On this day
December 2 in literary history
Literary history for December 2: 18 writers born, 16 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1774 to 2024. Born on this day: Adam Kreek, Jüri Reinvere, Ann Patchett.
Writers born on December 2
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Adam Kreek | Canadian author, world champion rower (b. 1980) |
| 1971 | Jüri Reinvere | Estonian composer, poet and essayist (born 1971) |
| 1963 | Ann Patchett | American author (born 1963) |
| 1958 | George Saunders | American writer (born 1958) |
| 1948 | Elizabeth Berg (author) | American novelist (born 1948) |
| 1948 | T. C. Boyle | American novelist and short-story writer |
| 1946 | David Macaulay | British-born American illustrator and writer (born 1946) |
| 1944 | Botho Strauss | German playwright, novelist, and essayist |
| 1939 | Yael Dayan | Israeli politician and author (1939–2024) |
| 1931 | Nigel Calder | British science writer |
| 1929 | Dan Jenkins | American author and sportswriter (1928–2019) |
| 1924 | Vilgot Sjöman | Swedish writer and film director (1924–2006) |
| 1922 | Iakovos Kambanellis | Greek poet and playwright |
| 1914 | Adolph Green | American dramatist (1914–2002) |
| 1905 | Abdul Hakim (writer) | Bangladeshi educator and writer |
| 1897 | Rewi Alley | New Zealand writer and political activist |
| 1884 | Yahya Kemal Beyatlı | Turkish poet, author, politician and diplomat (1884-1958) |
| 1876 | Yusuf Akçura | Turkish politician, writer and ideologist of ethnic Tatar origin (1876–1935) |
Writers who died on December 2
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Paul Maslansky | American film producer and writer (1933–2024) |
| 2012 | Ehsan Naraghi | Ehsan Naraghi, Iranian sociologist and author (born 1926) |
| 2007 | Elizabeth Hardwick (writer) | American writer and literary critic (1916–2007) |
| 2004 | Mona Van Duyn | American poet (1921–2004) |
| 1995 | Robertson Davies | Canadian novelist (1913–1995) |
| 1985 | Philip Larkin | English poet, novelist and librarian (1922–1985) |
| 1980 | Romain Gary | French writer and diplomat (1914–1980) |
| 1974 | Sylvi Kekkonen | Finnish writer and First Lady of Finland from 1956 to 1974 |
| 1969 | José María Arguedas | Peruvian writer (1911–1969) |
| 1966 | Giles Cooper (playwright) | British playwright (1918–1966) |
| 1944 | Filippo Tommaso Marinetti | Italian poet (1876–1944) |
| 1943 | Nordahl Grieg | Norwegian writer (1902–1943) |
| 1918 | Edmond Rostand | French poet and dramatist (1868–1918) |
| 1888 | Namık Kemal | Turkish writer and activist (1840–1888) |
| 1814 | Marquis de Sade | French writer and nobleman (1740–1814) |
| 1774 | Johann Friedrich Agricola | German composer, organist, singer, pedagogue, and writer |
Literary events on December 2
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1867 | At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States. |
Featured
Adam Kreek (1980) — Adam Kreek is an author, executive business coach and Canadian rower. He is a member of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
Jüri Reinvere (1971) — Jüri Reinvere is an Estonian composer, poet and essayist who has been living in Germany since 2005. Jüri Reinvere's polystylistic art is often devoted to existential themes of history, nature, politics and the poetics of human perception.
Ann Patchett (1963) — Ann Patchett is an American author. In 2002, she received the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction for her novel Bel Canto.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.