On this day
May 19 in literary history
Literary history for May 19: 14 writers born, 17 writers who died and 2 literary events from 804 to 2021. Born on this day: Jodi Picoult, Lena Einhorn, Shirrel Rhoades.
14writers born
17writers died
2literary events
Writers born on May 19
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Jodi Picoult | American author (born 1966) |
| 1954 | Lena Einhorn | Swedish director, writer and physician |
| 1943 | Shirrel Rhoades | American writer (born 1942) |
| 1941 | Nora Ephron | American writer and filmmaker (1941–2012) |
| 1934 | Ruskin Bond | Indian novelist and short story writer (born 1934) |
| 1934 | Jim Lehrer | American journalist and writer (1934–2020) |
| 1932 | Elena Poniatowska | Mexican journalist and author (b. 1932) |
| 1930 | Lorraine Hansberry | African-American playwright and author (1930–1965) |
| 1921 | Karel van het Reve | Dutch writer, translator, and historian (1921–1999) |
| 1908 | Manik Bandopadhyay | Indian writer and poet |
| 1908 | Merriam Modell | American novelist (1908–1994) |
| 1893 | H. Bonciu | Romanian writer (1893 - 1950) |
| 1889 | Tản Đà | Vietnamese poet |
| 1773 | Arthur Aikin | English chemist, mineralogist and scientific writer (1773–1854) |
Writers who died on May 19
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Paul Mooney (comedian) | American writer and entertainer (1941–2021) |
| 2014 | Sam Greenlee | American novelist and poet (1930–2014) |
| 2008 | Vijay Tendulkar | Indian playwright (1928-2008) |
| 2002 | Walter Lord | American historian and author (1917–2002) |
| 1987 | James Tiptree Jr. | American sci-fi writer (1915–1987) |
| 1984 | John Betjeman | English poet (1906–1984) |
| 1980 | Joseph Schull | Canadian playwright and historian |
| 1978 | Albert Kivikas | Estonian writer and journalist |
| 1971 | Ogden Nash | American poet (1902–1971) |
| 1946 | Booth Tarkington | American novelist (1869–1946) |
| 1943 | Kristjan Raud | Estonian painter and illustrator (1865-1943) |
| 1935 | T. E. Lawrence | British Army officer, diplomat and writer (1888–1935) |
| 1912 | Bolesław Prus | Polish novelist (1847–1912) |
| 1864 | Nathaniel Hawthorne | American author (1804–1864) |
| 1795 | James Boswell | Scottish lawyer, diarist and author (1740–1795) |
| 1715 | Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax | British politician and poet (1661–1715) |
| 804 | Alcuin | 8th-century English scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher |
Literary events on May 19
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1963 | The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail. |
| 1743 | French physicist Jean-Pierre Christin published the design of a mercury thermometer using the centigrade scale, with 0 representing the melting point of water and 100 its boiling point. |
Featured
Jodi Picoult (1966) — Jodi Lynn Picoult is an American writer. As of 2026, Picoult has published 30 novels, several short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide and have been translated into 34 languages.
Lena Einhorn (1954) — Lena Einhorn is a Swedish director and writer and former physician.
Shirrel Rhoades (1943) — Shirrel Rhoades is an American writer, publisher, professor, filmmaker, and the former executive vice president of Marvel Entertainment.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.