On this day
April 9 in literary history
Literary history for April 9: 24 writers born and 17 writers who died from 1553 to 2021. Born on this day: Paulina Porizkova, Margaret Peterson Haddix, John Eaves.
Writers born on April 9
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Paulina Porizkova | Model and author (born 1965) |
| 1964 | Margaret Peterson Haddix | American author (born 1964) |
| 1962 | John Eaves | John Eaves, American production designer and illustrator |
| 1956 | Nigel Slater | English food writer and broadcaster (born 1956) |
| 1955 | Joolz Denby | British writer |
| 1952 | Robert Clark (author) | American writer |
| 1933 | Fern Michaels | American novelist (1933–2025) |
| 1929 | Paule Marshall | American writer (1929–2019) |
| 1926 | Hugh Hefner | American magazine publisher (1926–2017) |
| 1922 | Carl Amery | German writer and environmental activist |
| 1917 | Johannes Bobrowski | German lyric poet, narrative writer, adaptor and essayist |
| 1912 | Lev Kopelev | Soviet author and dissident |
| 1908 | Joseph Krumgold | American writer |
| 1908 | Paula Nenette Pepin | French composer, pianist and lyricist |
| 1901 | Jean Bruchési | Canadian writer, historian, public servant and diplomat |
| 1893 | Victor Gollancz | British publisher (1893–1967) |
| 1893 | Rahul Sankrityayan | Indian scholar and author (1893–1963) |
| 1887 | Konrad Tom | Polish actor, writer, singer (1887–1957) |
| 1883 | Frank King (cartoonist) | American cartoonist (1883–1969) |
| 1875 | Jacques Futrelle | American mystery writer (1875–1912) |
| 1821 | Charles Baudelaire | French poet and critic (1821–1867) |
| 1802 | Elias Lönnrot | Finnish polymath and poet (1802–1884) |
| 1773 | Étienne Aignan | French translator, political writer, librettist and playwright (1773–1824) |
| 1680 | Philippe Néricault Destouches | French playwright (1680–1754) |
Writers who died on April 9
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Nikki Grahame | English television personality and author (1982–2021) |
| 2019 | Charles Van Doren | American writer and editor (1926–2019) |
| 2017 | John Clarke (satirist) | New Zealand comedian, writer, and satirist (1948–2017) |
| 2015 | Nina Companeez | French screenwriter |
| 2015 | Ivan Doig | American writer |
| 2014 | Svetlana Velmar-Janković | Serbian novelist and essayist |
| 2007 | Egon Bondy | Czech poet, philosopher and writer (1930-2007) |
| 2006 | Vilgot Sjöman | Swedish writer and film director (1924–2006) |
| 2003 | Jerry Bittle | Jerry Bittle, American cartoonist (born 1949) |
| 1997 | Helene Hanff | American dramatist |
| 1996 | Richard Condon | American political novelist (1915–1996) |
| 1970 | Gustaf Tenggren | Swedish illustrator (1896–1970) |
| 1963 | Xul Solar | Argentine painter, sculptor, writer and inventor of imaginary languages |
| 1882 | Dante Gabriel Rossetti | English poet and artist (1828–1882) |
| 1768 | Sarah Fielding | English author (1710–1768) |
| 1561 | Jean Quintin | French priest, knight of the Order of St John and writer |
| 1553 | François Rabelais | French writer and humanist (died 1553) |
Featured
Paulina Porizkova (1965) — Paulina Porizkova is a fashion model, author and actress. In 1984, she became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Margaret Peterson Haddix (1964) — Margaret Peterson Haddix is an American writer known best for the two children's series, Shadow Children (1998–2006) and The Missing (2008–2015). She also wrote the tenth volume in the multiple-author series The 39 Clues.
John Eaves (1962) — John Eaves is a designer and illustrator best known for his work on the Star Trek franchise, starting with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.