Find out more about the greatest 18th Century Writers, including Benjamin Franklin, Jane Austen, Voltaire, Robert Burns and William Blake

18th Century Writers

18th Century Writers
BritishGermanFrenchPoetsNovelistsPlaywrightsEssayistsBiographers
Find out more about the greatest 18th Century Writers, including Benjamin Franklin, Lord Byron, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jane Austen and William Blake.
Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin
17 January 1706, American
Founding Father of the United States
Jane AustenJane Austen
16 December 1775, British
Novelist

Mary ShelleyMary Shelley
30 August 1797, British
Novelist

VoltaireVoltaire
21 November 1694, French
Writer

William BlakeWilliam Blake
28 November 1757, British
Painter

William WordsworthWilliam Wordsworth
07 April 1770, British
Poet
Jean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau
28 June 1712, Swiss, French
Philosopher, Writer, & Composer

Johann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe
28 August 1749, German
Poet

Marquis de SadeMarquis de Sade
02 June 1740, French
Erotic Novelist

John KeatsJohn Keats
31 October 1795, British
Romantic poet
Thomas PaineThomas Paine
29 January 1737, British, American
Founding Father of the United States

Mary WollstonecraftMary Wollstonecraft
27 April 1759, British
Writer
Robert BurnsRobert Burns
25 January 1759, Scottish
Poet and Lyricist

Giacomo CasanovaGiacomo Casanova
02 April 1725, Italian
Womanizer

Samuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson
18 September 1709, British
Writer
Edmund BurkeEdmund Burke
12 January 1729, Irish, British
Statesman

Walter ScottWalter Scott
15 August 1771, Scottish
Novelist
Honoré de BalzacHonoré de Balzac
20 May 1799, French
French Novelist and Playwright

Washington IrwingWashington Irving
03 April 1783, American
Author, Historian, Diplomat

Thomas CarlyleThomas Carlyle
04 December 1795, Scottish
Philosopher
Ethan AllenEthan Allen
21 January 1738, American
Revolutionary War Hero

Friedrich SchillerFriedrich Schiller
10 November 1759, German
Poet, Playwright, Historian & Philosopher
James Fenimore CooperJames Fenimore Cooper
15 September 1789, American
Writer

Robert OwenRobert Owen
14 May 1771, Welsh
 

William GodwinWilliam Godwin
03 March 1756, British
Journalist

Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley
08 May 1753, American
Poet
Charles LambCharles Lamb
10 February 1775, British
Writer & Essayist
StendhalStendhal
23 January 1783, French
Writer

Henry FieldingHenry Fielding
22 April 1707, British
Writer

William CowperWilliam Cowper
26 November 1731, British
Poet

Oliver GoldsmithOliver Goldsmith
10 November 1728, Irish, British
Novelist, Playwright, Poet
Thomas MooreThomas Moore
28 May 1779, Irish
Poet, Singer, Songwriter, & Entertainer

William HazlittWilliam Hazlitt
10 April 1778, British
English Writer & Literary Critic

Mikhail LomonosovMikhail Lomonosov
19 November 1711, Russian
Scientist, Poet, Geologist, Astronomer

John ClareJohn Clare
13 July 1793, British
English poet

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William Cullen BryantWilliam Cullen Bryant
03 November 1794, American
Romantic Poet
Thomas De QuinceyThomas De Quincey
15 August 1785, British
Essayist

NovalisNovalis
02 May 1772, German
Philosopher & Poet
Leigh HuntLeigh Hunt
19 October 1784, British
English Essayist, Poet & Critic

Alphonse de LamartineAlphonse de Lamartine
21 October 1790, French
Writer

Frances BurneyFrances Burney
13 June 1752, British
Novelist
Jean PaulJean Paul
21 March 1763, German
Writer

Alfred de VignyAlfred de Vigny
27 March 1797, French
Poet, Playwright, Novelist
Eugenio EspejoEugenio Espejo
21 February 1747, Ecuadorian
Writer & Medical Pioneer

P B ShelleyP B Shelley
04 August 1792, British
Poet

Samuel ColeridgeSamuel Coleridge
21 October 1772, British
Poet and Philosopher

Anna JamesonAnna Jameson
19 May 1794, British
Writer, Women Rights Activist

Percy Bysshe ShelleyPercy Bysshe Shelley
04 August 1792, British
Linguist, Poet, Translator, Writer, Playwright,
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeSamuel Taylor Coleridge
21 October 1772, British
Poet, Philosopher, Theologian, Writer, Literary

Jean-Paul MaratJean-Paul Marat
24 May 1743, Swiss, French
Politician, Journalist, Physician, Physicist,

Francis Scott KeyFrancis Scott Key
01 August 1779, American
Poet, Lawyer, Writer, Poet lawyer

Denis DiderotDenis Diderot
05 October 1713, French
Philosopher, Novelist, Essayist, Encyclopédistes,
Adam WeishauptAdam Weishaupt
06 February 1748, German
Philosopher, Writer, University teacher, Canon law

Marie TussaudMarie Tussaud
01 December 1761, French
Sculptor
Robert ListonRobert Liston
28 October 1794, British
Surgeon

Olympe de GougesOlympe de Gouges
07 May 1748, French
Playwright, Journalist, Philosopher, Writer,

Heinrich HeineHeinrich Heine
13 December 1797, German
Poet
Lady Caroline LambLady Caroline Lamb
13 November 1785, British
Poet, Writer, Novelist

Bahadur Shah IIBahadur Shah II
24 October 1775, Indian
Poet
Georges CuvierGeorges Cuvier
23 August 1769, French
Geologist, Anatomist, Paleontologist, Politician,

Horace WalpoleHorace Walpole
24 September 1717
Writer, Novelist, Autobiographer, Politician

Eugène François VidocqEugène François Vidocq
24 July 1775, French
Detective, Writer, Police officer, Military
Mir Taqi MirMir Taqi Mir
1722 AD, Indian
author, poet

François-René de ChateaubriandFrançois-René de Chateaubriand
04 September 1768, French
Writer, Politician, Diplomat, Historian, Poet,
Thomas GrayThomas Gray
26 December 1716, British
Poet, Writer, Literary critic

Louis Antoine de Saint-JustLouis Antoine de Saint-Just
25 August 1767, French
Politician, Writer

Giacomo LeopardiGiacomo Leopardi
29 June 1798, Italian
Writer, Poet, Philosopher, Philologist

Laurence SterneLaurence Sterne
24 November 1713, British
Writer, Novelist, Autobiographer, Religious
Henry FuseliHenry Fuseli
07 February 1741, Swiss, British
Writer
William BlackstoneWilliam Blackstone
10 July 1723
Judge, Barrister, University teacher, Lawyer,

Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de MirabeauHonoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau
09 March 1749, French
Journalist, Politician, Diplomat, Writer,

Samuel RichardsonSamuel Richardson
19 August 1689, British
Writer, Novelist

Leopold von RankeLeopold von Ranke
21 December 1795, German
Historian, Academic, University teacher, Writer
Moses MendelssohnMoses Mendelssohn
06 September 1729, German
Philosopher, Translator, Writer, Bible translator

Gotthold Ephraim LessingGotthold Ephraim Lessing
22 January 1729, German
Writer, Philosopher, Playwright, Poet, Librarian,

John BurgoyneJohn Burgoyne
24 February 1722
Politician, Playwright, Writer, Military personnel

Richard Brinsley SheridanRichard Brinsley Sheridan
30 October 1751, Irish
Poet, Politician, Librettist, Writer, Playwright

Adolphe ThiersAdolphe Thiers
15 April 1797, French
Lawyer, Politician, Journalist, Historian, Writer
Frederick II of PrussiaFrederick II of Prussia
24 January 1712, German
 

Heinrich von KleistHeinrich von Kleist
18 October 1777, German
Playwright, Poet, Short story writer, Novelist,
Robert KnoxRobert Knox
04 September 1791, British
Military physician

Jöns Jacob BerzeliusJöns Jacob Berzelius
20 August 1779, Swedish
Chemist, Non-fiction writer, University teacher

Jean-Baptiste SayJean-Baptiste Say
05 January 1767, French
Economist, Politician, Writer, Professor,
Waris ShahWaris Shah
1722 AD, Pakistani
poet

David GarrickDavid Garrick
19 February 1717, British
Actor, Playwright, Film producer, Writer,
Giovanni Battista BelzoniGiovanni Battista Belzoni
05 November 1778, Italian
Explorer, Antiquarian, Egyptologist,

François-Noël BabeufFrançois-Noël Babeuf
23 November 1760, French
Journalist, Writer, Archivist, Politician

Wilhelm GrimmWilhelm Grimm
24 February 1786, German
Lexicographer, Anthropologist, Librarian, Writer,

Antoine-Henri JominiAntoine-Henri Jomini
06 March 1779, Swiss, French
Stockbroker, Writer, Officer, Military personnel,
William WhewellWilliam Whewell
24 May 1794, British
Economist, Physicist, Historian, Philosopher,

Jules MicheletJules Michelet
21 August 1798, French
Historian, Archivist, Writer, Diarist, Professor,
Benjamin ConstantBenjamin Constant
25 October 1767, Swiss, French
Philosopher, Politician, Writer, Diarist

Madame RolandMadame Roland
17 March 1754, French
Salon-holder, Writer

Nicolas MalebrancheNicolas Malebranche
06 August 1638, French
Philosopher, Writer, Theologian

Claude Joseph Rouget de LisleClaude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
10 May 1760, French
Composer, Poet, Writer, Playwright
David BrewsterDavid Brewster
11 December 1781, British, Scottish
Botanist, Civil engineer, Physicist, Engineer,