On this day
April 13 in literary history
Literary history for April 13: 25 writers born, 17 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1638 to 2025. Born on this day: Gabrielle Gourdeau, Christopher Hitchens, Drago Jančar.
25writers born
17writers died
1literary events
Writers born on April 13
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Gabrielle Gourdeau | Canadian writer |
| 1949 | Christopher Hitchens | British and American author and journalist (1949–2011) |
| 1948 | Drago Jančar | Slovenian writer and playwright |
| 1947 | Rae Armantrout | American poet (born 1947) |
| 1945 | Judy Nunn | Australian actress and author (born 1945) |
| 1943 | Tim Krabbé | Dutch journalist and novelist |
| 1940 | J. M. G. Le Clézio | French writer and professor (born 1940) |
| 1939 | Seamus Heaney | Irish poet (1939–2013) |
| 1937 | Lanford Wilson | American playwright (1937–2011) |
| 1931 | Robert Enrico | French film director and screenwriter (1931–2001) |
| 1931 | Jon Stone | American writer, television producer and director |
| 1928 | Alan Clark | British politician and author (1928–1999) |
| 1924 | Jack Chick | American cartoonist (1924–2016) |
| 1922 | John Braine | English writer (1922–1986) |
| 1920 | Theodore L. Thomas | American novelist |
| 1916 | Phyllis Fraser | American socialite, writer, publisher, and actress |
| 1914 | Orhan Veli Kanık | Turkish poet (1914–1950) |
| 1909 | Eudora Welty | American writer and photographer (1909–2001) |
| 1906 | Samuel Beckett | Irish writer (1906–1989) |
| 1902 | Marguerite Henry | American novelist |
| 1901 | Jacques Lacan | French psychoanalyst and writer (1901–1981) |
| 1891 | Nella Larsen | American novelist (1891–1964) |
| 1872 | Alexander Roda Roda | Austrian writer |
| 1865 | Lucie Lagerbielke | Swedish author and painter (1865–1931) |
| 1832 | Juan Montalvo | Ecuadorian writer |
Writers who died on April 13
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mario Vargas Llosa | Peruvian novelist and writer (1936–2025) |
| 2018 | Art Bell | American broadcaster and author (1945–2018) |
| 2015 | Eduardo Galeano | Uruguayan writer and journalist (1940–2015) |
| 2015 | Günter Grass | German author and artist (1927–2015) |
| 2014 | Michael Ruppert | American writer and investigative journalist |
| 2006 | Muriel Spark | Scottish author (1918–2006) |
| 2000 | Giorgio Bassani | Italian writer |
| 1996 | Leila Mackinlay | Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (born 1910) |
| 1993 | Wallace Stegner | American historian, writer, and environmentalist |
| 1973 | Henry Darger | American artist and writer (1892–1973) |
| 1971 | Juhan Smuul | Estonian writer |
| 1966 | Georges Duhamel (author) | French writer (1884–1966) |
| 1938 | Grey Owl | Canadian writer, lecturer and conservationist (1888–1938) |
| 1912 | Takuboku Ishikawa | Japanese poet |
| 1794 | Nicolas Chamfort | French writer |
| 1695 | Jean de La Fontaine | French fabulist and poet (1621–1695) |
| 1638 | Henri, Duke of Rohan | Breton-French soldier, writer and leader of the Huguenots |
Literary events on April 13
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Ian Fleming's novel Casino Royale was published as the first work to feature the British spy character James Bond. |
Featured
Gabrielle Gourdeau (1952) — Gabrielle Gourdeau was a writer in Quebec, Canada.
Christopher Hitchens (1949) — Christopher Eric Hitchens was a British and American author and journalist. Known as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism, he gained prominence as a columnist and speaker.
Drago Jančar (1948) — Drago Jančar is a Slovenian writer, playwright and essayist. Jančar is one of the best-known contemporary Slovene writers. In Slovenia, he is also known for his political commentaries and civic engagement.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.