Bookish birthdays for the week of October 4, 2020

Here are the literary birthdays to celebrate over the week of October 4, 2020.

Jackie Collins (October 4, 1937): Collins wrote thirty-two romance novels, all of which appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list, and over 500 million copies have been sold.

Anne Rice (October 4, 1941): Rice has written more than thirty novels, most famously Interview with the Vampire, now one of the bestselling novels of all time.

Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703): Edwards helped launch the religious revival known as the Great Awakening, and his works, including Freedom of Will, have continued to influence religious scholars for centuries.

Clive Barker (October 5, 1952): Barker is among the leading modern-day horror writers, thanks in large part to The Books of Blood, Imajica, The Great and Secret Show, Sacrament, and Galilee.

Belva Plain (October 9, 1919): Plain began writing novels — twenty-one of which landed on the New York Times bestseller list — at the age of sixty to counteract Jewish stereotypes, including strong, well-rounded characters in such books as Evergreen and Crescent City.

James Clavell (October 10, 1925): Clavell’s first novel, King Rat, was based on his experiences as a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and his later novel Shogun was a hit both on the page and the screen as one of the most popular miniseries ever made.

Harold Pinter (October 10, 1930): Pinter’s complex, challenging plays including The Homecoming, The Dumb Waiter, and The Birthday Party led him to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Birthdays sourced from Calendar of Literary Facts; biographical information sourced from Encyclopedia Britannica, the poetry foundation, author websites, and the Nobel Prize website. Did we miss someone? Email and let us know!