Libra Writers

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 1 
Oscar Wilde
(One of the Greatest Playwrights of the 'Victorian Era')
Oscar Wilde
35
Birthdate: October 16, 1854
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: November 30, 1900

Widely regarded as one of the most popular writers of all time, Oscar Wilde is best remembered for his plays and epigrams. He was also one of the best-known personalities during his time as he was popular for his conversational skills, flamboyant dressing sense, and biting wit. Imprisoned in 1895 for consensual homosexual acts, Oscar Wilde was pardoned posthumously in 2017.

 2 
F. Scott Fitzgerald
(Best Known for His Novel 'The Great Gatsby')
F. Scott Fitzgerald
18
Birthdate: September 24, 1896
Birthplace: Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Died: December 21, 1940

Novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and short-story writer F. Scott Fitzgerald is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. However, he wasn’t much popular during his lifetime. His works gained international acclaim only in the years following his untimely death at 44. Many of his works have been adapted into films.

 3 
Guillermo del Toro
(Film Director Best Known For Movies 'Pan's Labyrinth' & 'The Shape of Water')
Guillermo del Toro
18
Birthdate: October 9, 1964
Birthplace: Guadalajara, Mexico

Guillermo del Toro is one of the most popular Mexican filmmakers of all time. Along with Alejandro Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón, he is known as one of the Three Amigos of Cinema. He also played a major role as a former special effects makeup artist. In 2018, he was named in Time's 100 most influential people in the world list.

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 4 
Arthur Miller
(Playwright Best Known for His Plays “All My Sons,” “Death of a Salesman” and “The Crucible”)
Arthur Miller
19
Birthdate: October 17, 1915
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, United States
Died: February 10, 2005

Arthur Miller was an American essayist and playwright. Miller is credited with creating popular plays, such as Death of a Salesman, which is widely regarded as one of the best American plays of the 20th century. Thanks to his illustrious career, which spanned more than 70 years, Arthur Miller is regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest dramatists.

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 5 
Truman Capote
(Known for His Novella “Breakfast at Tiffany's” and Non-Fiction Novel “In Cold Blood”)
Truman Capote
13
Birthdate: September 30, 1924
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Died: August 25, 1984
Truman Capote is best known for his novella Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was made into a movie that starred Audrey Hepburn, and the non-fiction novel In Cold Blood. His short story Shut a Final Door won the O. Henry Award. He was a lifelong friend of author Harper Lee.
 6 
T. S. Eliot
(Best Known as a Leader of the Modernist Movement in Poetry)
T. S. Eliot
16
Birthdate: September 26, 1888
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died: January 4, 1965
American-born British poet T. S. Eliot is best remembered for his poems The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, and Ash Wednesday, and his plays such as Murder in the Cathedral. He won the Nobel Prize for literature and became a prominent figure of Modernist poetry.  
 7 
William Faulkner
(Regarded as One of the Most Significant American Writers of All Time)
William Faulkner
6
Birthdate: September 25, 1897
Birthplace: New Albany, Mississippi, United States
Died: July 6, 1962
Nobel Prize-winning Southern author William Faulkner is remembered for works The Sound and the Fury, A Rose for Emily, and As I Lay Dying. He immortalized Mississippi as the fictional "Yoknapatawpha County" in his works. He also won two Pulitzers, one each for A Fable and The Reivers.
 8 
Shel Silverstein
14
Birthdate: September 25, 1930
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: May 10, 1999

Shel Silverstein was an American writer, playwright, songwriter, and cartoonist. Renowned for his children's books, songs, and cartoons, Silverstein's works have been translated into over 30 languages. The recipient of many prestigious awards, such as Grammy Awards, Shel Silverstein was posthumously inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.

 9 
Gore Vidal
(American Writer Known for His Novels: ‘The City and the Pillar’, ‘Julian’, ‘Myra Breckinridge’ and ‘Burr’)
Gore Vidal
13
Birthdate: October 3, 1925
Birthplace: West Point, New York, United States
Died: July 31, 2012

Gore Vidal was an American intellectual and writer. He served as a major inspiration to gays, lesbians, and bisexuals as he was openly bisexual and often incorporated LGBT characters in his novels, which was very unusual at the time. He was also known for his debates with William F. Buckley Jr., which inspired the 2015 documentary film Best of Enemies.

 10 
John Le Carré
(Novelist)
John Le Carré
7
Birthdate: October 19, 1931
Birthplace: Poole, Dorset, England
 11 
Miguel de Cervantes
5
Birthdate: September 29, 1547
Birthplace: Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Died: April 22, 1616

Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish writer best known for his work Don Quixote, which is considered one of the high points of world literature. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists of all time and the greatest writer to ever write in the Spanish language. His works have influenced other works of art like music and paintings.

 12 
Eugene O'Neill
(American Playwright and Winner of the 1936 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Eugene O'Neill
5
Birthdate: October 16, 1888
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: November 27, 1953

Eugene O'Neill was an American playwright whose works earned him several prestigious awards, including four Pulitzer Prizes for Drama and the 1936 Nobel Prize in Literature. His play Long Day's Journey into Night is frequently named among the 20th century's finest American plays. In the 1981 film Reds, Eugene O'Neill is played by actor Jack Nicholson.

 13 
Frank Herbert
(Science Fiction Author Best Known for His 1965 Novel 'Dune' & Its Sequels)
Frank Herbert
4
Birthdate: October 8, 1920
Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington, United States
Died: February 11, 1986

American author, newspaper-journalist, book-reviewer, lecturer, photographer, and ecological consultant Franklin Herbert is most noted for his 1965 sci-fi novel Dune and its five sequels. Dune won the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award and spearheaded the Dune franchise. The novel is cited as the best-selling sci-fi novel in history while the series is counted among the classics of the genre.

 14 
Henry Graham Greene
5
Birthdate: October 2, 1904
Birthplace: Berkhamsted, England
Died: April 3, 1991

English author Henry Graham Greene, better known as Graham Greene, is remembered for his pathbreaking Catholic novels and thrillers. He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His works include The Third Man and The Human Factor, and his Academy Award-nominated script of the film The Fallen Idol.

 15 
Samuel Coleridge
5
Birthdate: October 21, 1772
Birthplace: Ottery St Mary, Devon, Great Britain, United Kingdom
Died: July 25, 1834

Samuel Coleridge was an English poet, philosopher, theologian, and literary critic. He is credited with co-founding the Romantic Movement in England along with his friend William Wordsworth. Despite struggling from bouts of depression and anxiety throughout his adult life, Samuel Coleridge had a major influence on American transcendentalism and writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson.

 16 
Ta-Nehisi Coates
(Author and Journalist Known for His Non-Fiction Books: ‘The Beautiful Struggle’ and ‘Between the World and Me’)
Ta-Nehisi Coates
6
Birthdate: September 30, 1975
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates gained international prominence while serving as the national correspondent at The Atlantic. His writings on socio-political issues related to African Americans and white supremacy garnered him much appreciation. He is a recipient of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center Prize for Writing to Advance Social Justice. He also writes fiction and comics.

 17 
E. E. Cummings
6
Birthdate: October 14, 1894
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Died: September 3, 1962
 18 
Hannah Arendt
(One of the Most Influential Political Theorists of the 20th Century)
Hannah Arendt
11
Birthdate: October 14, 1906
Birthplace: Linden - Mitte, Hanover, Germany
Died: December 4, 1975

Hannah Arendt was a political theorist. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most prominent political thinkers, Hannah Arendt's articles and books have had a significant influence on philosophy and political theory. Her life and work inspired the 2012 biographical drama film, Hannah Arendt. Her work has also inspired several biographies written by popular authors.

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 19 
Friedrich Nietzsche
(German Philosopher, Cultural Critic and Philologist)
Friedrich Nietzsche
7
Birthdate: October 15, 1844
Birthplace: Röcken, Lützen, Germany
Died: August 25, 1900

German philosopher, cultural critic, composer, and poet Friedrich Nietzsche has had a profound influence on modern intellectual history. He held the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel. His work spanned philosophical polemics, poetry, cultural criticism, and fiction. He suffered from numerous health problems from a young age and died at the age of 55.

 20 
Harold Pinter
(Playwright, Screenwriter)
Harold Pinter
11
Birthdate: October 10, 1930
Birthplace: Metropolitan Borough of Hackney
Died: December 24, 2008
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 21 
Neil deGrasse Tyson
(American Astrophysicist, Planetary Scientist and Science Communicator)
Neil deGrasse Tyson
9
Birthdate: October 5, 1958
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States

Public Welfare Medal-winning astrophysicist and academic Neil deGrasse Tyson hosted shows such as NOVA ScienceNow, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, and Star Talk. He is the director of Hayden Planetarium and contributed to the dismissal of Pluto’s status as the ninth planet. He has also written a monthly column as "Merlin.”

 22 
Johnny Carson
(Comedian and Producer Best Known as the Host of ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’)
Johnny Carson
5
Birthdate: October 23, 1925
Birthplace: Corning, Iowa, United States
Died: January 23, 2005

Six-time Emmy Award-winner Johnny Carson was known for hosting NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. After serving in World War II, Carson started hosting radio shows and then graduated to TV. He also won the Presidential Medal of Freedom and is said to have inspired David Letterman.

 23 
Rumi
(Persian Poet)
Rumi
12
Birthdate: September 30, 1207
Birthplace: Balkh, Afghanistan
Died: December 17, 1273

Rumi was a Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose spiritual legacy has been attracting praises for the past 800 years! Often described as the best-selling and most popular poet in the US, Rumi's poems are widely read today in many countries. His poetry has influenced the literary traditions of many languages, such as Pashto, Urdu, Chagatai, and Ottoman Turkish.

 24 
Michael Crichton
(Best Known as the Author of “Jurassic Park” and the creator of the TV Drama “ER”)
Michael Crichton
5
Birthdate: October 23, 1942
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: November 4, 2008

Michael Crichton was an American filmmaker and author. He wrote several science-fiction books, which have sold more than 200 million copies. Many of his books, such as The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Congo, Rising Sun, and Disclosure, have been adapted into highly successful films. He is also credited with creating the popular medical drama TV series, ER.

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 25 
Katherine Mansfield
(One of the Most Highly Regarded Short Story Writers of the 20th Century)
Katherine Mansfield
3
Birthdate: October 14, 1888
Birthplace: Wellington
Died: January 9, 1923

Katherine Mansfield was a New Zealand modernist writer best remembered for her short stories. Her life and career inspired several films, plays, novels, and TV series. In 1973, she became the subject of a BBC miniseries titled A Picture of Katherine Mansfield. In 2011, actress Kate Elliott played Mansfield in a TV biopic titled Bliss.

 26 
R. L. Stine
(American Novelist Who was Best Known for His Horror Books for Children)
R. L. Stine
6
Birthdate: October 8, 1943
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio, United States

Novelist and short-story writer R. L. Stine is popularly referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature." He has published 100s of horror fiction novels and numerous joke books among others. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Inkpot Award. He is also a TV producer, screenwriter, and executive editor.

 27 
Elie Wiesel
( Author, Holocaust Survivor, Political Activist and Winner of 1986 Nobel Peace Prize)
Elie Wiesel
6
Birthdate: September 30, 1928
Birthplace: Sighetu Marmației, Romania
Died: July 2, 2016

Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Elie Wiesel is best remembered for his book Night, which relates his traumatic experience as a Jewish prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps. After surviving the Holocaust, he became a journalist and a human rights activist, and also helped in establishing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

 28 
Groucho Marx
(One of America's Greatest Comedians of His Era)
Groucho Marx
4
Birthdate: October 2, 1890
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: August 19, 1977
Groucho Marx is best remembered for his roles in the 13 Marx Brothers films he made with his siblings, Harpo, Zeppo, Chico, and Gummo. Considered one of America’s best comedians, he is also the man behind the Groucho Glasses, inspired by his signature glasses, big nose, bushy eyebrows, and mustache.
 29 
Suzanne Somers
(Actress)
Suzanne Somers
6
Birthdate: October 16, 1946
Birthplace: San Bruno, California, United States
Died: October 15, 2023
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 30 
Virgil
(Ancient Roman Poet of the Augustan Period)
Virgil
9
Birthdate: October 15, 0070
Birthplace: Cisalpine Gaul
Died: September 21, 0019
1st-century B.C. Roman poet Virgil is best remembered for his epic The Aeneid, which was based on Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. He has also written the Latin poems the Eclogues/Bucolics and the Georgics. His Aeneid, considered ancient Rome’s national epic, inspired other influential works, such as Dante’s Divine Comedy.
 31 
Ursula K. Le Guin
(American Author Best Known for Her Works of Speculative Fiction)
Ursula K. Le Guin
4
Birthdate: October 21, 1929
Birthplace: Berkeley, California, United States
Died: January 22, 2018

Ursula K. Le Guin was an American author. In a career spanning almost six decades, Ursula wrote about political and social themes like race and sexuality. Throughout her career, Ursula had a major influence on speculative fiction. Her book A Wizard of Earthsea is credited with inspiring ideas like 'wizard school', which was later popularized in the Harry Potter series.

 32 
Jesse Eisenberg
(Best Known for His Portrayal of ‘Mark Zuckerberg’ in the Film ‘The Social Network’)
Jesse Eisenberg
9
Birthdate: October 5, 1983
Birthplace: Queens, New York, United States
Jesse Eisenberg amazed audiences with his Academy Award-nominated performance as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. He began his stint on TV at 16, with Get Real. He has also been part of Rodger Dodger, Adventureland, and Now You See Me. He has written three plays and a short-story collection.
 33 
Elizabeth Gaskell
3
Birthdate: September 29, 1810
Birthplace: Chelsea, England
Died: November 12, 1865
 34 
Britt Ekland
(Swedish Actress, Model and Singer)
Britt Ekland
5
Birthdate: October 6, 1942
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden

Britt Ekland is a Swedish actress, singer, and model. One of the leading actresses in Sweden during the 1960s and 1970s, Ekland also established herself as a sex symbol and achieved international prominence when she appeared as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun. Britt Ekland was also one of the most photographed actresses during the 1970s.

 35 
Tara Westover
(Memoirist)
Tara Westover
4
Birthdate: September 27, 1986
Birthplace: Clifton, Idaho, United States

Tara Westover is an American historian, essayist, and memoirist. She achieved popularity in 2018 when she published her memoir Educated, which debuted atop The New York Times bestseller list. Subsequently, the daily newspaper named Educated among the 10 Best Books of the year. In 2019, Tara Westover was named in Time magazine's 100 most influential people list.

 36 
Jackie Collins
(Novelist)
Jackie Collins
7
Birthdate: October 4, 1937
Birthplace: London, England, UK
Died: September 19, 2015
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 37 
Elizabeth Peña
(American Actress and Founder of ‘Hispanic Organization of Latin Actor’)
Elizabeth Peña
4
Birthdate: September 23, 1959
Birthplace: Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States
Died: October 14, 2014
Elizabeth Peña is best known for her roles in films such as Rush Hour and The Incredibles. She also co-founded the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. She has also been part of series such as Shannon's Deal and I Married Dora. She died of liver cirrhosis at age 55.
 38 
Simon Sinek
(Author and Inspirational Speaker Known for His Books ‘Start With Why’ and ‘The Infinite Game’)
Simon Sinek
5
Birthdate: October 9, 1973
Birthplace: Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom

The London-born American is a noted author and motivational speaker who has written five books including Leaders Eat Last, which made to the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Sometimes criticized for ‘self-promotion’, Simon Oliver Sinek also worked with Ernst & Young and provided leadership training. He is an instructor at Columbia University.

 39 
Marie Kondo
(Organizing Expert)
Marie Kondo
6
Birthdate: October 9, 1984
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan

Japanese organizing expert Marie Kondo gained fame with her bestselling books on organizing, such as The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which have been translated into languages such as Italian, Korean, French, and German. She also earned an Emmy nomination for her Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

 40 
Mark Gatiss
5
Birthdate: October 17, 1966
Birthplace: Sedgefield, County Durham, England
Mark Gatiss is best known for both writing and appearing in Doctor Who, Dracula, and Sherlock. He is also part of the comedy group The League of Gentlemen and has appeared as Tycho Nestoris in Game of Thrones. He has written the Lucifer Box novels, too.
 41 
Anne Rice
(American Author Best Known for Her Series of Novels ‘The Vampire Chronicles’)
Anne Rice
4
Birthdate: October 4, 1941
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
 42 
Thomas Clayton Wolfe
(An Important Writer in Modern American Literature and One of the First Masters of Autobiographical Fiction)
Thomas Clayton Wolfe
5
Birthdate: October 3, 1900
Birthplace: Asheville, North Carolina, United States
Died: September 15, 1938
Novelist Thomas Wolfe is remembered for his novels Look Homeward, Angel and Of Time and the River. He had also authored countless short stories and plays. His signature style included elements of autobiographical writing mixed with poetic and lyrical prose. His works influenced Beat Generation writers, too.
 43 
James Herriot
4
Birthdate: October 3, 1916
Birthplace: Sunderland, County Durham, England
Died: February 23, 1995

James Herriot was a British writer and veterinary surgeon. Many of his books about animals and veterinary practice inspired several films and television series, including the 1975 British movie All Creatures Great and Small. His early life inspired BBC's drama Young James Herriot. In 1994, Glasgow Veterinary College's library was named James Herriot Library in his honor. 

 44 
Mario Puzo
(Novelist, Screenwriter)
Mario Puzo
4
Birthdate: October 15, 1920
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Died: July 2, 1999

Mario Puzo is remembered for his iconic crime novels, most notably the New York Times bestseller The Godfather, which was later turned into a movie trilogy by Francis Ford Coppola and won Puzo two Academy Awards for the best screenplay. Puzo also wrote the screenplay for Richard Donner's Superman.

 45 
Noah Webster
(Lexicographer)
Noah Webster
3
Birthdate: October 16, 1758
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Died: May 28, 1843

Noah Webster was an American textbook pioneer, lexicographer, political writer, English-language spelling reformer, author, and editor. Dubbed the Father of American Scholarship and Education, Webster's books have been credited with teaching the art of spelling and reading to five generations of American children. Thanks to his work as a spelling reformer, his name became synonymous with dictionary in the US.

 46 
Michael Madsen
(Actor)
Michael Madsen
10
Birthdate: September 25, 1957
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 47 
Karl Pilkington
(Television Presenter, Radio Producer)
Karl Pilkington
7
Birthdate: September 23, 1972
Birthplace: Manchester

Karl Pilkington is an English comedian, television presenter, radio producer, and actor. He achieved popularity as the producer of Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais' radio program on Xfm. Pilkington is credited with co-founding a TV production company called RiSK Productions. Also known for his charity work, Pilkington designed and signed a card to benefit the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children.

 48 
Bell Hooks
Bell Hooks
5
Birthdate: September 25, 1952
Birthplace: Hopkinsville, Kentucky, United States
Died: December 15, 2021
 49 
Arthur Rimbaud
(French Poet Known for His Works: ‘The Drunken Boat’, ‘A Season in Hell’ and ‘Illuminations’)
Arthur Rimbaud
8
Birthdate: October 20, 1854
Birthplace: Charleville-Mézières, France
Died: November 10, 1891

French poet Arthur Rimbaud is remembered for his influence on Dadaism, surrealism, and symbolism. Known for works such as Le Soleil Etait Encore Chaud and Voyelles, he later got involved in a relationship with poet Paul Verlaine. He also traveled as a merchant and explorer, before dying of cancer.

 50 
John Nettles
(Actor)
John Nettles
4
Birthdate: October 11, 1943
Birthplace: St. Austell, Cornwall, England, UK
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)