On this day
August 20 in literary history
Literary history for August 20: 19 writers born and 14 writers who died from 1625 to 2018. Born on this day: David Walliams, Miguel Albaladejo, Patricia Rozema.
Writers born on August 20
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | David Walliams | English comedian, writer and actor (born 1971) |
| 1966 | Miguel Albaladejo | Spanish screenwriter and film director |
| 1958 | Patricia Rozema | Canadian film director, writer and producer |
| 1951 | Greg Bear | American writer and illustrator (1951–2022) |
| 1947 | Alan Lee (illustrator) | Illustrator and movie conceptual designer (born 1947) |
| 1932 | Vasily Aksyonov | Soviet and Russian novelist (1932–2009) |
| 1919 | Walter Bernstein | American screenwriter and film producer (1919–2021) |
| 1918 | Jacqueline Susann | American novelist and actress (1918–1974) |
| 1905 | Jean Gebser | Swiss philosopher, linguist, and poet (1905–1973) |
| 1901 | Salvatore Quasimodo | Italian poet and translator (1901–1968) |
| 1898 | Vilhelm Moberg | Swedish journalist, author, playwright, historian, and debater |
| 1897 | Tarjei Vesaas | Norwegian writer (1897–1970) |
| 1890 | H. P. Lovecraft | American writer (1890–1937) |
| 1885 | Dino Campana | Italian poet |
| 1881 | Edgar A. Guest | British-born American writer and poet (1881–1959) |
| 1857 | George Griffith | British science fiction writer (1857–1906) |
| 1856 | Jakub Bart-Ćišinski | Sorbian writer (1856–1909) |
| 1847 | Bolesław Prus | Polish novelist (1847–1912) |
| 1625 | Thomas Corneille | French lexicographer and dramatist (1625-1709) |
Writers who died on August 20
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Uri Avnery | Israeli politician, journalist and author (1923–2018) |
| 2014 | Anton Buslov | Russian blogger and writer (1983–2014) |
| 2014 | B. K. S. Iyengar | Indian yoga teacher and author (1918–2014) |
| 2013 | Narendra Dabholkar | Indian physician and author (1945–2013) |
| 2013 | Elmore Leonard | American novelist and screenwriter (1925–2013) |
| 2012 | Daryl Hine | Canadian poet and translator (1936–2012) |
| 2009 | Karla Kuskin | American author, poet, illustrator, and literary reviewer (1932-2009) |
| 1986 | Milton Acorn | Canadian poet, writer, and playwright |
| 1939 | Agnes Giberne | British author and astronomer |
| 1887 | Jules Laforgue | Franco-Uruguayan poet |
| 1835 | Agnes Bulmer | English poet (1775–1836) |
| 1701 | Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet | 17th-century English noble, dramatist, and politician |
| 1648 | Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury | English soldier and poet (1583–1648) |
| 1639 | Martin Opitz | German poet (1597–1639) |
Featured
David Walliams (1971) — David Edward Williams, known professionally as David Walliams, is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He rose to prominence for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain (2003–2006) and Come Fly with Me (2010–2011).
Miguel Albaladejo (1966) — Miguel Albaladejo is a Spanish screenwriter and film director.
Patricia Rozema (1958) — Patricia Rozema is a Canadian film director, writer and producer. She was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers who emerged in the 1980s from Toronto, Canada, known as the Toronto New Wave.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.