On this day
February 8 in literary history
Literary history for February 8: 13 writers born and 9 writers who died from 1552 to 2017. Born on this day: Mary Robinette Kowal, John Grisham, Niels Arestrup.
Writers born on February 8
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Mary Robinette Kowal | American author and puppeteer (born 1969) |
| 1955 | John Grisham | American writer and lawyer (born 1955) |
| 1949 | Niels Arestrup | French-Danish actor, film director and screenwriter (1949–2024) |
| 1926 | Neal Cassady | American writer (1926–1968) |
| 1914 | Bill Finger | American comics writer (1914–1974) |
| 1911 | Elizabeth Bishop | American poet and short-story writer (1911–1979) |
| 1894 | King Vidor | American writer and director (1894–1982) |
| 1850 | Kate Chopin | American author (1850–1904) |
| 1828 | Jules Verne | French writer (1828–1905) |
| 1822 | Maxime Du Camp | French writer and photographer (1822–1894) |
| 1685 | Charles-Jean-François Hénault | French writer and historian (1685–1770) |
| 1577 | Robert Burton | English scholar and author (1577–1640) |
| 1552 | Agrippa d'Aubigné | French poet (1552–1630) |
Writers who died on February 8
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Alan Simpson (scriptwriter) | British screenwriter (1929–2017) |
| 2016 | Nida Fazli | Indian poet, lyricist and dialogue writer (1938–2016) |
| 2016 | Margaret Forster | English novelist and biographer (1938–2016) |
| 2013 | Maureen Dragone | American journalist and author |
| 1999 | Iris Murdoch | Irish-born British writer and philosopher (1919–1999) |
| 1998 | Halldór Laxness | Icelandic author (1902–1998) |
| 1982 | John Hay Whitney | American diplomat and publisher (1904–1982) |
| 1849 | France Prešeren | Slovene poet (1800-1849) |
| 1750 | Aaron Hill (writer) | British writer (1685–1750) |
Featured
Mary Robinette Kowal (1969) — Mary Robinette Kowal is an American author, translator, art director, and puppeteer. She is a four-time Hugo Award winner, a Nebula Award and Locus Award winner, and served as the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America from 2019-2021.
John Grisham (1955) — John Ray Grisham Jr. is an American writer, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide.
Niels Arestrup (1949) — Niels Arestrup was a French-Danish actor, film director and screenwriter.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.