On this day
December 27 in literary history
Literary history for December 27: 28 writers born, 18 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1572 to 2024. Born on this day: Erin E. Stead, Lisa Jakub, Sarah Vowell.
Writers born on December 27
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Erin E. Stead | American children's book illustrator (born 1982) |
| 1978 | Lisa Jakub | Canadian writer, yoga teacher, and former child actress |
| 1969 | Sarah Vowell | American author, journalist and voice actress (born 1969) |
| 1946 | Lenny Kaye | American guitarist, composer, and writer (born 1946) |
| 1943 | Cokie Roberts | American journalist and author (1943–2019) |
| 1943 | Peter Sinfield | English poet and songwriter (1943–2024) |
| 1930 | Wilfrid Sheed | British-American novelist (1930–2011) |
| 1918 | John Celardo | American cartoonist (1918–2012) |
| 1917 | T. Nadaraja | Sri Lankan academic, lawyer and author |
| 1917 | Onni Palaste | Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (died 2009) |
| 1913 | Elizabeth Smart (Canadian author) | Canadian poet and novelist (1913–1986) |
| 1910 | Charles Olson | American poet (1910–1970) |
| 1909 | James Riddell (skier) | British skier and author (1909–2000) |
| 1907 | Asaf Halet Çelebi | Turkish poet |
| 1907 | Sebastian Haffner | German journalist and author (1907–1999) |
| 1907 | Mary Howard (novelist) | British writer |
| 1896 | Louis Bromfield | American author and conservationist (1896–1956) |
| 1896 | Carl Zuckmayer | German writer and playwright (1896–1977) |
| 1888 | Thea von Harbou | German author, film director, & actress (1888–1954) |
| 1882 | Mina Loy | British writer and designer of lamps (1882–1966) |
| 1827 | Stanisław Mieroszewski | Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the… |
| 1809 | Alexandros Rizos Rangavis | Greek man of letters, poet and statesman |
| 1797 | Ghalib | Indian poet (1797–1869) |
| 1721 | François Hemsterhuis | Dutch writer on aesthetics and moral philosophy |
| 1697 | Sollom Emlyn | Irish legal writer (1697–1754) |
| 1683 | Conyers Middleton | English clergyman and writer (1683–1750) |
| 1637 | Petar Kanavelić | Petar Kanavelić, Venetian writer (died 1719) |
| 1572 | Johannes Vodnianus Campanus | Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech poet, playwright, and composer (died 1622) |
Writers who died on December 27
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Charles Shyer | American director, screenwriter and producer (1941–2024) |
| 2016 | Carrie Fisher | American actress and writer (1956–2016) |
| 2014 | Ulises Estrella | Ecuadorian poet |
| 2007 | Jerzy Kawalerowicz | Polish film director, screenwriter and politician |
| 2007 | Jaan Kross | Estonian writer (1920–2007) |
| 1999 | Michael McDowell (author) | American novelist and screenwriter |
| 1994 | Fanny Cradock | English restaurant critic, television cook and writer (1909–1994) |
| 1992 | Kay Boyle | American poet (1902–1992) |
| 1987 | Rewi Alley | New Zealand writer and political activist |
| 1986 | Dumas Malone | American historian and writer |
| 1974 | Amy Vanderbilt | American Author and Socialite |
| 1953 | Julian Tuwim | Polish poet (1894–1953) |
| 1952 | John O'Brien (poet) | Australian priest, educator, author and poet (1878–1952) |
| 1938 | Osip Mandelstam | Russian and Soviet poet (1891–1938) |
| 1938 | Zona Gale | American writer (1874–1938) |
| 1936 | Mehmet Akif Ersoy | Turkish poet, writer, academic, politician (1873–1936) |
| 1895 | Eivind Astrup | Norwegian explorer and writer (1871–1895) |
| 1834 | Charles Lamb | English essayist, poet, and antiquarian (1775–1834) |
Literary events on December 27
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1845 | Having coined the phrase "manifest destiny" the previous July, journalist John L. O'Sullivan argued in his newspaper New York Morning News that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country. |
Featured
Erin E. Stead (1982) — Erin E. Stead is an American illustrator of children's books. She won the 2011 Caldecott Medal for the year's best-illustrated U.S. picture book, recognizing her first publication, A Sick Day for Amos McGee.
Lisa Jakub (1978) — Lisa Jakub is a Canadian writer, yoga teacher, and former child actress. She is best known for her roles as Lydia Hillard in the comedy-drama film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and as Alicia Casse in Independence Day (1996).
Sarah Vowell (1969) — Sarah Jane Vowell is an American historian, writer, journalist, radio personality, social commentator, and actress. She has written seven nonfiction books on American history and culture.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.