Famous 17th Century Novelists

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 1 
Jonathan Swift
(Satirist & Author of 'Gulliver's Travels',' A Tale of a Tub' and 'A Modest Proposal')
Jonathan Swift
5
Birthdate: November 30, 1667
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: October 19, 1745

Eighteenth-century essayist, poet, and pamphleteer Jonathan Swift is remembered for his iconic works such as A Tale of a Tub, A Modest Proposal, and Gulliver's Travels. One of the world’s greatest satirists, he gave rise to the deadpan Swiftian style. He had also been the Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

 2 
Daniel Defoe
(Author of Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders)
Daniel Defoe
5
Birthdate: 1660 AD
Birthplace: London, England
Died: April 24, 1731
Daniel Defoe was an English trader, pamphleteer, and spy, who is best remembered for his 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe. He also helped in popularizing the novel format of writing in Britain. He was a forerunner of business journalism, too, and also traded in hosiery, woollen goods, and wine.
 3 
Cyrano de Bergerac
(Novelist and Playwright Known for His Play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’)
Cyrano de Bergerac
5
Birthdate: March 6, 1619
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: July 28, 1655
Seventeenth-century author and duelist Cyrano de Bergerac was immortalized by Edmond Rostand’s drama Cyrano de Bergerac, based on Bergerac’s life, with its mix of myth and reality. Even Bergerac's death is shrouded in mystery, with some claiming he died of an injury and others believing he died of a disease.
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 4 
Aphra Behn
(Playwright)
Aphra Behn
3
Birthdate: July 10, 1640
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Canterbury, England
Died: April 16, 1689
 5 
Lope de Vega
(Writer and One of the Key Figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque Literature)
Lope de Vega
3
Birthdate: November 25, 1562
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Died: August 27, 1635

Spanish Baroque dramatist Lope de Vega was one of the most significant figures of the Spanish Golden Age. He had initially aspired to be a priest but abandoned his plans after falling in love with a married woman. He is best remembered for works such as The Dog in the Manger.

 6 
John Lyly
(Writer)
John Lyly
3
Birthdate: 1553 AD
Birthplace: Kent, England
Died: October 31, 1606
 7 
Madame de La Fayette
(Writer)
Madame de La Fayette
2
Birthdate: March 18, 1634
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 25, 1693
 8 
Madame d'Aulnoy
(Writer)
Madame d'Aulnoy
2
Birthdate: 1651 AD
Birthplace: Barneville-la-Bertran, France
Died: January 4, 1705
 9 
Pierre de Marivaux
(Novelist)
Pierre de Marivaux
2
Birthdate: February 4, 1688
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: February 12, 1763
 10 
Ihara Saikaku
(Japanese Poet and Creator of the 'Floating World')
Ihara Saikaku
2
Birthdate: 1642 AD
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Died: September 9, 1693

Remembered for his contribution to the revival of the Japanese literature, Ihara Saikaku was possibly the most popular writer in the entire Tokugawa period. Beginning his career with haikai no renga, depicting contemporary chōnin life through them, he later started writing novels, creating floating world genre of literature; Life of an Amorous Man was his first work of this variety.

 11 
Madeleine de Scudéry
(Writer)
Madeleine de Scudéry
2
Birthdate: November 15, 1607
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Le Havre, France
Died: June 2, 1701
 12 
Hans Jacob Christoph von Grimmelshausen
(Author)
Hans Jacob Christoph von Grimmelshausen
2
Birthdate: 1621 AD
Birthplace: Gelnhausen, Germany
Died: August 17, 1676
 13 
Alain-René Lesage
(Novelist)
Alain-René Lesage
2
Birthdate: May 6, 1668
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sarzeau, France
Died: November 17, 1747
 14 
Johann Kuhnau
(Polymath)
Johann Kuhnau
2
Birthdate: April 6, 1660
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Geising, Germany
Died: June 5, 1722
 15 
Paul Scarron
(Poet)
Paul Scarron
2
Birthdate: July 4, 1610
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: October 6, 1660
 16 
Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda
(Spanish Novelist)
Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda
1
Birthplace: Tordesillas, Spain

Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda is the pseudonym of the unknown author who penned the Second Book of the Ingenious Knight Don Quixote of La Mancha, an unauthorized sequel to Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes, however, had criticized the poor quality of Avellaneda’s work, in the original second volume.

 17 
Li Yu
(Chinese Novelist, Playwright, and Publisher)
Li Yu
0
Birthdate: 1611 AD
Birthplace: Rugao, Nantong, China
Died: 1680 AD

Li Yu was a Chinese novelist, playwright, and publisher. He is generally credited with authoring a classic of Chinese erotic literature titled Ròu pútuán. Li Yu achieved popularity during his lifetime for dealing with controversial and interesting subject matter like same-sex love. Li is also remembered for his informal essays and gastronomical writings.

 18 
Théophile de Viau
(Poet)
Théophile de Viau
1
Birthdate: 1590 AD
Birthplace: Clairac, France
Died: September 25, 1626
 19 
Claudine-Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin
(Author)
Claudine-Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin
1
Birthdate: April 27, 1682
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Grenoble, France
Died: December 4, 1749
 20 
Gabriel Harvey
(Writer)
Gabriel Harvey
1
Birthdate: 1552 AD
Birthplace: Saffron Walden, England
Died: 1631 AD
 21 
Honoré d' Urfé
(Novelist)
Honoré d' Urfé
1
Birthdate: February 11, 1568
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Marseille, France
Died: June 1, 1625
 22 
Mateo Alemán
(Novelist)
Mateo Alemán
1
Birthdate: 1547
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Seville, Spain
Died: 1614 AD
 23 
Francis Meres
(Author)
Francis Meres
1
Birthdate: November 30, 1565
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kirton, England
Died: January 29, 1647
 24 
Thomas Deloney
(Novelist)
Thomas Deloney
1
Birthdate: 1543 AD
Birthplace: Norwich, England
Died: March 31, 1600
 25 
Tristan l'Hermite
(Dramatist)
Tristan l'Hermite
1
Birthdate: 1601 AD
Birthplace: Janaillat, France
Died: September 7, 1655
 26 
Nicholas Breton
(Poet)
Nicholas Breton
0
Birthdate: 1545 AD
Birthplace: London, England
Died: 1626 AD
 27 
Luis Vélez de Guevara
(Dramatist)
Luis Vélez de Guevara
0
Birthdate: August 1, 1579
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Spain
Died: November 10, 1644
 28 
Antoine Furetière
(Scholar)
Antoine Furetière
1
Birthdate: December 28, 1619
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 14, 1688
 29 
Gauthier de Costes, seigneur de la Calprenède
(Novelist)
Gauthier de Costes, seigneur de la Calprenède
0
Birthdate: 1609 AD
Birthplace: Sarlat-la-Canéda, France
Died: October 15, 1663
 30 
Justus van Effen
(Writer)
Justus van Effen
0
Birthdate: February 21, 1684
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Utrecht, Netherlands
Died: September 18, 1735
 31 
Ginés Pérez de Hita
(Novelist)
Ginés Pérez de Hita
0
Birthdate: 1544 AD
Birthplace: Mula, Spain
Died: 1619 AD
 32 
Hendrik Laurenszoon Spiegel
(Writer)
Hendrik Laurenszoon Spiegel
0
Birthdate: March 11, 1549
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: January 4, 1612
 33 
Jón Magnússon þumlungur
(Author)
Jón Magnússon þumlungur
0
Birthdate: 1610 AD
Birthplace: Iceland
Died: 1696 AD
 34 
Alonso de Castillo Solorzano
(Writer)
Alonso de Castillo Solorzano
0
Birthdate: October 1, 1584
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tordesillas, Spain
Died: 1647 AD
 35 
Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses
(Novelist)
Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses
0
Birthdate: 1585 AD
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Died: January 27, 1638
 36 
John Gailhard
(Author)
John Gailhard
0
Birthplace: England