Posted on October 27, 2019 at 8:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Here are the literary birthdays to celebrate over the week of October 27, 2019.

Dylan Thomas (October 27, 1914): Thomas, whose most celebrated poems include “Poem in October,” “The Hunchback in the Park,” and “Fern Hill,” is considered to be one of the greatest Welsh poets of all time.

Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932): Plath’s talent in both poetry (“Daddy” and “Lady Lazarus”) and prose (The Bell Jar) were evident from her earliest days; she sold her first poem and short story while still in high school.

James Boswell (October 29, 1740): Boswell gained fame during his lifetime for his biography of author Samuel Johnson and then again, many years after his death, when his own extensive, exquisitely written journals were uncovered and published.

Paul Valéry (October 30, 1871): Valéry became famous early in his career and quickly for his poetry, with “The Graveyard by the Sea” and “The Young Fate,” though he spent most of his career as an essayist, lecturer, and professor.

John Keats (October 31, 1795): Keats’s greatest achievement as a poet are his odes, including “On Indolence,” “On a Grecian Urn,” “To Psyche,” and “To a Nightingale.”

Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871): Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage brought him wide praise, despite his lack of military service; he decided to work as a war correspondent to lend more authenticity to his writing, and a naval disaster he survived during that quest led him to write his greatest short story, “The Open Boat.”

Birthdays sourced from Calendar of Literary Facts; biographical information sourced from Encyclopedia Britannica and Poetry Foundation. Did we miss someone? Email and let us know!

Categories: Today in Books

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