On this day
July 8 in literary history
Literary history for July 8: 8 writers born, 16 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1478 to 2025. Born on this day: Anna Quindlen, Marianne Williamson, Shirley Ann Grau.
Writers born on July 8
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Anna Quindlen | American author and journalist |
| 1952 | Marianne Williamson | American author and political activist (born 1952) |
| 1929 | Shirley Ann Grau | American writer (1929–2020) |
| 1925 | Dominique Nohain | French actor, dramatist, screenwriter and theatre director |
| 1916 | Jean Rouverol | American actress and screenwriter (1916–2017) |
| 1892 | Richard Aldington | English writer and poet (1892–1962) |
| 1621 | Jean de La Fontaine | French fabulist and poet (1621–1695) |
| 1478 | Gian Giorgio Trissino | Venetian humanist, poet, dramatist, diplomat, linguist and philosopher (1478–1550) |
Writers who died on July 8
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Paulette Jiles | American writer (1943–2025) |
| 2018 | Tab Hunter | American actor, singer, film producer, and author (1931–2018) |
| 2013 | Sundri Uttamchandani | Indian writer of Sindhi language |
| 2011 | Roberts Blossom | American actor and poet (1924–2011) |
| 2004 | Paula Danziger | American children's book author |
| 1996 | Irene Prador | Austrian actress and writer (1911–1996) |
| 1987 | Gerardo Diego | Spanish poet (1896–1987) |
| 1973 | Gene L. Coon | American screenwriter, TV producer and novelist, best known for his work on Star Trek |
| 1972 | Ghassan Kanafani | Palestinian author and militant (1936–1972) |
| 1965 | T. S. Stribling | American novelist (1881–1965) |
| 1956 | Giovanni Papini | Italian writer (1881–1956) |
| 1952 | August Alle | Estonian writer and poet |
| 1939 | Havelock Ellis | British physician, eugenicist, writer and social reformer (1859–1939) |
| 1933 | Anthony Hope | English novelist (1863-1933) |
| 1913 | Louis Hémon | French writer (1880–1913) |
| 1822 | Percy Bysshe Shelley | English poet (1792–1822) |
Literary events on July 8
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Israeli Mossad assassinate Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani. |
| 1889 | The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published. |
Featured
Anna Quindlen (1952) — Anna Marie Quindlen is an American author, journalist, and opinion columnist.
Marianne Williamson (1952) — Marianne Deborah Williamson is an American self-help author, speaker, and political activist. She began her professional career as a spiritual leader of the Church of Today, a Unity Church in Warren, Michigan.
Shirley Ann Grau (1929) — Shirley Ann Grau was an American writer. Born in New Orleans, she lived part of her childhood in Montgomery, Alabama. Her novels are set primarily in the Deep South and explore issues of race and gender.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.