Articles Index
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
(1772-1834) British writer. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a poet, critic and philosopher, perhaps most famous for "Lyrical Ballads," a collection of poems, co-authored with William Wordsworth. Read more about the life and works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Clement Clarke Moore
(1779-1863) American writer. Clement Clarke Moore is perhaps most famous for A Visit from St. Nicholas, which is also called "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." Read more about the life and works of Clement Clarke Moore.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman Biography
(1860-1935) American writer. Charlotte Perkins Gilman is famous for her short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper," which is often read in literature survey courses, but she wrote a great many other works. Read more about the life and works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
Bram Stoker Biography
(1847-1912) Irish writer. Bram Stoker wrote novels and short stories, but he's usually best remembered for his famous vampire book, Dracula, which which first appeared in 1897. Read more about the life and works of Bram Stoker, the vampire maker!
William Shakespeare Biography
(1564-1616) British writer. William Shakespeare is recognized as one of the greatest writers of all time, known for works like "Hamlet," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Romeo and Juliet," "Othello," "The Tempest," and many other works. Read more about the life and works of William Shakespeare.
Victor Hugo Biography
(1802-1885) Victor Hugo is a famous French writer: novelist, playwright, essayist and poet. Some of his most well-known works include: Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame).
Margaret Mitchell Biography
(1900-1949) American writer. Margaret Mitchell was born on November 8, 1900 in Atlanta, Georgia. She became famous for writing Gone With The Wind (1936).
James Fenimore Cooper Biography
(1789-1851) American writer. James Fenimore Cooper is a famous Romantic novel in American literature. He's known for works of historical fiction, including The Last of the Mohicans, The Spy, and the Leatherstocking series. He's recognized as a notable, representative writer in 19th-century American fiction.
John Steinbeck Biography
John Steinbeck is a famous American writer, known for The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, The Pearl, The Moon is Down, and many other works. He also wrote plays, short stories and essays. Here's a brief biography of John Steinbeck.
Aphra Behn Biography
(1640-1689) British writer. Aphra Behn is one of the most famous women writers in literature, partly because she was one of the first, but also because of the controversies that have surrounded her life and works. Read more about the life and works of Aphra Behn.
James Baldwin Biography
James Baldwin was a novelist, playwright, poet and civil-rights activist. He associated with the Harlem Renaissance writers. He's famous for Go Tell It on the Mountain and Notes of a Native Son.
Percy Bysshe Shelley Biography
(1792-1822) British writer. Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the famous poets of the Romantic period of English poetry. He drew from mythological figures to explore his poetic vision. Read more about the life and works of Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Mary Shelley Biography
Famous for Frankenstein, Mary Shelley was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, and the wife of the Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Read more about the life and works of Mary Shelley.
Jane Austen Biography
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 in Hampshire, England, UK. Jane Austen became one of the most famous writers of the Romantic era. Read more about the life and works of Jane Austen.
William Wordsworth Biography
(1770-1850) British writer. William Wordsworth is perhaps best known for his collaborative efforts with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a relationship that culminated in the publication of "Lyrical Ballads" (1798). This great work marked the beginning of the Romantic era. Read more about the life and works of William Wordsworth.
Henry David Thoreau Biography
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American writer, poet, philosopher and naturalist. He is perhaps most famous for his creation of "Walden; or, Life in the Woods" (1854), which was an autobiographical collection of writings related to his two-year stay at Walden Pond. Read more about the life and works of Henry David Thoreau.
Euripides Biography
(480-406 BC) Greek writer. Euripides was quite popular during his time. He wrote some 92 plays in his lifetime, and he won four first prizes. Read more about the life and works of Euripides.
Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography
Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the great American writers, known for The Scarlet Letter, as well as other short stories and novels--part of the Romantic movement.
Benjamin Franklin Biography
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a writer, printer, statesman, and inventor. He's known as the writer of "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" and other works. Franklin also founded what is considered the first public library. Read more about the life and works of Benjamin Franklin.
C.S. Forester Biography
C.S. Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith. He was an English novelist, famous for the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series and The African Queen, among other works.
Bruno Schulz Biography
Of the great European writers of the past century, Bruno Schulz may be the writer most highly regarded by the fewest people. He's often compared to Franz Kafka and Marcel Proust and Robert Musil, but his provinciality (which was both deliberate and circumstantial—and which was key to his work) and his ill-timed life and death have conspired to keep him from standing on the stage alongside his very few equals.
Louis Becke (George Lewis Becke)
(1855-1913) Australian writer. George Lewis Becke, known as Louis Becke, is considered the best writer about the Pacific. Read more about the life and works of Louis Becke.
Louisa May Alcott Biography
(1832-1888) American Writer. Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She was the second of four girls. Read more about the life and works of Louisa May Alcott.
Gustave Flaubert Biography
(1821-1880) Gustave Flaubert was a French novelist. He's recognized as one of the greatest writers in world literature, well-known for the scandalous controversies of Madame Bovary. He's representative of Realism. He wanted to capture his subjects in truth.
Robert Louis Stevenson Biography
(1850-1894) Scottish writer. Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He became one of the most famous writers of the 19th century with works like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) and Treasure Island (1882). Read more about the life and works of Robert Louis Stevenson.