Bookish birthdays for the week of May 9, 2021

Here are the literary birthdays to celebrate over the week of May 9, 2021.

J. M. Barrie (May 9, 1860): When Barrie was six, one of his brothers died, and his mother never recovered from the loss; much of his work, including Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, would reflect Barrie’s longing for the lost innocence of the days before his brother’s death.

Daphne Du Maurier (May 13, 1907): Du Maurier’s many critically and popularly acclaimed novels — including Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, and My Cousin Rachel — resulted in her being named a Dame Commander in the Order of the British Empire.

Armistead Maupin (May 13, 1944): Maupin launched his literary career with Tales of the City, published in serial form in the San Francisco Chronicle, and four of his five sequels to it were also first serialized.

L. Frank Baum (May 15, 1856): Baum wrote over sixty books under a variety of names, but of course is best known for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the thirteen follow-up books to it.

Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890): Porter had long been a critically acclaimed (though financially struggling) short-story writer, for works such as the O. Henry Award-winning “Holiday,” but the publication of her one and only novel, Ship of Fools, was what earned her a wider readership.

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