairs, 1992 Short Fiction: The Neumiller Stories, 1989 Silent Passengers: Stories, 1993 Poetry: Poetry North: Five North Dakota Poets, 1970 (with Richard Lyons, Thomas McGrath, John […]

English novelist, short-story writer, and lyricist Biography Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (WOOD-hows) is a name that conjures up the most lighthearted and sunniest of comic worlds described by a master stylist of the English language. Born on October 15, 1881, in Guildford, England, he was the third son of a British civil servant serving in Hong […]

Austrian philosopher Identity: Gay or bisexual Author Works Nonfiction: “Logisch-philosophische Abhandlung,” 1921 (best known by the bilingual German and English edition title of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, 1922, 1961) Philosophische Untersuchungen/Philosophical Investigations, 1953 (bilingual German and English edition) Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics, 1956 (bilingual German and English edition) The Blue and Brown Books, 1958 Philosophische […]

Polish playwright Author Works Drama: Mister Price: Czyli, Bzik tropikalny, wr. 1920, pr. 1926 (Mr. Price: Or, Tropical Madness, 1972) Oni, wr. 1920, pb. 1962 (They, 1968) Straszliwy wychowawca, wr. 1920, pr., pb. 1935 Pragmatyści, pb. 1920 (The Pragmatists, 1971) Tumor Mózgowicz, pr., pb. 1921 (Tumor Brainiowicz, 1980) Metafizyka dwugłowego cielęcia, wr. 1921, pr. 1928 […]

English poet Author Works Poetry: Abuses Stript, and Whipt, 1613 Fidelia, 1615 The Shepheards Hunting, 1615 Wither’s Motto: nec habeo, nec careo, nec curo, 1621 Faire-Virtue, the Mistresse of Phil’arete, 1622 Juvenilia, 1622 The Hymnes and Songs of the Church, 1623 Britain’s Remembrancer, 1628 A Collection of Emblemes, Ancient and Moderne, 1635 Haleluiah: Or, Britans […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 American novelist Born: July 14, 1860 Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Died: July 21, 1938 Place of death: North Kingstown, Rhode Island Biography Owen Wister, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 14, 1860, began his career with a serious interest in music and only later became interested in writing. After being educated in private schools […]

English novelist Identity: Gay or bisexual Biography In a brief amount of time the British writer Jeanette Winterson established a special place for herself in the literary community. Published in fourteen languages, her work early began to meet with popular and critical succes. After receiving a degree in English from Oxford University, she set out […]

American poet and critic Author Works Poetry: The Immobile Wind, 1921 The Magpie’s Shadow, 1922 The Bare Hills, 1927 The Proof, 1930 The Journey, and Other Poems, 1931 Before Disaster, 1934 Poems, 1940 The Giant Weapon, 1943 To the Holy Spirit, 1947 Collected Poems, 1952, 1960 Early Poems of Yvor Winters, 1920-1928, 1966 The Collected […]

American playwright Author Works Drama: Dance Event, pr. 1965 Solo Performance, pr. 1966 Theater Activity, pr. 1967 Spaceman, pr. 1967 (with Ralph Hilton) ByrdwoMAN, pr. 1968 The King of Spain, pr. 1969 The Life and Times of Sigmund Freud, pr. 1969 Deafman Glance, pr. 1970 Program Prologue Now, Overture for a Deafman, pr. 1971 Overture, […]

American playwright Author Works Drama: So Long at the Fair, pr. 1963 (one act) Home Free!, pr. 1964 (one act) The Madness of Lady Bright, pr. 1964 (one act) No Trespassing, pr. 1964 (one act) Balm in Gilead, pr., pb. 1965 Days Ahead: A Monologue, pr. 1965 (one scene) Ludlow Fair, pr., pb. 1965 (one […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 American novelist Born: 1808 or c. 1825–1828 Birthplace: New Hampshire or Virginia Died: c. 1863–1900 Place of death: Boston(?) Biography The vast majority of what is known about Harriet E. Adams Wilson has been gleaned from her sole published work, Our Nig, an autobiographical novel. The chronology of events therein suggests that Harriet […]

Canadian novelist and short-story writer Biography Ethel Davis Bryant Wilson was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on January 20, 1888, to Robert William Bryant and Lila (Malkin) Bryant. Her mother died when she was only two, and her father took her to Staffordshire, England, to be reared by her maternal grandmother and successive aunts […]

American entomologist, ethologist, and ecologist Author Works Nonfiction: The Theory of Island Biogeography, 1967 (with Robert H. MacArthur) A Primer of Population Biology, 1971 (with William H. Bossert) The Insect Societies, 1971 Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, 1975 On Human Nature, 1978 Biophilia, 1984 The Ants, 1990 (with Bert Hölldobler) The Diversity of Life, 1992 Journey […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 American writer and literary and social critic. Born: May 8, 1895 Birthplace: Red Bank, New Jersey Died: June 12, 1972 Place of death: Talcottville, New York Biography Edmund Wilson was an authentic man of letters, a rarity in the twentieth century. Primarily known as a literary critic, he was also a novelist, poet, […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 American playwright Born: April 27, 1945 Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Died: October 2, 2005 Place of death: Seattle, Washington Biography August Wilson’s long-range project—a cycle of ten plays about the African American experience, one taking place in each decade of the twentieth century—chronicles the struggle of the black family to reconcile the pressures to […]

English novelist and short-story writer Biography Angus Frank Johnstone Wilson was born on the south coast of England in the small resort town of Bexhill, not far from Brighton. He was the last child of William and Maude Johnstone-Wilson. His father was a Londoner but descended from a wealthy Scottish family; his mother came from […]

English novelist and critic Author Works Long Fiction: The Sweets of Pimlico, 1977 Unguarded Hours, 1978 Kindly Light, 1979 The Healing Art, 1980 Who Was Oswald Fish?, 1981 Wise Virgin, 1982 Scandal, 1983 Gentlemen in England, 1985 Love Unknown, 1986 Incline Our Hearts, 1988 A Bottle in the Smoke, 1990 Daughters of Albion, 1991 The […]

American essayist Identity: Jewish Author Works Nonfiction: Beginning to See the Light: Pieces of a Decade, 1981 (also known as Beginning to See the Light: Sex, Hope, and Rock and Roll) No More Nice Girls: Countercultural Essays, 1992 Don’t Think, Smile! Notes on a Decade of Denial, 1999 Biography The writings of Ellen Jane Willis […]

English novelist Author Works Long Fiction: The Beautiful Years, 1921 Dandelion Days, 1922 The Dream of Fair Women, 1924 The Pathway, 1928 (the 4 previous volumes known collectively as The Flax of Dreams, 1936) Tarka the Otter, 1927 The Star-Born, 1933 Salar the Salmon, 1935 The Phasian Bird, 1948 The Dark Lantern, 1951 Donkey Boy, […]

Australian playwright and screenwriter Biography David Keith Williamson once described himself as “bourgeois . . . the product of a middle-class environment.” However, the world he now knows as an internationally acclaimed playwright and screenwriter has taken him far afield from his provincial background. Born in 1942, Williamson spent his early years in a Melbourne […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 Poet Born: September 17, 1883 Birthplace: Rutherford, New Jersey Died: March 4, 1963 Place of death: Rutherford, New Jersey Biography William Carlos Williams was a major American modernist poet to whom recognition came late in his career, and who influenced many subsequent poets in their search for a contemporary voice and form. Williams […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 American Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright. Born: March 26, 1911 Birthplace: Columbus, Mississippi Died: February 25, 1983 Place of death: New York, New York Biography Tennessee Williams is considered one of the greatest American playwrights, ranking alongside Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller. He was born Thomas Lanier Williams, the son of Cornelius Coffin Williams, a […]

American novelist and poet Identity: African American Author Works Long Fiction: Dessa Rose, 1986 Poetry: The Peacock Poems, 1975 Some One Sweet Angel Chile, 1982 Children’s/Young Adult Literature: Working Cotton, 1992 Girls Together, 1999 Nonfiction: Give Birth to Brightness: A Thematic Study in Neo-Black Literature, 1972 Biography The poet, critic, and novelist Sherley Anne Williams […]

American novelist Identity: African American Author Works Long Fiction: The Angry Ones, 1960 (also known as One for New York) Night Song, 1961 Sissie, 1963 The Man Who Cried I Am, 1967 Sons of Darkness, Sons of Light: A Novel of Some Probability, 1969 Captain Blackman, 1972 Mothersill and the Foxes, 1975 The Junior Bachelor […]

Welsh playwright Author Works Drama: Vigil, pr. 1925, pb. 1954 (one act) Full Moon, pr. 1927 Glamour, pr. 1928 A Murder Has Been Arranged, pr., pb. 1930 Port Said, pr. 1931, revised pr. 1933 (as Vessels Departing) The Late Christopher Bean, pr., pb. 1933 (adaptation of Sidney Howard’s play) Spring 1600, pr. 1934, revised pr. […]

English novelist, poet, and critic Author Works Long Fiction: War in Heaven, 1930 Many Dimensions, 1931 The Place of the Lion, 1931 The Greater Trumps, 1932 Shadows of Ecstasy, 1933 Descent into Hell, 1937 All Hallows’ Eve, 1945 Flecker of Dean Close, 1946 Drama: A Myth of Shakespeare, pb. 1928 Three Plays, pb. 1931 Thomas […]

American poet Author Works Poetry: A Day for Anne Frank, 1968 Lies, 1969 I Am the Bitter Name, 1972 The Sensuous President, 1972 With Ignorance, 1977 Tar, 1983 Flesh and Blood, 1987 Poems, 1963–1983, 1988 A Dream of Mind, 1992 Selected Poems, 1994 New and Selected Poems, 1995 The Vigil, 1997 Repair, 1999 Love About […]

American playwright and novelist Biography The winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, Thornton Niven Wilder was one of twentieth century America’s leading playwrights and novelists. Born on April 17, 1897, in Madison, Wisconsin, he was the son of Amos Parker Wilder, editor of the Wisconsin State Journal, and Isabella Thornton Niven Wilder. Though his father disapproved […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 Author Born: February 7, 1867 Birthplace: Pepin, Wisconsin Died: February 10, 1957 Place of death: Mansfield, Missouri Biography Best known for her award-winning and much-beloved “Little House” series, Laura Ingalls Wilder did not start writing these autobiographical stories based on her childhood until she was in her sixties. Born Laura Elizabeth Ingalls, Wilder […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 Irish playwright, novelist, and poet Born: October 16, 1854 Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland Died: November 30, 1900 Place of death: Paris, France Biography Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born the second son of Sir William Robert Wills Wilde, surgeon oculist in ordinary to the Queen, and Jane Francesca Elgee Wilde, known as the […]

American poet Biography Richard Purdy Wilbur, the son of Lawrence Lazear Wilbur, an artist, and Helen Ruth Purdy Wilbur, was born in New York City but spent many early years in a rural area near North Caldwell, New Jersey. He has asserted that this country experience accounts for his earlier nature poetry. He wrote his […]

American novelist and short-story writer Author Works Long Fiction: Babe, 1975 Went South, 1980 Separate Checks, 1984 John Dollar, 1989 Eveless Eden, 1995 Almost Heaven, 1998 Evidence of Things Unseen, 2003 Short Fiction: Herself in Love, and Other Stories, 1987 Learning Urdu, 1990 Bet They’ll Miss Us When We’re Gone, 1991 Biography Of Scottish and […]

Last reviewed: June 2017 Author Born: September 30, 1928 Birthplace: Sighet, Romania Died: July 2, 2016 Place of death: New York, New York Biography Eliezer (Elie) Wiesel (vee-ZEHL) received his early education completely within Jewish tradition; he attended a religious primary school (heder) and then went to a local yeshiva for Torah and talmudic studies. In 1944, […]

Canadian novelist Author Works Long Fiction: Peace Shall Destroy Many, 1962 First and Vital Candle, 1966 The Blue Mountains of China, 1970 The Temptations of Big Bear, 1973 The Scorched-Wood People, 1977 The Mad Trapper, 1980 My Lovely Enemy, 1983 A Discovery of Strangers, 1994 Sweeter than All the World, 2001 Short Fiction: Where Is […]

American novelist and short-story writer Identity: African American Author Works Long Fiction: A Glance Away, 1967 Hurry Home, 1970 The Lynchers, 1973 Hiding Place, 1981 Sent for You Yesterday, 1983 The Homewood Trilogy, 1985 (includes Damballah, Hiding Place, and Sent for You Yesterday) Reuben, 1987 Philadelphia Fire, 1990 The Cattle Killing, 1996 Two Cities, 1998 […]

British novelist Author Works Long Fiction: Digby Grand, 1853 Tilbury Nogo, 1854 Kate Coventry, 1856 The Interpreter, 1858 Holmby House, 1859 Market Harborough, 1861 The Queen’s Maries, 1862 The Gladiators, 1863 Cerise, 1866 The White Rose, 1868 Sarchedon, 1871 Satanella, 1872 Uncle John, 1874 Katerfelto, 1875 Biography George John Whyte-Melville was born near St. Andrews, […]

American linguist Author Works Nonfiction: “An Aztec Account of the Period of the Toltec Decline,” 1928 “A Central Mexican Inscription Combining Mexican and Maya Day Signs,” 1932 “The Phonetic Value of Certain Characters in Maya Writing,” 1933 “The Punctual and Segmentative Aspects of Verbs in Hopi,” 1936 “Some Verbal Categories of Hopi,” 1938 “Science and […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 American poet and abolitionist. Born: December 17, 1807 Birthplace: Haverhill, Massachusetts Died: September 7, 1892 Place of death: Hampton Falls, New Hampshire Biography Time and geography link John Greenleaf Whittier with such American literary figures as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes—the so-called New England Group. […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 American poet Born: May 31, 1819 Birthplace: West Hills, New York Died: March 26, 1892 Place of death: Camden, New Jersey Biography Walter Whitman was born at West Hills, near Huntington, Long Island, May 31, 1819, the second child of Walter Whitman and Louisa Van Velsor, of English and Dutch descent. The father, […]

English playwright Author Works Drama: Paul Southman, pr. 1946 (radio play), pr. 1965 (staged) A Penny for a Song, pr. 1951, revised pr. 1962 Saint’s Day, pr. 1951 Marching Song, pr., pb. 1954 The Gates of Summer, pr. 1956 The Devils, pr., pb. 1961 (adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s book The Devils of Loudun) No Why, […]

American novelist and journalist Identity: African American Author Works Long Fiction: The Intuitionist, 1999 John Henry Days, 2001 Biography Colson Whitehead has been hailed as one of the United States’ most talented and innovative young writers. As a child growing up in New York City, he decided that he wanted to be a novelist after […]

English novelist Identity: Gay or bisexual Author Works Long Fiction: Darkness at Pemberley, 1932 Farewell Victoria, 1933 The Sword in the Stone, 1938 The Witch in the Wood, 1939 The Ill-Made Knight, 1940 Mistress Masham’s Repose, 1946 The Elephant and the Kangaroo, 1947 The Master: An Adventure Story, 1957 The Candle in the Wind, 1958 […]

Australian novelist and playwright Identity: Gay or bisexual Biography Patrick Victor Martindale White was not only a major Australian novelist but also one of the outstanding English-language writers of the twentieth century. A second-generation Australian, he was born in London in 1912 while his parents were on a visit there. Both his parents belonged to […]

American novelist, poet, and scholar Biography Elwyn Brooks White was a multifaceted writer. Although he has more than twenty volumes to his credit, his recognition is primarily for four types of literature: a style manual, fiction, poetry, and children’s literature.{$I[A]White, E. B.}{$I[geo]UNITED STATES;White, E. B.}{$I[tim]1899;White, E. B.} White was born in Mount Vernon, New York, […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 African-born American poet Born: May 8, 1753 Birthplace: West Africa Died: December 5, 1784 Place of death: Boston, MA Biography Although other African Americans published individual poems before her, Phillis Wheatley is often regarded as the first African American poet. In 1773 she became the first black American to publish a book of […]

Last reviewed: June 2018 American novelist Born: January 24, 1862 Birthplace: New York, New York Died: August 11, 1937 Place of death: St.-Brice-sous-Forêt, France Biography Edith Newbold Jones Wharton (HWAWRT-uhn) is one of the masters of American realistic fiction. She was born in New York City on January 24, 1862, into a family that held a high […]

American novelist and short-story writer Author Works Long Fiction: David Harum: A Story of American Life, 1898 Short Fiction: The Teller, 1901 Biography Edward Noyes Westcott is something of an anomaly in the history of American literature, being a banker turned author. The son of a dentist, he attended the public schools in Syracuse until […]

English novelist Biography Rebecca West is best known for her contribution to nonfiction writing, in which she showed a remarkable facility for blending the genres of history, travel, biography, and literary criticism. Ranking just below such masterpieces as Black Lamb and Grey Falcon and The Meaning of Treason are her works The Fountain Overflows and […]

English-born American novelist Author Works Long Fiction: A Quality of Mercy, 1961 Tenement of Clay, 1965 Alley Jaggers, 1966 I’m Expecting to Live Quite Soon, 1970 Caliban’s Filibuster, 1971 Bela Lugosi’s White Christmas, 1972 Colonel Mint, 1972 Gala, 1976 The Very Rich Hours of Count von Stauffenberg, 1980 Rat Man of Paris, 1986 The Place […]

American novelist and screenwriter Author Works Long Fiction: The Dream Life of Balso Snell, 1931 Miss Lonelyhearts, 1933 A Cool Million: The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin, 1934 The Day of the Locust, 1939 Screenplays: Follow Your Heart, 1936 (with Lester Cole and Samuel Ornitz) The President’s Mystery, 1936 (with Cole) Ticket to Paradise, 1936 (with […]

American short-story writer and novelist Author Works Short Fiction: The Friendly Persuasion, 1945 Cress Delahanty, 1953 Love, Death, and the Ladies’ Drill Team, 1955 Except for Me and Thee: A Companion to the Friendly Persuasion, 1969 Crimson Ramblers of the World, Farewell, 1970 The Story of a Story, and Three Stories, 1982 Collected Stories of […]

American philosopher Identity: African American Author Works Nonfiction: Prophesy Deliverance! An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity, 1982 Prophetic Fragments, 1988 The American Evasion of Philosophy: A Genealogy of Pragmatism, 1989 Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life, 1991 (with Bell Hooks) The Ethical Dimensions of Marxist Thought, 1991 Beyond Eurocentrism and Multiculturalism, 1993 (2 volumes) Keeping Faith: Philosophy […]

English playwright Author Works Drama: Chicken Soup with Barley, pr. 1958 The Kitchen, pr. 1959, revised pr., pb. 1961 Roots, pr., pb. 1959 I’m Talking About Jerusalem, pr., pb. 1960 The Wesker Trilogy, pb. 1960 (includes Chicken Soup with Barley, Roots, and I’m Talking About Jerusalem) Chips with Everything, pr., pb. 1962 The Nottingham Captain: […]

American novelist and critic Author Works Long Fiction: The Apple of the Eye, 1924 The Grandmothers: A Family Portrait, 1927 The Pilgrim Hawk: A Love Story, 1940 Apartment in Athens, 1945 Short Fiction: … Like a Lover, 1926 Good-bye, Wisconsin, 1928 The Babe’s Bed, 1930 Twelve Fables of Aesop, 1954 Poetry: The Bitterns: A Book […]