Sunday, May 19, 2013

BW21: Literary Birthdays




Armchair traveling through the continents is and has been a fun and educational experience since I normally don't seek out literature from specific regions. Plus discussing books weekly with the gals on the Well Trained Mind forum has introduced me to authors I never considered reading before.  Which brings me to literary birthdays this week. We have an intriguing selection of authors to check out.

Today, May 19 is the anniversary of Lorraine Vivian Hansberry's birthday, best known for her 1959 play Raisin in the Sun, a play based on her family's experiences in chicago during the 1930's/40's.  A film version with the original cast including Sidney Poitier was released in 1961, a musical adaptation in 1973 and turned into a movie with Danny Glover in 1989.  Hansberry died of pancreatic cancer January 12, 1965.

May 20th  is the anniversary of French Novelist Honore de Balzac (1799 -1850)who wrote 80 novels and short stories collectively called  La Comédie humaine,(The Human Comedy).

May 21st is the anniversary of Italian author Dante Alighiere,(1265-1321) author of The Divine Comedy, Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso.

May 22nd is the anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), best known for his fictional series about Sherlock Holmes.

May 23rd is the anniversary of  Thomas Hood (1799-1845), English poet and playwright  and John Howard Payne, (1791 - 1852) American poet and author who is best remembered for his 1822 song "Home Sweet Home."

May 24th is the 85 birthday of irish novelist William Trevor, who won the Booker Prize in 2009 for his novel Love and Summer and knighted in 2002 for his services in literature.

May 25th is the anniversary of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), american poet and essayist.

Consider adding one or more of these authors to your reading wishlist. 


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2 comments:

  1. I'm doing so much better on my reading in the last couple of months. Went from like one in late March, maybe to around a dozen since then. Woohoo!

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  2. I've finished book 43! Two finished in two days after a week on not feeling it. Too bad the week was during Bout of Books!

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Thank you for your kind comments.