On this day
October 5 in literary history
Literary history for October 5: 31 writers born, 12 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1112 to 2026. Born on this day: Jesse Eisenberg, Clive Barker, Edward P. Jones.
Writers born on October 5
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Jesse Eisenberg | American actor, playwright, and filmmaker (born 1983) |
| 1952 | Clive Barker | English author, film director and visual artist (born 1952) |
| 1950 | Edward P. Jones | American novelist and short story writer |
| 1949 | Peter Ackroyd | English author (born 1949) |
| 1949 | Bill James | American baseball writer and statistician |
| 1946 | Robin Lane Fox | British historian, educator and writer (born 1946) |
| 1943 | Michael Morpurgo | British children's writer (born 1943) |
| 1943 | Etela Farkašová | Slovak philosopher and writer (born 1943) |
| 1939 | Marie-Claire Blais | Canadian writer (1939–2021) |
| 1932 | Neal Ascherson | Scottish journalist and writer (born 1932) |
| 1928 | Louise Fitzhugh | American novelist |
| 1926 | Avraham Adan | Israeli military officer and author |
| 1925 | Herbert Kretzmer | English journalist and lyricist (1925–2020) |
| 1924 | Bill Dana | American comedian, actor, and screenwriter |
| 1924 | José Donoso | Chilean writer, journalist and professor (1924 – 1996) |
| 1924 | Frederic Morton | American novelist (1924–2016) |
| 1924 | Bob Thaves | American cartoonist (1924–2006) |
| 1923 | Stig Dagerman | Swedish writer |
| 1922 | Bil Keane | American cartoonist (1922–2011) |
| 1917 | Magda Szabó | Hungarian novelist |
| 1916 | Stetson Kennedy | American author, folklorist, anti–Ku Klux Klan crusader (1916–2011) |
| 1911 | Flann O'Brien | Irish writer (1911–1966) |
| 1908 | Joshua Logan | American theatre and film director, playwright, screenwriter, and actor (1908–1988) |
| 1889 | Teresa de la Parra | Venezuelan novelist |
| 1858 | Helen Churchill Candee | American novelist (1858–1949) |
| 1856 | Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich | Irish writer and politician (1856–1942) |
| 1848 | Guido von List | Austrian occultist and writer (1848–1919) |
| 1841 | Philipp Mainländer | German philosopher and poet (1841–1876) |
| 1824 | Henry Chadwick (writer) | American baseball writer and statistician (1824–1908) |
| 1713 | Denis Diderot | French philosopher and writer (1713–1784) |
| 1609 | Paul Fleming (poet) | German physician and poet (1609–1640) |
Writers who died on October 5
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Jeffrey Archer | English author and politician (1940–2026) |
| 2024 | Robert Coover | American novelist (1932–2024) |
| 2015 | Chantal Akerman | Belgian film director, screenwriter, and educator (1950–2015) |
| 2015 | Grace Lee Boggs | American social activist, author (1915–2015) |
| 2015 | Henning Mankell | Swedish author (1948–2015) |
| 2014 | David Chavchavadze | American writer (1924–2014) |
| 2013 | Carlo Lizzani | Italian film director, screenwriter and critic |
| 2010 | Bernard Clavel | French writer |
| 1936 | J. Slauerhoff | Dutch poet, writer and doctor (1898–1936) |
| 1606 | Philippe Desportes | French poet |
| 1540 | Helius Eobanus Hessus | German Latin poet and Lutheran humanist |
| 1112 | Sigebert of Gembloux | Medieval author |
Literary events on October 5
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1990 | After 150 years The Herald newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, is published for the last time as a separate newspaper. |
Featured
Jesse Eisenberg (1983) — Jesse Adam Eisenberg is a Polish-American actor, playwright, and filmmaker. Recognized for playing smart but socially awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a BAFTA Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, and three Golden Globes.
Clive Barker (1952) — Clive Barker is a British writer, filmmaker, and visual artist. He came to prominence in the 1980s with a series of short stories collectively named the Books of Blood, which established him as a leading horror author. His work has been adapted into films, notably the Hellraiser series and the Candyman series.
Edward P. Jones (1950) — Edward Paul Jones is an American novelist and short story writer. He became popular for writing about the African-American experience in the United States, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the International Dublin Literary Award for The Known World (2003).
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.