On this day
August 21 in literary history
Literary history for August 21: 19 writers born and 17 writers who died from 1579 to 2024. Born on this day: Brooks Wheelan, Ivan Stang, Celia Brayfield.
Writers born on August 21
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Brooks Wheelan | American comedian, actor and writer (born 1986) |
| 1953 | Ivan Stang | American writer (born 1953) |
| 1945 | Celia Brayfield | English author, journalist and cultural commentator |
| 1943 | Jonathan Schell | American author and advocate against nuclear weapons (1943–2014) |
| 1943 | Lucius Shepard | American novelist (1943–2014) |
| 1943 | Hugh Wilson (director) | American director, writer and actor (1943–2018) |
| 1937 | Robert Stone (novelist) | American writer (1937–2015) |
| 1929 | X. J. Kennedy | American poet (1929–2026) |
| 1926 | Can Yücel | Turkish poet (1926–1999) |
| 1908 | M. M. Kaye | British writer (1908–2004) |
| 1906 | Friz Freleng | American animator, cartoonist, director, and producer (1905–1995) |
| 1902 | Angel Karaliychev | Angel Karaliychev, Bulgarian author (died 1972) |
| 1886 | Ruth Manning-Sanders | Welsh-born English poet and author (1886–1988) |
| 1872 | Aubrey Beardsley | English illustrator and author (1872–1898) |
| 1869 | William Henry Ogilvie | Scottish-Australian poet (1869–1963) |
| 1862 | Emilio Salgari | Italian writer (1862–1911) |
| 1854 | Frank Munsey | American publisher and politician (1854–1925) |
| 1798 | Jules Michelet | French writer and historian (1798–1874) |
| 1579 | Henri, Duke of Rohan | Breton-French soldier, writer and leader of the Huguenots |
Writers who died on August 21
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nell McCafferty | Irish journalist and playwright (1944–2024) |
| 2010 | Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill | Argentine author and businessman (1941-2010) |
| 2009 | Rex Shelley | Singaporean author (1930–2009) |
| 2007 | Siobhan Dowd | English writer and activist (1960–2007) |
| 2006 | Paul Fentener van Vlissingen | Dutch businessman and writer (1941–2006) |
| 2005 | Dahlia Ravikovitch | Israeli poet, translator and peace activist |
| 2004 | Sachidananda Routray | Indian (Odia-language) Writer (1916-2004) |
| 2003 | John Coplans | British artist, art writer, curator, and museum director |
| 1971 | George Jackson (activist) | American author and activist (1941–1971) |
| 1968 | Germaine Guèvremont | Canadian writer (1893–1968) |
| 1957 | Mait Metsanurk | Estonian writer (1879–1957) |
| 1943 | Henrik Pontoppidan | Danish writer, Nobel Laureate |
| 1940 | Ernest Thayer | American writer and poet (1863–1940) |
| 1838 | Adelbert von Chamisso | German poet and botanist (1781–1838) |
| 1762 | Lady Mary Wortley Montagu | English writer and poet (1689–1762) |
| 1689 | William Cleland (poet) | William Cleland, Scottish poet and soldier (born 1661) |
| 1622 | Juan de Tassis, 2nd Count of Villamediana | Spanish poet (1582–1622) |
Featured
Brooks Wheelan (1986) — Brooks Wheelan is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster. First breaking through as a cast member and writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live during the 2013–2014 season, Wheelan currently hosts the podcast Entry Level.
Ivan Stang (1953) — Ivan Stang is an American writer, filmmaker and broadcaster, best known as the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius. He is credited with founding the Church with friend Philo Drummond in 1979, though Stang himself denied this and claimed the organization was founded in 1953 by J. R.
Celia Brayfield (1945) — Celia Brayfield is an English author, academic and cultural commentator.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.