For most of human history, the sky, the stars, and the moon were all an otherworldly mystery to those observing it from the face of the Earth. Some people believed that the celestial bodies were deities watching over them. Some thought that the stars could tell a story or form a prophecy when read correctly. Others found surprisingly accurate ways to learn about space without ever leaving the solid ground beneath their feet.
American novelist and short story writer, Bernard Malamud was born on April 26, 1914 in New York. His parents were Russo-Jewish immigrants with very little knowledge of the English Language. Malamud had one younger brother, Eugene and the boys experienced quite a poor childhood. Escaping realities, Bernard would often read stories and watch Charlie Chaplain films, which would later influence his style of writing. Malamud always had an appreciation for teaching and the learning process. Despite his mother’s death in his early teen years, Malamud continued on through high school and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts from the City College of New York. He later received his Master’s Degree from Columbia University while teaching high-school night classes.
Born April 24, 1905, Robert Penn Warren was a groundbreaking poet, author, literary critic and civil rights activist. His poetry and his prose were both well enough received to earn him the Pulitzer Prize, making him the only person to have ever won a Pulitzer Prize for both fiction and poetry. He won for fiction with what is perhaps his best known work, All the Kings Men, published in 1946.
As a lover of literature, you may think you know everything there is to know about Shakespeare. After all, no other author can really claim to have influenced language and storytelling the way he has. Even if Shakespeare’s works aren’t your favorite beach read, his writing and life demand respect from anyone who loves a good book. Since your high school English classes probably missed a few turn when reviewing his biography, here are eleven facts that may surprise you!
Janet Evanovich was born on April 22, 1943 in New Jersey. However, she would describe herself as more of a native of LaLa Land who has spent the majority of her life looking for an outlet for her imagination. Her childhood included singing opera on the streets or pretending to be a horse. As a young adult Evanovich expressed her imagination in the form of an Art Degree from Douglass College. But none of these things left Evanovich feeling complete.
So Evanovich began her writing career in her mid-thirties. She wrote story after story and spent the better part of ten years being rejected by every publishing house she sent her stories to. Her rather pornographic "romance" novels finally found a home at LoveLine, rescuing her from the world of temp work and panty hose. After five years of writing romance novels and putting every sexual exploit she could imagine to paper, she was tired of the genre. Evanovich spent the next two years researching the life of law enforcement and criminals to transition to the world of the mystery author. Today she lives and works in Naples, Florida with more then twenty best sellers to her name and is successful enough that she is able to succesfully employ her husband, son, and daughter full time.
Charlotte Brontë, the oldest of the legendary Brontë sisters, is best known for her classic novel Jane Eyre. Celebrate her birthday this week by testing your knowledge about her life and works.
If you are a nature lover, the works and activism of John Muir should hold a special place in your heart. He was one of the first advocates of preserving stretches of wilderness in the United States, and his writing reflects and affirms this value system. Muir's legacy lives on in the conservation organization he founded, The Sierra Club, along with several natural and man-made landmarks that have been named after him.
Legendary author Gabriel García Márquez passed away today in Mexico City, where he'd been recovering from infections since April 8. The Nobel Prize-winning author was considered the father of magical realism, and he never shied away from confronting the injustices of Latin American politics. García Márquez will be remembered for his unique ability to blur the lines between fiction and reality; as both a journalist and a writer of novels, he frequently reminded us that the two forms are more similar than we'd want to think.
Sebastian Faulks was born April 20, 1953 in Donnington, Berkshire. He had a pleasant childhood, finding companionship with his brother Edward. His mother instilled a love of theatre and books in the boys at a young age; however, while his mother was fond of the classics, both Sebastian and his brother shared an appreciation for popular culture. They attended a prestigious school with traditional values, which proved to be a challenge for the boys, but Faulks welcomed the challenge.
Kingsley Amis knew how to get a laugh out of his readers. He wrote many novels that depicted modern British life in a humorous manner, and it was these comedies that earned him his fame – but humor wasn’t his only forte. Amis dabbled in many genres, from poetry to science fiction. The Times listed him as one of the top 50 British writers in 2008.
