On this day
August 28 in literary history
Literary history for August 28: 22 writers born, 16 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1481 to 2024. Born on this day: Rita Dove, Tony Husband, Vonda N. McIntyre.
Writers born on August 28
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Rita Dove | American poet and author (born 1952) |
| 1950 | Tony Husband | British cartoonist (1950–2023) |
| 1948 | Vonda N. McIntyre | American science fiction writer (1948–2019) |
| 1924 | Janet Frame | New Zealand author (1924–2004) |
| 1924 | Zalman Schachter-Shalomi | American Rabbi, writer, and activist |
| 1918 | L. B. Cole | American cartoonist |
| 1916 | Jack Vance | American writer (1916–2013) |
| 1915 | Max Robertson | Sports commentator and author (1915–2009) |
| 1915 | Tasha Tudor | American illustrator and writer (1915–2008) |
| 1913 | Robertson Davies | Canadian novelist (1913–1995) |
| 1913 | Terence Reese | Bridge player and writer |
| 1908 | Roger Tory Peterson | American naturalist, ornithologist and writer (1908–1996) |
| 1906 | John Betjeman | English poet (1906–1984) |
| 1903 | Bruno Bettelheim | Austrian-American writer (1903–1990) |
| 1899 | Andrei Platonov | Russian author |
| 1896 | Firaq Gorakhpuri | Indian Urdu poet |
| 1888 | Evadne Price | Australian-British writer, actress, astrologer and media personality (1888–1985) |
| 1887 | István Kühár | Slovene Roman Catholic priest, politician and writer |
| 1885 | Vance Palmer | Australian writer |
| 1814 | Sheridan Le Fanu | Irish writer of Gothic literature and journalist (1814–1873) |
| 1749 | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe | German writer and polymath (1749–1832) |
| 1481 | Francisco de Sá de Miranda | Portuguese poet (1481–1558) |
Writers who died on August 28
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Steve Silberman | American writer and journalist (1957–2024) |
| 2013 | Rafael Díaz Ycaza | Ecuadorian poet, novelist, short story writer and columnist |
| 2012 | Dick McBride (poet) | American poet |
| 2010 | William P. Foster | American bandmaster, composer, and author (1919–2010) |
| 2007 | Francisco Umbral | Spanish writer (1932–2007) |
| 1995 | Michael Ende | German writer (1929–1995) |
| 1993 | William Stafford (poet) | American poet |
| 1991 | Alekos Sakellarios | Greek writer and director |
| 1990 | Willy Vandersteen | Flemish comics author (1913–1990) |
| 1989 | John Steptoe | American writer and illustrator (1950–1989) |
| 1988 | Max Shulman | American writer and humorist (1919–1988) |
| 1985 | Ruth Gordon | American actress, playwright and screenwriter (1896–1985) |
| 1978 | Bruce Catton | U.S. historian, author, and journalist (1899–1978) |
| 1978 | Robert Shaw | English actor and writer (1927–1978) |
| 1971 | Reuben Margolies | Israeli author (1889–1971) |
| 1888 | Julius Krohn | Finnish academic and writer (1835–1888) |
Literary events on August 28
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1845 | The first issue of Scientific American magazine is published. |
Featured
Rita Dove (1952) — Rita Frances Dove is an American poet and essayist. She served as poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress from 1993 to 1995, becoming the first African American appointed to the position after it was established in 1986.
Tony Husband (1950) — William Anthony Husband was a British cartoonist known for his black humour. He was mainly known for his work in Private Eye magazine, and his work has appeared in The Times, the Daily Mail and the Sunday Express as well as magazines including Playboy and The Spectator.
Vonda N. McIntyre (1948) — Vonda Neel McIntyre was an American science fiction writer and biologist.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.