Authors and Poets

Chinua Achebe

Born in Nigeria, author of Things Fall Apart. Recipient of 11 honorary honorary degrees and many awards. Fought for freedom from colonial rule and respect for and preservation of Nigerian culture (i.e. storytelling).

Nadine Gordimer

Born in South Africa, author of "The Ultimate Safari." Daughter of Jewish immigrants who had suffered persecution. Worked to end apartheid and AIDS in Africa. Founding member of the Congress of South African Writers. In 1991, she received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Albert Camus

Born in Algeria, a French colony. Wrote "The Guest." Active in the resistance movement after the fall of France to Germany in WWII. Became a celebrity in his lifetime. In 1957 won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Sophocles

Born in Greece. Wrote the Oedipus Cycle, which has been called the greatest drama ever written. Wrote more than 180 plays and won between 18-24 first prizes for them. He added the idea of three actors in a show and improved scenery.

William Shakespeare

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. Poet and playwright who is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. Wrote "Othello" and "Much Ado about Nothing."

Joanne Harris

Born in England, wrote Chocolat. Grew up in a sweetshop with her French mother and English father. Her great-grandmother was a witch apparently...

Elizabeth Bowen

Born in Ireland, raised in england. Worked as a nurse in WWI in Ireland, then returned to England through WWII. Wrote "The Demon Lover" and Death of the Heart.

Joyce Carol Oates

Born in New York, wrote "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" and Them. Explores the difference between reality and fantasy in every day life through her literature. Teaches at Princeton University.

HH Munro (Saki)

Born in Burma (Myanmar), raised in England. Wrote "The Open Window" and "Sredni Vashtar." Served in the military in Burma, then worked as a journalist in England. His stories are often satirical.

Ha Jin

Born in China, wrote "The Saboteur." Member of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Moved to the US to get a degree in American literature. The Tiananmen Square massacre made his stay in America permanent. Wrote Ocean of Words and Under the Red Flag.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Born in Colombia. Wrote short stories and novels, also a journalist. Wrote "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Salman Rushdie

Born in British India. Educated in Britain. Uses magical realism and contrasts the East and West in his work. Wrote "The Firebird's Nest" and the Satanic Verses.

Hermann Hesse

Born in Germany, later moved to Switzerland. Parents had worked in India as missionaries. Traveled to Indonesia and Sri Lanka during a difficult time in his marriage. Themes of his work include authenticity, self-knowledge, and spirituality in reaction against commercialism, nationalism, and militarism. Wrote Siddhartha and Steppenwolf.

Khaled Hosseini

Born in Afghanistan, took political asylum in the US. Lives in California where he works as a physician. Wrote The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Joseph Campbell

Born in New York. Developed the monomyth. Philosophy of life: "Follow your bliss."

Seamus Heaney

Irish poet. Studied English literature in Belfast. Worked at Oxford University. Work focused on appreciating the wonder of every day life, of both ancient and his family's history, and the English language. Received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 and the T.S. Eliot prize in 2006.

Derek Walcott

Carribian poet and playwright. Themes include mythological symbolism and its relation to culture. Best known for Omeros, loosely based Homer's work. Founded the Trinidad Theatre Workshop and Boston Playwrights' Theatre.

Leopold Senghor

Born in Senegal, educated in France. Involved in the negritude movement. Fought in WWII for the French. Became the first president of Senegal after helping gain its independence. Poems written to include instruments. Often focuses on his struggle between his African heritage and appreciation for the French culture. Wrote "Black Woman."

Adrian Oktenberg

Born in California, now lives in Massachusetts. Published Swimming with Dolphins and The Bosnia Elegies. Retired lawyer.

Charles Baudelaire

Decadent French poet during the Romanticism period. His work "Les fleurs de mal" - The Flowers of Evil - is considered a classic of French literature.

Paul Verlaine

Decadent French poet. Had several controversial affairs, including one with Rimbaud. Worked during the "fin de siecle" - the close of one century and beginning of the next. Themes include symbolism, aesthetics, depression, love, and religious awakening. Wrote "Il pleure dans mon Coeur" - It Rains in my Heart.

Arthur Rimbaud

Rebellious decadent French poet. Very liberal. Loved to travel and be part of scandalous affairs. Risk-taker. His poetry focuses on his struggles and epiphanies. Wrote "Sleeper of the Valley."

Guillaume Apollinaire

Born in Italy, but considered a French poet because of the time he spent there. Traveled around the world with his mother. Part of the avant-garde movement, which included sub-movements of futurism, cubism, and surrealism. Wrote "Annie."

Dylan Thomas

Born in Wales. Worked as a reporter, script-writer, and radio voice. Inspired by the countryside and the Welsh language. His poetry was a reaction against structure. Took him months to craft a poem. Wrote "Fern Hill."

Pablo Neruda

Born in Chile. Lived and exiled during Spanish Civil War. Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Wrote "Un Perro Ha Muerto" - A Dog Has Died.

Anna Akhmatova

Born in Ukraine but considered St. Petersburg, Russia, her home. Wrote in the Acmeist style, focusing on love and later the suffering of the Russian people under Stalin. Wrote Requiem ("Prayer") and Poem Without a Hero.