Posted on March 17, 2024 at 8:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Here are the literary birthdays to celebrate over the week of March 17, 2024.
Wilfred Owen (March 18, 1893): Owen received posthumous fame for the poems he wrote while fighting in World War I, including “Dulce et Decorum Est,” “The Sentry,” and “To A Friend (With an Identity Disc).”
John Updike (March 18, 1932): Updike is best known for Rabbit, Run — which led to two Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, the follow-ups Rabbit Is Rich and Rabbit at Rest — and The Witches of Eastwick.
Irving Wallace (March 19, 1916): Wallace began his career as a screenwriter and went on to write thirty books, including the novels The Chapman Report, The Prize, and The Nympho and Other Maniacs.
Philip Roth (March 19, 1933): Portnoy’s Complaint established Roth’s career; he went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral and three PEN/Faulkner Awards (for Operation Shylock, The Human Stain, and Everyman).
Henrik Ibsen (March 20, 1828): Ibsen was among the first to write contemporary and realistic plays that highlighted social evils, including his well-known A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler.
Louis L’Amour (March 22, 1908): L’Amour, the bestselling author of over 100 books (mostly westerns), was the first novelist to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.
Categories: Today in Books