Bookish birthdays for the week of March 7, 2021

Here are the literary birthdays to celebrate over the week of March 7, 2021.

Bret Easton Ellis (March 7, 1964): Ellis broke onto the literary scene with his first novel, Less Than Zero, and is also well known for American Psycho and The Rules of Attraction, both of which were adapted into movies.

Jeffrey Eugenides (March 8, 1960): Among Eugenides’s most famous works are Middlesex (which won the Pulitzer Prize); The Marriage Plot (which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award); and The Virgin Suicides (which was adapted into a successful movie). 

Vita Sackville-West (March 9, 1892): Sackville-West wrote poetry and nonfiction in addition to her novels, which include The Edwardians and All Passion Spent, and she also served as the model for Virginia Woolf’s character Orlando.

Douglas Adams (March 11, 1952): Adams is best known for his five-part series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which began as a radio show and, post-publication, was also adapted for TV, theater, film, and a computer program.

Ezra Jack Keats (March 11, 1916): Keats became (and remained) famous for writing and illustrating the children's book The Snowy Day, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1963 and was noteworthy for starring a Black boy.

Jack Kerouac (March 12, 1922): Kerouac, author of On the Road (as well as poetry and other novels, like The Dharma Bums), helped launch the Beat movement.

Edward Albee (March 12, 1928): Albee came to fame with the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but among his many other works are three Pulitzer Prize winners: A Delicate Balance, Three Tall Women, and Seascape.

Tom Clancy (March 12, 1947): Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt for Red October, was his breakthrough novel, launching a long career full of bestsellers such as Patriot Games and The Sum of All Fears.

L. Ron Hubbard (March 13, 1911): In addition to creating the Church of Scientology, Hubbard wrote the bestsellers Battlefield Earth, Fear, Final Blackout, and the ten-volume Mission Earth series. 

Birthdays sourced from Calendar of Literary Facts; biographical information sourced from Encyclopedia Britannica, author websites, and publisher sites. Did we miss someone? Email and let us know!