On this day
July 18 in literary history
Literary history for July 18: 19 writers born, 17 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1566 to 2015. Born on this day: Alan Morrison (poet), Elizabeth Gilbert, Jeanne Córdova.
Writers born on July 18
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Alan Morrison (poet) | British poet (born 1974) |
| 1969 | Elizabeth Gilbert | American journalist and author (born 1969) |
| 1948 | Jeanne Córdova | American writer |
| 1947 | Steve Forbes | American businessman and publisher (born 1947) |
| 1937 | Hunter S. Thompson | American journalist and author (1937–2005) |
| 1934 | Edward Bond | English dramatist (1934–2024) |
| 1933 | Jean Yanne | French actor, screenwriter, producer, director and composer |
| 1933 | Yevgeny Yevtushenko | Soviet and Russian poet (1933–2017) |
| 1927 | Antonio García-Trevijano | Antonio García-Trevijano, Spanish republican, political activist, and author (died 2018) |
| 1926 | Margaret Laurence | Canadian novelist and short story writer |
| 1926 | Elizabeth Jennings (poet) | British poet (1926–2001) |
| 1911 | Hume Cronyn | Canadian actor and writer (1911–2003) |
| 1909 | Bishnu Dey | Indian poet and academician (1909–1982) |
| 1906 | Clifford Odets | American writer and actor (1906–1963) |
| 1902 | Jessamyn West (writer) | American author (1902–1984) |
| 1900 | Nathalie Sarraute | 20th century French writer and lawyer |
| 1845 | Tristan Corbière | French poet (1845–1875) |
| 1811 | William Makepeace Thackeray | English novelist and illustrator (1811–1863) |
| 1718 | Saverio Bettinelli | Italian Jesuit writer (1718–1808) |
Writers who died on July 18
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Buddy Buie | American songwriter, producer, and publisher |
| 2014 | João Ubaldo Ribeiro | Brazilian writer, journalist, screenwriter and professor (1941–2014 |
| 2013 | Vaali (poet) | Indian artist, poet, lyricist, writer, actor (1931–2013) |
| 2004 | André Castelot | French writer and scriptwriter |
| 2002 | Metin Toker | Turkish journalist and writer (1924-2002) |
| 1987 | Gilberto Freyre | Brazilian scholar, writer, and politician (1900–1987) |
| 1975 | Vaughn Bodē | American underground cartoonist and illustrator (1941–1975) |
| 1952 | Paul Saintenoy | Belgian architect, teacher, architectural historian, and writer |
| 1950 | Carl Van Doren | American critic and biographer (1885–1950) |
| 1944 | Thomas Sturge Moore | British poet, author and artist |
| 1937 | Julian Bell | British poet (1908-1937) |
| 1932 | Jean Jules Jusserand | French author and diplomat (1855–1932) |
| 1916 | Benjamin C. Truman | American journalist and author (1835–1916) |
| 1899 | Horatio Alger | American novelist (1832–1899) |
| 1817 | Jane Austen | English novelist (1775–1817) |
| 1756 | Pieter Langendijk | Dutch writer and poet (1683–1756) |
| 1566 | Bartolomé de las Casas | Spanish Catholic clergyman and writer (1484–1566) |
Literary events on July 18
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1806 | A gunpowder magazine explosion in Birgu, Malta, kills around 200 people. |
| 1806 | An explosion at a gunpowder magazine in Birgu, Malta, killed an estimated 200 people. |
Featured
Alan Morrison (poet) (1974) — Alan Duncan Morrison is a British poet.
Elizabeth Gilbert (1969) — Elizabeth Gilbert is an American journalist and author. Her 2006 memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, has sold over 12 million copies and has been translated into over 30 languages. The book was also made into a film of the same name in 2010.
Jeanne Córdova (1948) — Jeanne Córdova was an American writer and supporter of the lesbian and gay rights movement, founder of The Lesbian Tide, and a founder of the West Coast LGBT movement. A former Catholic nun, Córdova was a second-wave feminist lesbian activist and self-described butch.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.