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Authors of Great Literature

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Profiles

  • Jaufré Rudel, le Troubadour (c.1100 - c.1148)
    Jaufré Rudel (v. 1113 à Blaye - v. 1170) est un troubadour aquitain de langue d'oc. Surnommé le prince de Blaye, ville dont il fut le seigneur, il prit part à la deuxième croisade (v. 1147-1149). Selon...
  • Brig. General Robert Lee Scott, Jr. (USAF) (1908 - 2006)
    . Robert Lee Scott Jr. (12 April 1908 – 27 February 2006) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. Scott is best known for his autobiography God is My Co-Pilot about his exploits in ...
  • Harrison Salisbury (1908 - 1993)
    Harrison Evans Salisbury (November 14, 1908 – July 5, 1993), an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (1955), was the first regular New York Times correspondent in Moscow after World War II. He ...
  • Narayana Menon Vallathol (1878 - 1958)
    Vallathol Narayana Menon (Malayalam: വള്ളത്തോള്‍ നാരായണമേനോന്‍) (1878–1958), popularly known as Mahakavi, was a celebrated poet in Malayalam language, which is spoken in the South Indian state of Keral...
  • Stewart Edward White (1873 - 1946)
    Stewart Edward White (12 March 1873 – September 18, 1946) was an American writer, novelist, and spiritualist. He was a brother of noted mural painter Gilbert White. Biography Born in Grand Ra...

Authors of great literature that teaches, elevates, inspires and ennobles mankind.

Selected authors by activity period:

BCE

0 to 1000 CE

  • Seneca (c. 1 BCE – 65 CE) Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature.
  • Publius Papinius Statius (ca. 45 – ca. 96) was a Roman poet of the 1st century. His famous works: Thebaid, a collection of occasional poetry, the Silvae, and the Achilleid.
  • Plutarch, Plutarchus, Πλούταρχος (c. 46 – 120 CE) Greek and Roman historian, essayist and pre-eminent biographer of the day. Known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia.
  • Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c. 56 – c. 117 CE) Senator and historian of the Roman Empire. His two major works — the Annals and the Histories, and other writings De Origine et situ Germanorum, De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae.
  • Saint Jerome (c. 347 – 420) Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. Best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), and his list of writings is extensive.
  • [http://www.geni.com/people/Sharon-Chevalier/594), of Myrina (Mysia), Greek poet and the principal historian of part of the reign of the Roman emperor Justinian I between 552 and 558. His famous works: Cyclus, (The Circle) - compilation of "modern" (in Justinian's day) poems and epigrams which Agathias edited, and in which he included about 100 of his own productions. Historiæ - a sequel to Procopius' (public) history of Justinian's reign.
  • Li Bai, 李白 (701 – 762) Major Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty poetry period. Has been regarded as one of the greatest Chinese poets.
  • Du Fu (杜甫) (712 – 770) Prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. Along with Li Bai (Li Bo), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.

1000 to 1500 CE

XVI Century

  • Thomas More (c. Feb. 7, 1476 – c. Jan. 7, 1535) English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist.
  • Sir Thomas Wyatt (c.1503 – 1542) Poet of King Henry VIII, "father of the English sonnet."
  • Nostradamus (Dec. 14, 1503 – Jul. 2, 1566), French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties (The Prophecies).
  • Luís Vaz de Camões (c. 1524 -- 1580). Considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet.
  • Jan Kochanowski (c.1530 – 1584) Regarded as the Greatest Polish - Slavic poet prior to the 19th century.
  • Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (c. Sept. 29, 1547 – Apr. 22, 1616) Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern European novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written.
  • William Shakespeare (Apr. 23, 1564 – Apr. 23, 1616) English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.
  • Christopher Marlowe
  • Ben Jonson

XVII Century

  • Emilia Lanier Bassano (1569 – 1645) English poet. Best known for "Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum"
  • Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft (1581-1647) Dutch historian, poet and playwright. the most prominent Dutch annual literature award is named after P.C. Hooft.
  • Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679) Dutch poet and playwright, considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century.
  • Ivan Đivo Gundulić (1589-1638) Most renowned and celebrated Croatian writer and poet of the Baroque Period.
  • Pierre Corneille (1606-1684) French dramatist, called “the founder of French tragedy”.
  • John Milton (Dec. 9, 1608 – 1674) English poet, best known for his blank verse epic "Paradise Lost".
  • Anne Bradstreet (1612 - 1672) English-American writer, the first notable American poet, and the first woman to be published in Colonial America.

XVIII Century

  • François Marie Arouet dit "Voltaire" (Nov. 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778) French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher.
  • Robert Burns (Jan. 25, 1759 – Jul. 21, 1796) Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland.
  • Sir Walter Scott (Aug. 15, 1771 – Sep. 21, 1832) Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time.

XIX Century

XX Century

Nobel Prizes in Literature

Other Writers (with Geni profiles)

Other Writers

  • Norman Mailer
  • Norman Kingsley Mailer (1923 - 2007) was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter and film director. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize twice and the National Book Award once. In 2005 he received the lifetime 'Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. He wrote over 40 books and published 11 novels over a fifty year span.
  • James Baldwin
  • John Champlin Gardner, Jr. (1933 – 1982) was an American novelist, essayist, literary critic and university professor. He is perhaps most noted for his novel Grendel, a retelling of the Beowulf myth from the monster's point of view (wikipedia.com), but his masterpeice was The Sunlight Dialogues. The Kings Indian, and The Wreckage of Agathon are also noteworthy.
  • Vladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977) "was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov's first nine novels were in Russian. He then rose to international prominence as a writer of English prose. He also made contributions to entomology and had a serious interest in chess problems. Nabokov's Lolita (1955) is frequently cited as among his most important novels and is his most widely known, exhibiting the love of intricate word play and synesthetic detail that characterised all his works. The novel was ranked at No. 4 in the list of the Modern Library 100 Best Novels. Pale Fire (1962) was ranked at No. 53 on the same list. His memoir, Speak, Memory, was listed No. 8 on the Modern Library nonfiction list." (wikipedia.org)
  • Richard Brautigan - check the link for a list of all his books, but don't miss Confederate General at Big Sur, an intergeneration LOL.
  • Maurice Sendak, Maurice Sendak, the renowned children's author whose books captivated generations of kids and simultaneously scared their parents. Sendak wrote and illustrated more than 50 children's books--including "Where the Wild Things Are," his most famous, published in 1963.