On this day
December 15 in literary history
Literary history for December 15: 15 writers born, 8 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1598 to 2018. Born on this day: Alex Cox, Robert Charles Wilson, Julie Taymor.
Writers born on December 15
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Alex Cox | English film director, screenwriter, and actor (born 1954) |
| 1953 | Robert Charles Wilson | American-Canadian science fiction author (born 1953) |
| 1952 | Julie Taymor | American film and theatre director and writer (born 1952) |
| 1946 | Genny Lim | American poet, playwright and performer (born 1946) |
| 1931 | Klaus Rifbjerg | Danish writer (1931–2015) |
| 1930 | Edna O'Brien | Irish writer (1930–2024) |
| 1920 | Gamal al-Banna | Egyptian writer and trade unionist (1920–2013) |
| 1920 | Kurt Schaffenberger | American cartoonist (1920–2002) |
| 1918 | Chihiro Iwasaki | Japanese artist and illustrator (1918–1974) |
| 1917 | Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee | Poet, writer and linguist |
| 1913 | Muriel Rukeyser | American poet and essayist (1913–1980) |
| 1911 | Nicholas P. Dallis | American comics writer (1911–1991) |
| 1896 | Betty Smith | American playwright and novelist (1896–1972) |
| 1888 | Maxwell Anderson | American playwright and writer (1888–1959) |
| 1878 | Hans Carossa | German novelist and poet (1878–1956) |
Writers who died on December 15
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Eryue He | Chinese writer |
| 2011 | Christopher Hitchens | British and American author and journalist (1949–2011) |
| 2006 | Mary Stolz | American writer of fiction for children and young adults (1920-2006) |
| 2003 | George Fisher (cartoonist) | American cartoonist |
| 1947 | Arthur Machen | Welsh author and mystic (1863–1947) |
| 1683 | Izaak Walton | English author (c. 1593 – 1683) |
| 1673 | Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne | English poet and philosopher (1623–1673) |
| 1598 | Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde | 16th century mayor of Antwerp, probable author of Dutch national anthem |
Literary events on December 15
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1939 | The American historical epic film Gone With the Wind, adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name, premiered in Atlanta, Georgia. |
Featured
Alex Cox (1954) — Alexander B. H. Cox is an English film director, screenwriter, actor, non-fiction author and broadcaster. Cox experienced success early in his career with Repo Man (1984) and Sid and Nancy (1986).
Robert Charles Wilson (1953) — Robert Charles Wilson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.
Julie Taymor (1952) — Julie Taymor is an American director and writer of theater, opera, and film. Her stage adaptation of The Lion King debuted in 1997 and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for her direction and costume design.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.