On this day
July 31 in literary history
Literary history for July 31: 19 writers born and 15 writers who died from 1638 to 2017. Born on this day: Ahmad Akbarpour, J. K. Rowling, Frank Gardner (journalist).
Writers born on July 31
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Ahmad Akbarpour | Iranian writer |
| 1965 | J. K. Rowling | British author (born 1965) |
| 1961 | Frank Gardner (journalist) | English journalist and novelist (born 1961) |
| 1959 | Kim Newman | English writer and novelist (born 1959) |
| 1956 | Lynne Rae Perkins | American writer and illustrator of children's books |
| 1952 | João Barreiros | Portuguese science fiction writer, editor, translator and critic |
| 1952 | Faye Kellerman | American novelist (born 1952) |
| 1947 | Ian Beck | English children's illustrator and author |
| 1935 | Yvon Deschamps | Canadian actor, author, and entertainment producer |
| 1933 | Cees Nooteboom | Dutch novelist, poet and journalist (1933–2026) |
| 1929 | Lynne Reid Banks | British writer (1929–2024) |
| 1929 | Oriana Fallaci | Italian journalist and author (1929–2006) |
| 1927 | Peter Nichols (playwright) | English playwright (1927–2019) |
| 1926 | Bernard Nathanson | American physician, activist, and writer (1926–2011) |
| 1919 | Primo Levi | Italian Holocaust survivor and writer (1919–1987) |
| 1904 | Brett Halliday | American novelist (1904–1977) |
| 1880 | Premchand | Indian Hindustani writer (1880–1936) |
| 1843 | Peter Rosegger | Austrian writer and poet |
| 1836 | Vasily Sleptsov | Russian writer and social reformer (1836–1878) |
Writers who died on July 31
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Jeanne Moreau | French actress, singer, screenwriter, director and socialite (1928–2017) |
| 2015 | Alan Cheuse | Novelist, short story writer, critic (1940–2015) |
| 2014 | Nabarun Bhattacharya | Indian writer and poet (1948–2014) |
| 2013 | John Graves (author) | American writer |
| 2012 | Mollie Hunter | Scottish writer (1922–2012) |
| 2012 | Gore Vidal | American writer (1925–2012) |
| 2000 | William Maxwell (American writer) | American journalist and writer (1908–2000) |
| 1951 | Cho Ki-chon | North Korean poet (1913–1951) |
| 1944 | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | French writer and aviator (1900–1944) |
| 1942 | Francis Younghusband | British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer (1863–1942) |
| 1917 | Francis Ledwidge | Irish poet |
| 1917 | Hedd Wyn | Welsh poet (1887–1917) |
| 1864 | Louis Hachette | French magazine publisher (1800–1864) |
| 1784 | Denis Diderot | French philosopher and writer (1713–1784) |
| 1638 | Sibylla Schwarz | German poet of the Baroque era |
Featured
Ahmad Akbarpour (1970) — Ahmad Akbarpour Ahmad Akbarpūr Persian pronunciation: [æhˈmæd(-e) ækbærpuːr], born July 31, 1970, in Chah Varz, Lamerd, Fars province, is a novelist and author of short stories and children's books.
J. K. Rowling (1965) — Joanne Rowling, better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author, philanthropist, producer, and screenwriter. She is best known for writing Harry Potter, a seven-volume series about a young wizard and the best-selling book series in history, with over 600 million copies sold.
Frank Gardner (journalist) (1961) — Francis Rolleston Gardner is a British journalist, author and retired British Army Reserve officer. He is currently the BBC's Security Correspondent, and since the September 11 attacks on New York has specialised in covering stories related to the war on terror.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.