Famous British Short Story Writers

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Short stories are a form of literature which has heavily influenced visual forms of art such as cinema and television. Many screenwriters have even managed to weave successful screenplays based on such short stories. The compilation of short stories written by famous authors such as Anton Chekhov and Charles Dickens continue to woo the reader worldwide, even till date. Apart from the legendary Dickens, Joseph Conrad, Diana Athill, and Roald Dahl are some of the iconic short story writers produced by Great Britain. Roald Dahl became a world known figure through the various short stories he had written targeted for children. A few of his famous works include ā€˜Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ā€˜The Gremlins’ and ā€˜The Witches’. Although they were written many years ago, the stories of these great writers mesmerize the minds of many readers even today. Amongst the modern day writers, individuals like Craig Russell are continually creating waves in the world literary circuits through his works such as ā€˜Blood Eagle’, ā€˜Brother Grimm’ and ā€˜The Carnival Master’. Here we bring you a collection of biographies of famous Briton short story writers. Explore this page to know more about their timelines, life stories, and interesting trivia & facts related to their lives.
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 1 
Roald Dahl
(One of the World's Greatest Authors)
Roald Dahl
19
Birthdate: September 13, 1916
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales
Died: November 23, 1990

British writer, Roald Dahl, is considered as one of the greatest children’s authors. He is one of the best-selling authors of all-time and had a career spanning decades. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, The Twits and Matilda are some of his classic works. He also wrote short stories and novels meant for adults.

 2 
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(British Writer Who Created the Character of Sherlock Holmes)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
12
Birthdate: May 22, 1859
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Scotland
Died: July 7, 1930
Physician-turned-author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is remembered for creating the iconic character Sherlock Holmes. He wrote four novels and 56 short stories on Holmes’s detective adventures and also created the characters Professor Challenger and Brigadier Gerard. A sports lover, he had dabbled in cricket, football, and bodybuilding, too.
 3 
Joseph Conrad
(Known for Short Stories and Novels Like Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness and the Secret Agent)
Joseph Conrad
6
Birthdate: December 3, 1857
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Berdychiv, Ukraine
Died: August 3, 1924

Joseph Conrad was a Polish-British writer. Considered one of the greatest English-language novelists of all time, Conrad is credited with bringing a non-English sensibility into English-language literature. Many of his works have inspired several films, TV series, and video games. His anti-heroic characters and narrative style have influenced many authors like Salman Rushdie, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and T. S. Eliot.

 4 
Ian Fleming
(Author of James Bond Series)
Ian Fleming
5
Birthdate: May 28, 1908
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Mayfair, London
Died: August 12, 1964

Ian Fleming was a British writer, naval intelligence officer, and journalist. Fleming is credited with creating one of the most popular characters of all time, James Bond. His James Bond series of novels have sold more than 100 million copies, making them one of the best-selling fictional book series in history. Jamaica’s Ian Fleming International Airport is named after him.

 5 
Rudyard Kipling
(Journalist, Poet & Novelist)
Rudyard Kipling
5
Birthdate: December 30, 1865
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Mumbai, India
Died: January 18, 1936

English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist Rudyard Kipling is best remembered for his fiction work The Jungle Book. He was born in India and many of his works are inspired by his life in the country. He was one of the most popular English writers in the late 19th and early 20th century.

 6 
Kazuo Ishiguro
(Nobel Prize Winner in Literature)
Kazuo Ishiguro
5
Birthdate: November 8, 1954
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Nagasaki, Japan
Nobel Prize-winning British-Asian author Sir Kazuo Ishiguro also won the Man Booker Prize for the novel The Remains of the Day. Time named his Never Let Me Go the best novel of 2005. He has also penned several screenplays and songs, and is known for his signature first-person narrative style.
 7 
Saki
(Writer)
Saki
6
Birthdate: December 18, 1870
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Sittwe, Myanmar (Burma)
Died: November 14, 1916
 8 
Gilbert K. Chesterton
(One of the Greatest Writers of the 20th Century Best Known as the 'Prince of Paradox')
Gilbert K. Chesterton
4
Birthdate: May 29, 1874
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Died: June 14, 1936

Gilbert K. Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, and art critic. A prolific writer, he composed around 80 books, hundreds of poems, around 200 short stories, and 4,000 essays. Often referred to as the "prince of paradox", he had as many detractors as he had admirers. He is considered a successor to Victorian authors like Matthew Arnold and John Ruskin.

 9 
P G Wodehouse
4
Birthdate: October 15, 1881
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Guildford, England
Died: February 14, 1975
 10 
Anne Perry
(Author of Historical Detective Fiction, Best Known for Her 'Thomas Pitt' and 'William Monk' Series)
Anne Perry
6
Birthdate: October 28, 1938
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Blackheath, London, England

Juliet Hulme, better known as Anne Perry, is the bestselling author of the widely popular William Monk and Thomas Pitt series of novels. She changed her name after a 5-year sentence for killing her friend’s mother at age 15. She has also worked as a flight attendant.

 11 
Agatha Christie
(English Author Known for Her Detective Novels and Short Stories)
Agatha Christie
0
Birthdate: September 15, 1890
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Torquay, Devon, England
Died: January 12, 1976

Even after four decades after her death, Agatha Christie remains an influential figure in the world of literature and entertainment as most of her books continue to serve as inspiration to films, TV series, and video games. With over two billion copies of her novels sold, she holds the Guinness World Records for best-selling fiction writer of all time.

 12 
China MiƩville
(Speculative Fiction & Fantasy Author Known for Her Work 'Perdido Street Station')
China MiƩville
4
Birthdate: September 6, 1972
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Norwich, England
 13 
Rupert Holmes
(Composer)
Rupert Holmes
4
Birthdate: February 24, 1947
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cheshire, England, UK
 14 
Elizabeth Gaskell
3
Birthdate: September 29, 1810
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chelsea, England
Died: November 12, 1865
 15 
Angela Carter
(Author of 'The Bloody Chamber' and 'Nights at the Circus')
Angela Carter
3
Birthdate: May 7, 1940
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Eastbourne, England
Died: February 16, 1992
 16 
Dorothy L. Sayers
(English crime writer and poet.)
Dorothy L. Sayers
3
Birthdate: June 13, 1893
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Oxford, England
Died: December 17, 1957
 17 
Jean Rhys
(British Novelist Best Known for Her Novel 'Wide Sargasso Sea')
Jean Rhys
4
Birthdate: August 24, 1890
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Roseau, Dominica
Died: May 14, 1979

Born in Dominica, to a Welsh father and a Creole mother, Jean Rhys grew up to be a celebrated author. She soared to fame with her novel Wide Sargasso Sea, which was inspired by the tale of Jane Eyre’s “madwoman in the attic.” She died before completing her memoir.

 18 
Winston Graham
(Novelist)
Winston Graham
4
Birthdate: June 30, 1908
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Victoria Park, Manchester, England
Died: July 10, 2003
 19 
Elizabeth Bowen
(Novelist)
Elizabeth Bowen
3
Birthdate: June 7, 1899
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: February 22, 1973
 20 
P. L. Travers
(Best Known as the Author of 'Mary Poppins' Series of Books)
P. L. Travers
0
Birthdate: August 9, 1899
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Maryborough, Australia
Died: April 23, 1996

Australian-British author and Shakespearean actor Pamela Lyndon Travers, known by her pseudonym, P. L. Travers, soared to fame with her Mary Poppins series of children's books. Disney later bought the rights to her Mary Poppins series and released a film version. It was later made into a Broadway play, too.

 21 
Martin Amis
(Novelist, Science fiction writer, Short story writer, University teacher, Memoirist, Writer, Screenwriter)
Martin Amis
4
Birthdate: August 25, 1949
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Cardiff

Martin Amis is a British novelist, memoirist, screenwriter, and essayist whose memoir, Experience, earned him the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2000. Martin Amis' works have influenced several other British novelists like Zadie Smith and Will Self. In 2008, he was mentioned in The Times' list of 50 greatest British writers since 1945.

 22 
Kate Atkinson
(Novelist)
Kate Atkinson
3
Birthdate: December 20, 1951
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: York, England
 23 
William Maugham
(Novelist & Playwright)
William Maugham
4
Birthdate: January 25, 1874
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 15, 1965
 24 
William Boyd
(Novelist)
William Boyd
3
Birthdate: March 7, 1952
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Accra, Gold Coast (British colony) Gold Coast
 25 
Mary Stewart
(Author)
Mary Stewart
3
Birthdate: September 17, 1916
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Sunderland, England
Died: May 9, 2014
 26 
Radclyffe Hall
(Poet)
Radclyffe Hall
3
Birthdate: August 12, 1880
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bournemouth, United Kingdom
Died: October 7, 1943
 27 
Brian Wilson Aldiss
(Writer)
Brian Wilson Aldiss
5
Birthdate: August 18, 1925
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Dereham, England
Died: August 19, 2017

Brian Wilson Aldiss was an English anthology editor and writer whose short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long formed the basis for Spielberg's science-fiction movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence. In 2004, Aldiss was inducted into thee Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He is the recipient of two Hugo Awards, one John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and one Nebula Award.

 28 
George Gissing
(British Novelist Best Known for His Works: 'The Nether World', 'New Grub Street' and 'The Odd Women')
George Gissing
3
Birthdate: November 22, 1857
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Wakefield, England
Died: December 28, 1903

English novelist George Gissing is known for the way he showcased the realism of the lower-middle class in his works such as The Nether World. In spite of being a brilliant student, he was expelled from Owens College for theft. He specialized in the literary study of Charles Dickens and his works.

 29 
Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany
(Dramatist)
Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany
3
Birthdate: July 24, 1878
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: October 25, 1957

Edward Plunkett was a talented Irish author, known for his fantasy novels such as The King of Elfland's Daughter. Initially educated at Eton and then at Sandhurst, he had also been part of the British Army in World War I. He also designed chess puzzles and was a keen hunter.

 30 
H. E. Bates
(Writer)
H. E. Bates
3
Birthdate: May 16, 1905
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rushden, England
Died: January 29, 1974
 31 
William Trevor
(Novelist)
William Trevor
3
Birthdate: May 24, 1928
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Mitchelstown, Ireland
Died: November 20, 2016
 32 
W.W. Jacobs
(Writer)
W.W. Jacobs
3
Birthdate: September 8, 1863
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 1, 1943
 33 
Walter de La Mare
(Poet)
Walter de La Mare
4
Birthdate: April 25, 1873
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Charlton, London Charlton, Kent, England, UK
Died: June 22, 1956
 34 
L.P. Hartley
(Novelist)
L.P. Hartley
4
Birthdate: December 30, 1895
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Whittlesey, England
Died: December 13, 1972
 35 
Alfred Noyes
3
Birthdate: September 16, 1880
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Wolverhampton
Died: June 28, 1958
 36 
E.F. Benson
(British Writer and Archaeologist Best Known for His Collection of Novels 'Mapp and Lucia')
E.F. Benson
3
Birthdate: July 24, 1867
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Wellington College, Berkshire, England
Died: February 29, 1940

Chiefly known as a novelist, biographer, and memoirist, Edward Frederic Benson began his career with the British School of Archaeology in Athens, publishing his first successful novel, Dodo: A Detail of the Day, during this period. Its popularity encouraged him to continue publishing, the most significant works among them being Mapp and Lucia series, and the biography of Queen Victoria.

 37 
Alan Sillitoe
3
Birthdate: March 4, 1928
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Nottingham, England
Died: April 25, 2010
 38 
David Garnett
(Writer)
David Garnett
3
Birthdate: March 9, 1892
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Brighton, England
Died: February 17, 1981
 39 
Rose Tremain
(Novelist)
Rose Tremain
3
Birthdate: August 2, 1943
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London, England
 40 
Penelope Lively
(Author)
Penelope Lively
3
Birthdate: March 17, 1933
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cairo, Egypt
 41 
Graham Swift
(Writer)
Graham Swift
4
Birthdate: May 4, 1949
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
 42 
Ernest Dowson
(Poet)
Ernest Dowson
3
Birthdate: August 2, 1867
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Lee, England
Died: February 23, 1900
 43 
Baroness Orczy
(British Novelist and Playwright Best Known for Her Series of Novels Featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel)
Baroness Orczy
3
Birthdate: September 23, 1865
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tarnaƶrs, Heves County, Hungary
Died: November 12, 1947

Best known for her historical novel The Scarlet Pimpernel, Hungarian-British novelist Emma Orczy was the only child of noted composer Baron Felix Orczy. While she initially studied art, she later took to writing. Apart from the Pimpernel sequels, she also penned several collections of detective stories, such as Lady Molly of Scotland Yard.

 44 
Anna Kavan
(British Novelist and Short Story Writer)
Anna Kavan
2
Birthdate: April 10, 1901
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Cannes, France
Died: December 5, 1968
Author Helen Ferguson gained fame as Anna Kavan later, a name she had taken up as her legal identity and not as a pseudonym. Known for her works such as I Am Lazarus, she was engulfed by mental disorders and drug addiction and had even attempted suicide multiple times. 
 45 
Marina Warner
(Writer, Educator)
Marina Warner
1
Birthdate: November 9, 1946
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paddington, Middlesex, England
 46 
Eliza Haywood
(British author)
Eliza Haywood
2
Birthdate: 1693 AD
Birthplace: England
Died: February 25, 1756
 47 
Helen Oyeyemi
(Writer)
Helen Oyeyemi
1
Birthdate: December 10, 1984
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Ibadan, Nigeria
 48 
Hall Caine
(Novelist)
Hall Caine
3
Birthdate: May 14, 1853
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Runcorn, United Kingdom
Died: August 31, 1931
 49 
Angus Wilson
(Novelist)
Angus Wilson
2
Birthdate: August 11, 1913
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bexhill, England
Died: May 31, 1991
 50 
Jon McGregor
(Novelist and short story writer)
Jon McGregor
2
Birthdate: 1976 AD
Birthplace: Bermuda