On this day
May 4 in literary history
Literary history for May 4: 11 writers born, 11 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1715 to 2015. Born on this day: David Guterson, Graham Swift, Robin Cook (American novelist).
11writers born
11writers died
1literary events
Writers born on May 4
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | David Guterson | American novelist (born 1956) |
| 1949 | Graham Swift | English writer (born 1949) |
| 1940 | Robin Cook (American novelist) | American physician and novelist (born 1940) |
| 1939 | Amos Oz | Israeli writer, journalist and intellectual (1939–2018) |
| 1938 | Carlos Monsiváis | Mexican writer |
| 1923 | Eric Sykes | English comedian, writer and actor (1923–2012) |
| 1917 | Nick Joaquin | Filipino writer and journalist (1917–2004) |
| 1916 | Jane Jacobs | American–Canadian journalist, author, and activist (1916–2006) |
| 1907 | Lincoln Kirstein | American writer and art connoisseur (1907–1996) |
| 1772 | Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus | German encyclopedia publisher and editor (1772–1823) |
| 1715 | Richard Graves | English minister and writer (1715–1804) |
Writers who died on May 4
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | William Bast | American screenwriter and author (1931–2015) |
| 2014 | Dick Ayers | American cartoonist |
| 2014 | Helga Königsdorf | East German author and physicist |
| 1988 | Lillian Estelle Fisher | 20th-century American historian and author |
| 1973 | Jane Bowles | American writer and playwright |
| 1971 | William Brown Meloney (1902–1971) | American writer (1902–1971) |
| 1969 | Osbert Sitwell | English writer (1892–1969) |
| 1924 | E. Nesbit | English author and poet (1858–1924) |
| 1916 | Joseph Plunkett | Irish republican, poet and journalist (1887-1916) |
| 1839 | Denis Davydov | Russian soldier-poet |
| 1824 | Joseph Joubert | French essayist (1754–1824) |
Literary events on May 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1789 | The Boydell Shakespeare Gallery, part of a cultural project initiated by engraver John Boydell, opened in London. |
Featured
David Guterson (1956) — David Guterson is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist. He is best known as the author of the bestselling Japanese American internment novel Snow Falling on Cedars (1994).
Graham Swift (1949) — Graham Colin Swift FRSL is an English novelist, poet and short story writer.
Robin Cook (American novelist) (1940) — Robert Brian "Robin" Cook is an American physician and novelist who writes largely about medicine and topics affecting public health.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.