On this day

October 24 in literary history

Literary history for October 24: 27 writers born, 16 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1669 to 2024. Born on this day: Meelis Friedenthal, Emma Donoghue, Gabriella Sica.

27writers born
16writers died
1literary events

Writers born on October 24

BornWriterKnown as
1973Meelis FriedenthalEstonian writer
1969Emma DonoghueIrish-Canadian writer (born 1969)
1950Gabriella SicaItalian poet
1943Bill DundeeAustralian professional wrestler and author (1943–2026)
1942Frank DelaneyIrish novelist, journalist and broadcaster (1941–2017)
1942Fernando VallejoColombian-born novelist and filmmaker
1941Merle WooAmerican poet (born 1941)
1934John G. CramerAmerican novelist
1933Norman RushAmerican writer
1932Stephen CoveyAmerican educator, author, businessman and motivational speaker
1932Adrian MitchellEnglish poet, novelist, and playwright (1932–2008)
1930Elaine FeinsteinEnglish poet and writer (1930–2019)
1929Hubert AquinQuebec novelist and intellectual (1929–1977)
1929Yordan RadichkovBulgarian writer and playwright
1927Barbara Robinson (author)American writer
1926Rafael AzconaSpanish screenwriter (1926–2008)
1923Denise LevertovAmerican poet (1923–1997)
1921R. K. LaxmanIndian Cartoonist
1918Doreen ToveyEnglish writer (1918–2008)
1915Marghanita LaskiEnglish journalist and novelist (1915–1988)
1904Moss HartAmerican playwright, librettist and theater director
1894Bibhutibhushan MukhopadhyayIndian Bengali-language author
1891Brenda UelandAmerican journalist and writer (1891–1985)
1868Alexandra David-NéelFrench explorer, spiritualist and writer (1868–1969)
1798Massimo d'AzeglioItalian statesman, novelist, and painter (1798–1866)
1788Sarah Josepha HaleAmerican writer and editor (1788–1879)
1763Dorothea von SchlegelGerman novelist and translator (1764–1839)

Writers who died on October 24

DiedWriterKnown as
2024Jeri TaylorAmerican screenwriter (1938–2024)
2022Leslie JordanAmerican actor, comedian, writer and singer (1955–2022)
2015Margarita KhemlinMargarita Khemlin, Ukrainian-Russian author and critic (born 1960)
2010Joseph SteinAmerican dramatist (1912–2010)
2007Ian MiddletonNew Zealand author
2007Anne WealeBritish writer (1929–2007)
2005Robert SlomanBritish screenwriter and actor (1926–2005)
2001Jaromil JirešCzech film director and screenwriter (1935–2001)
1992Laurie ColwinAmerican novelist (1944–1992)
1991Gene RoddenberryAmerican screenwriter and producer (1921–1991)
1991Ismat ChughtaiIndian writer and filmmaker (1915–1991)
1949Yaroslav HalanUkrainian Soviet journalist and playwright (1902–1949)
1943Hector de Saint-Denys GarneauFrench Canadian poet, writer, letter writer and essayist (1912–1943)
1938Ernst BarlachGerman expressionist sculptor, printmaker and writer (1870–1938)
1875Raffaello CarboniItalian composer and author
1669William PrynneEnglish lawyer, author and politician (1600–1669)

Literary events on October 24

YearEvent
1885The Russian ship Dmitry ran aground in Whitby, an incident that inspired the arrival of Count Dracula to England in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel (cover pictured).

Featured

Meelis Friedenthal (1973) — Meelis Friedenthal is an Estonian academic and writer.

Emma Donoghue (1969) — Emma Donoghue is an Irish Canadian novelist, screenwriter, playwright and literary historian. Her 2010 novel Room was a finalist for the Booker Prize and an international best-seller. Donoghue's 1995 novel Hood won the Stonewall Book Award and Slammerkin (2000) won the Ferro-Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction.

Gabriella Sica (1950) — Gabriella Sica is an Italian poet.

Sources & data

  • Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.