Posted on April 16, 2023 at 8:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Here are the literary birthdays to celebrate over the week of April 16, 2023.

Anatole France (April 16, 1844): France’s output crossed a variety of literary genres, from historical fiction to romance, comedy, short stories, and biographies; his most famous works include Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard, At the Sign of the Reine Pédauque, and a biography of Joan of Arc.

Kingsley Amis (April 16, 1922): Amis achieved fame with his first novel, Lucky Jim, continued to produce popular books, and continues to live on, in a way, through his son, novelist Martin Amis. 

Isak Dinesen (April 17, 1885): Dinesen’s memoir Out of Africa, detailing her life as a plantation owner in Kenya, brought her the most lasting fame, though she also published several collections of narrative tales and a novel.

Thornton Wilder (April 17, 1897): Wilder is the only person to have won a Pulitzer Prize for both fiction (The Bridge of San Luis Rey) and drama (Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth); yet another play of his, The Matchmaker, served as the inspiration for the musical Hello, Dolly!.

Charlotte Brontë (April 21, 1816). Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre, was quickly accepted by a publisher and actually an immediate success.

Immanuel Kant (April 22, 1724). Kant spent ten years reflecting on what would become his most famous work, Critique of Pure Reason, and still was nervous about publishing it.

Vladimir Nabokov (April 22, 1899): Nabokov had published several collections of poetry and novels, in both Russian and English, before Lolita — which became his first work to bring in more than a few hundred dollars and the one for which he’s best known.

Categories: Today in Books

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