Notable February-born Authors
Happy Birthday to Notable Authors Born in February!
Click on the links to read
reviews.
James Michener
February 3, 1907
American author known for long
sagas of historical interest set in distinct locations: Alaska,
Hawaii, Caribbean, Texas, and Poland
to name a few. So far, I’ve read Sayonara
and Tales of the South Pacific, both
of which I’ve enjoyed. Michener won a
Pulitzer Prize in fiction for Tales of
the South Pacific.
Charles Dickens
February 7, 1812
An English writer known for his
classic works including A Christmas
Carol, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Great Expectation, and A Tale of Two
Cities to name a few. Jump into tales of struggles and hardships of the downtrodden.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
February 7, 1867
American author known for her Little House on the Prairie series based
on her pioneer childhood in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Kansas.
Sinclair Lewis
February 7, 1885
American novelist and playwright who became the first U.S. writer to receive
the Nobel prize in literature. His well-known works include Main Street and Babbitt.
Jules Verne
February 8, 1828
A French author known for his
fantastical adventures: Journey to the
Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Five Weeks in a
Balloon, and my favorite, Around the World in Eighty Days.
Kate Chopin
February 8, 1850
An American author known for her advanced
feminist work, The Awakening, which was panned at the time for her shocking
lack of morality.
Sidney Sheldon
February 11, 1917
An American novelist and TV show
writer who created I Dream of Jeanie, The
Patty Duke Show, and Hart to Hart. In the literary field, he’s known for
page-turners like Master of the Game, The Other Side of Midnight, and Rage of
Angels.
My mom recently read The Other
Side of Midnight some twenty years after Sidney seduced me on my
honeymoon. While mine was a memorable,
but one-time fling, my mom has become Sidney’s regular mistress. She searches
out his books and slinks away with him over and over again. Not only that, she gushes about him and sends
me more of his books as further proof of their dalliances. She’s addicted. Just take that as a warning. Sidney has a
powerful, irresistible draw.
February 18, 1931
Toni Morrison
An American professor, editor and
novelist known for her somber novels including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, and the unforgettable Beloved, for which
she won a Pulitzer Prize. She also won the Nobel Prize in Literature. (Review
of Beloved to come soon).
Lisa See
February 18, 1965
American author known for her
novels set in China, including the popular Shanghai Girls, Dreams of Joy, and Snow Flower
and the Secret Fan among others. See’s
great-grandfather was Chinese.
Carson McCullers
February 19, 1917
American novelist and short story
writer known for stories in which characters are societal outcasts such as The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and The Ballad of the Sad Café. McCullers
was 23 when she wrote The Heart Is a
Lonely Hunter.
Amy Tan
February 19, 1952
An American writer known for stories centering on Chinese-American families such as the bestselling novel The Joy Luck Club which
was made into a movie. Other popular books include, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, and The Bonesetter’s Daughter.
Gillian Flynn
February 24, 1971
American author known for
suspenseful novels including Gone Girl,
Sharp Edges, and Dark Places all of which have or will be made into movies. Get
ready for a thrilling ride!
John Steinbeck
February 27, 1902
American author and winner of the
Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for The Grapes of Wrath. He’s known for
short stories and novellas many of which have been made into movies including Tortilla Flat, The Red Pony, Cannery Row, and
the heart-breaking Of Mice and Men.
Happy Reading,
Annette
Happy Reading,
Annette
Comments