2008 in literature
Encyclopedia
The year 2008 in literature involved some significant events and new books.
Events
- January 1 - In the 2008 New Year Honours, Hanif KureishiHanif KureishiHanif Kureishi CBE is an English playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker, novelist and short story writer. The themes of his work have touched on topics of race, nationalism, immigration, and sexuality...
(CBE), Jenny UglowJenny UglowJennifer Sheila Uglow OBE is a British biographer, critic and publisher. The editorial director of Chatto & Windus, she has written critically acclaimed biographies of Elizabeth Gaskell, William Hogarth, Thomas Bewick and the Lunar Society, among others, and has also compiled a women's...
(OBE), Peter VansittartPeter VansittartPeter Vansittart OBE, FRSL was a British writer. He had 50 novels published between 1942 and 2008; he also wrote historical studies, memoirs, stories for children and three anthologies: Voices from the Great War , Voices 1870-1914 and Voices of the Revolution...
(OBE) and Debjani ChatterjeeDebjani ChatterjeeDebjani Chatterjee MBE is an Indian-born British poet. She was born in Delhi but now lives in Sheffield, England. She had lived in India, Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Egypt, and Morocco, before coming to Britain in 1972...
(MBE) are all rewarded for "services to literature". - June 15 - Gore VidalGore VidalGore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, asked in a New York Times interview how he felt about the death of his great rival William F. Buckley, Jr.William F. Buckley, Jr.William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
, replies: "I thought hell is bound to be a livelier place, as he joins forever those whom he served in life, applauding their prejudices and fanning their hatred." - July - Salman Rushdie's Midnight's ChildrenMidnight's ChildrenMidnight's Children is a 1981 book by Salman Rushdie about India's transition from British colonialism to independence and the partition of India. It is considered an example of postcolonial literature and magical realism...
is the winner of a poll to select the "Best of the BookerMan Booker PrizeThe Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
".
Literature
- Aravind AdigaAravind AdigaAravind Adiga is an Indian writer and journalist. His debut novel, The White Tiger, won the 2008 Man Booker Prize.-Early life and education:...
- Between the AssassinationsBetween the AssassinationsBetween the Assassinations is the second book published by Aravind Adiga though it was written before his first book The White Tiger. The title refers to the period between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and her son, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991...
(November 1) - Uwem AkpanUwem AkpanUwem Akpan, born May 19, 1971, is a Nigerian Jesuit priest and writer. He is the author of Say You’re One of Them , a collection of five stories published by Little, Brown & Company...
- Say You’re One of Them - Paul AusterPaul AusterPaul Benjamin Auster is an American author known for works blending absurdism, existentialism, crime fiction and the search for identity and personal meaning in works such as The New York Trilogy , Moon Palace , The Music of Chance , The Book of Illusions and The Brooklyn Follies...
- Man in the DarkMan in the DarkMan in the Dark is a film noir drama 3-D film starring Edmund O'Brien, Audrey Totter and Ted de Corsia released in 1953. It is a remake of the 1936 Ralph Bellamy vehicle The Man who Lived Twice.It was the first Columbia Pictures film released in 3-D.... - Henry BauchauHenry BauchauHenry Bauchau is a Belgian psychoanalyst, and author of French language prose and poetry.In 1936, he became a trial lawyer in Brussels.He was a member of the Resistance in the Ardennes.From 1945 to 1951 he worked in publishing...
- Le Boulevard périphériqueLe Boulevard périphériqueLe Boulevard périphérique is a Belgian novel by Henry Bauchau. It was first published in 2008.... - Charles BockCharles BockCharles Bock is an American writer whose debut 2008 novel Beautiful Children was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 2008, and won the 2009 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
- Beautiful Children (January 22) - Roberto BolañoRoberto BolañoRoberto Bolaño Ávalos was a Chilean novelist and poet. In 1999 he won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize for his novel Los detectives salvajes , and in 2008 he was posthumously awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for his novel 2666, which was described by board member Marcela Valdes...
- 2666: A Novel (November 11) - Christopher Buckley - Supreme CourtshipSupreme CourtshipSupreme Courtship is a 2008 novel by Christopher Buckley, which tells the story of a Judge Judy-style TV judge nominated to the Supreme Court of the United States.-Plot summary:...
(September 3) - Alastair CampbellAlastair CampbellAlastair John Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known for his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair between 1997 and 2003, having first started working for Blair in 1994...
- All in the MindAll in the Mind (novel)All in the Mind is a 2008 novel by Alastair Campbell, the former Director of Communications and Strategy for the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The book is Campbell's debut novel and draws heavily on his own experiences of depression and alcoholism. The story concerns a few days in the life of...
(October 30) - Martín CaparrósMartín CaparrósMartín Caparrós is a writer born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 29, 1957. His father was Antonio Caparrós, a renowned psychiatrist. Caparrós begun professional writing at age sixteen, shortly after graduating from High School at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires. His first professional job in...
- A quien correspondaA quien correspondaA quien corresponda is an Argentine novel, written by Martín Caparrós. It was first published in 2008. The book is a combination of anecdotes, stories, and situations recalled by the protagonist, Carlos "el Gallego", in order to remember his partner, who was assassinated by the Argentinian... - Wendy Coakley-ThompsonWendy Coakley-ThompsonWendy Coakley-Thompson , is a mainstream fiction author. Coakley-Thompson's work is part of emerging millennial contemporary African American literature...
- Triptych (novel)Triptych (novel)Triptych is a 2008 novel, the third book by author Wendy Coakley-Thompson.-Plot introduction:Set in The Bahamas, Triptych examines death and infidelity, straight up—with an erotic twist. The book explores mortality and its effects on marriage and familial relationships.-Plot summary:Triptych opens...
(December 18) - Robert CraisRobert CraisRobert Crais is an American author of detective fiction. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. He lists amongst his literary influences the authors Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest...
- Chasing DarknessChasing DarknessChasing Darkness is a 2008 detective novel by Robert Crais. It is the twelfth in a series of linked novels centering on the private investigator Elvis Cole... - Klaus EbnerKlaus EbnerKlaus Ebner is an Austrian writer, essayist, poet, and translator. Born and raised in Vienna, he began writing at an early age. He started submitting stories to magazines in the 1980s, and also published articles and books on software topics after 1989. Ebner's poetry is written in German and...
- Hominid (novel)Hominid (novel)Hominid is a short novel by Austrian writer Klaus Ebner. Taking place millions of years ago, it is a fictional story of a band of extinct hominids who inhabit Central Africa. Referencing the seven days of biblical Creation, the novel takes place in seven days. As the protagonist Pitar leads his...
(October 1) - Ralph EllisonRalph EllisonRalph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953...
(edited by John F. CallahanJohn F. CallahanJohn F. Callahan is literary executor for Ralph Ellison, and was the editor for his posthumously-released novel Juneteenth. In addition to his work with Ellison, Callahan has written or edited numerous volumes related to African-American literature, with a particular emphasis on 20th century...
) - Three Days Before the ShootingThree Days Before the ShootingThree Days Before the Shooting... is the title of the edited manuscript of Ralph Ellison's never-finished second novel. It was co-edited by John F. Callahan, the executor of Ellison's literary estate, and Adam Bradley, a professor of English at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The book was...
(posthumously published manuscript) - Keith GessenKeith GessenKeith Gessen is a co-editor of n+1, a thrice-yearly magazine of literature, politics, and culture based in New York City.- Biography :...
- All the Sad Young Literary MenAll the Sad Young Literary MenAll the Sad Young Literary Men is the debut novel of Keith Gessen, the founder of the journal n+1. It was published by Viking in April, 2008.-Plot:...
(April 10) - Lauren GroffLauren GroffLauren Groff is an American novelist and short story writer.-Biography:She graduated from Amherst College and from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with an MFA in fiction....
- The Monsters of TempletonThe Monsters of TempletonThe Monsters of Templeton is a dramatic novel written by Lauren Groff. Groff was born and raised in Cooperstown, New York. The name Templeton draws from the name devised for the town by James Fenimore Cooper, Cooperstown's most renowned author, known for The Leatherstocking Tales...
(February 5) - Johan HarstadJohan HarstadJohan Harstad is an Norwegian short story writer, novelist and playwright.Harstad was born in Stavanger. He made his literary debut in 2001, with a collection of short prose entitled Herfra blir du bare eldre...
= DARLAHDARLAHDARLAH is a sci-fi / horror novel by the Norwegian author Johan Harstad, published in 2008. The plot starts in 2012, when NASA decides to launch another mission to the moon and as a mean of gaining public interest and announces a lottery in which three teenagers will be allowed to go on the... - Zoë HellerZoë HellerZoë Kate Hinde Heller is an English journalist and novelist.-Early life:Heller was born in North London as the youngest of four children of German-Jewish immigrant Lukas Heller, who was a successful screenwriter. Her mother was instrumental in keeping up the Labour Party's "Save London Transport...
- The BelieversThe Believers (novel)The Believers is a novel by Zoë Heller first published in 2008. It depicts a left-wing New York family of grown-ups who have little in common...
(September 24) - Aleksandar HemonAleksandar HemonAleksandar Hemon is a Bosnian-American fiction writer. He is the winner of a MacArthur Foundation grant. He has written four acclaimed books: Love and Obstacles: Stories , The Lazarus Project: A Novel , which was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle...
- The Lazarus ProjectThe Lazarus Project (novel)The Lazarus Project is a novel by Bosnian fiction writer and journalist Aleksandar Hemon. It was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, and the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award. It was the winner of the inaugural Jan Michalski Prize for Literature in 2010.-External links:*, book...
(May 1) - Samantha Hunt - The Invention of Everything ElseThe Invention of Everything ElseThe Invention of Everything Else is a novel written by American author Samantha Hunt, published in 2008. The novel presents a fictionalized account of the last days in the life of Nikola Tesla, the inventor who pioneered radio and alternating current electricity...
(February 7) - Siri HustvedtSiri HustvedtSiri Hustvedt is an American novelist and essayist. Hustvedt is the author of a book of poetry, five novels, two books of essays, and a work of non-fiction...
- The Sorrows of an AmericanThe Sorrows of an AmericanThe Sorrows of an American is Siri Hustvedt's fourth novel. It was first published in 2008 and is about a Norwegian American family and their troubles...
(April 1) - Karl IagnemmaKarl IagnemmaKarl Iagnemma is an American writer and research scientist. The author of several scientific publications in the field of robotics, Iagnemma is also known through his short stories on human-robotic relationships....
- The Expeditions (January 15) - Christian KrachtChristian KrachtChristian Kracht is a Swiss novelist and journalist.-Early life:Kracht was born in Saanen. His father, Christian Kracht Sr., was chief representative for the Axel Springer publishing company in the 1960s. Kracht attended Schule Schloss Salem in Baden and Lakefield College School in Ontario, Canada...
- Ich werde hier sein im Sonnenschein und im SchattenIch werde hier sein im Sonnenschein und im SchattenIch werde hier sein im Sonnenschein und im Schatten is a novel by Swiss writer Christian Kracht. It was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch in September 2008...
(September) - Jhumpa LahiriJhumpa LahiriJhumpa Lahiri is a Bengali American author. Lahiri's debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies , won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her first novel, The Namesake , was adapted into the popular film of the same name. She was born Nilanjana Sudeshna, which she says are both...
- Unaccustomed EarthUnaccustomed EarthUnaccustomed Earth is the latest book from Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. After Interpreter of Maladies, the Pulitzer Prize winning book, this is her second collection of short stories. Just like her other books, Unaccustomed Earth is also a reflection of life with two separate...
(April 1) - Steig Larsson - The Girl With the Dragon TattooThe Girl with the Dragon TattooThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an award-winning crime novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. It is the first book in the trilogy known as the "Millennium series"....
(September 16) - Kelly LinkKelly LinkKelly Link is an American editor and author of short stories. While some of her fiction falls more clearly within genre categories, many of her stories might be described as slipstream or magic realism: a combination of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and realism...
- Pretty Monsters (October 2) - David LodgeDavid Lodge (author)David John Lodge CBE, is an English author.In his novels, Lodge often satirises academia in general and the humanities in particular. He was brought up Catholic and has described himself as an "agnostic Catholic". Many of his characters are Catholic and their Catholicism is a major theme...
- Deaf Sentence (May 1) - James McBrideJames McBride (writer)James McBride is an American writer and musician whose compositions have been recorded by a variety of other musicians.-Early life:McBride's father, the late Rev. Andrew D...
- Song Yet Sung (February 5) - Joe McGinniss Jr.Joe McGinniss Jr.Joe McGinniss Jr. is author of The Delivery Man and is an American writer whose debut 2008 novel was published by Grove/Atlantic, Inc.. He lives in Washington DC, with his wife, son and dog Vegas, a Labrador Retriever. He graduated from Swarthmore College and also attended American University...
- The Delivery ManThe Delivery Man (novel)The Delivery Man, is Joe McGinniss Jr.'s first novel, published 15 January 2008. It is also the name of an album by Elvis Costello.-Plot summary:...
(January 15) - Lydia MilletLydia MilletLydia Millet is an American novelist. Her third novel, My Happy Life, won the 2003 PEN-USA Award for Fiction. Her fifth novel, Oh Pure and Radiant Heart was short-listed for the 2007 Arthur C. Clarke Award...
- How the Dead Dream (January 25) - Toni MorrisonToni MorrisonToni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
- A MercyA MercyA Mercy is Toni Morrison's 9th novel. It was first published in 2008. A Mercy reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery in early America. It is both the story of mothers and daughters and the story of a primitive America. It made the New York Times Book Review list of "10 Best Books of 2008"...
(November 11) - Nunoe Mura - GeGeGe no NyōbōGeGeGe no Nyōbōis a 2008 novel by Nunoe Mura, a wife of Shigeru Mizuki. It has been adapted into a film and a television series in 2010.-Cast:*Nao Matsushita *Osamu Mukai *Takumi Saito *Kazue Fukiishi *Kankurō Kudō -External links:...
- Joyce Carol OatesJoyce Carol OatesJoyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
- My Sister, My LoveMy Sister, My LoveMy Sister, My Love is a 2008 novel by Joyce Carol Oates. It is her 37th published novel. It reimagines the JonBenet Ramsey murder, with ice-skating champion Bliss Rampike standing in for JonBenet, and is narrated by her surviving older brother, Skyler Rampike.The book received generally positive...
(June 24) - Chuck PalahniukChuck PalahniukCharles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter...
- Snuff (May 20) - Arturo Perez-ReverteArturo Pérez-ReverteArturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He worked as a war correspondent for twenty-one years . His first novel, El húsar, set in the Napoleonic Wars, was released in 1986. He is well known outside Spain for his "Alatriste" series of novels...
- The Painter of Battles (January 8) - Jodi PicoultJodi PicoultJodi Lynn Picoult is an American author. She was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003. Picoult currently has some 14 million copies of her books in print worldwide.-Early life and education:...
- Change of HeartChange of Heart (novel)- Plot introduction :Shay Bourne is the first New Hampshire death row prisoner in 58 years. He wants to donate his heart after his execution to the half sister/daughter of his victims who is in need of a heart transplant...
(March 4) - José Luis Rodríguez PittíJosé Luis Rodríguez PittíJosé Luis Rodríguez Pittí is a contemporary writer and documentary photographer. He was born in Panamá.He is the author of short stories, poems and essays and published the books "Panamá Blues" , "miniTEXTOS" , "Sueños urbanos" , "Crónica de invisibles" José Luis Rodríguez Pittí (born 29 March...
- Sueños urbanos - Richard PriceRichard Price (writer)Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers and Clockers.-Early life:...
- Lush LifeLush Life (novel)Lush Life is a contemporary social novel by Richard Price. It is Price's eighth novel, and was published in 2008 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.-Plot summary:...
(March 4) - Ruth RendellRuth RendellRuth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, , who also writes under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, is an English crime writer, author of psychological thrillers and murder mysteries....
- PortobelloPortobello (novel)Portobello is a novel by British writer Ruth Rendell, published in 2008. It is set in and around the Portobello Road in Notting Hill, London. Written in the third-person narrative mode, it follows the lives of a number of Londoners—rich and poor alike—living near the Portobello Road...
(November 20) - Nathaniel RichNathaniel Rich (novelist)Nathaniel Rich is an American novelist and essayist. He is the author of a novel, The Mayor's Tongue , published by Riverhead in 2008. A work of nonfiction, San Francisco Noir: The City in Film Noir from 1940 to the Present , was published by The Little Bookroom in 2005...
- The Mayor's Tongue (April 8) - Marilynne RobinsonMarilynne Robinson-Biography:Robinson was born and grew up in Sandpoint, Idaho, and did her undergraduate work at Pembroke College, the former women's college at Brown University, receiving her B.A., magna cum laude in 1966, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She received her Ph.D...
- HomeHome (novel)Home is a novel written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Marilynne Robinson. Published in 2008, it is Robinson's third novel, preceded by Housekeeping in 1980 and Gilead in 2004....
(September 2) - Charlotte RocheCharlotte RocheCharlotte Elisabeth Grace Roche is a British-born German television presenter, actress, singer and author.- Life and career :...
- FeuchtgebieteFeuchtgebieteFeuchtgebiete is Charlotte Roche's debut novel. Partly autobiographical , it was first published in German in 2008 by DuMont and was the world's best-selling novel in March 2008. For supporters it is a piece of erotic literature; for critics it is cleverly marketed pornography...
(February 25) - Philip RothPhilip RothPhilip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
- IndignationIndignation (novel)Indignation is a novel by Philip Roth, released by Houghton Mifflin on September 16, 2008. It is his twenty-ninth book.-Plot:Set in America in 1951, the second year of the Korean War, Indignation is narrated by Marcus Messner, a college student from Newark, New Jersey, who describes his sophomore...
(September 16) - Salman Rushdie - The Enchantress of FlorenceThe Enchantress of FlorenceThe Enchantress of Florence is the ninth novel by Salman Rushdie, and was published in 2008. According to Rushdie this is his "most researched book" which required "Years and years of reading"....
(June 3) - Curtis SittenfeldCurtis SittenfeldElizabeth Curtis Sittenfeld is an American writer. She is author of three novels: Prep, the tale of a Massachusetts prep school, The Man of My Dreams, a coming-of-age novel and an examination of romantic love, and American Wife, a fictional story loosely based on the life of First Lady Laura...
- American Wife (September 2) - John UpdikeJohn UpdikeJohn Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
- The Widows of EastwickThe Widows of EastwickThe Widows of Eastwick is the final novel by John Updike, author of the Pulitzer-prize winning "Rabbit" series. First published in 2008, it is a sequel to his novel The Witches of Eastwick.-Plot:...
(October 28) - Tobias WolffTobias WolffTobias Jonathan Ansell Wolff is an American author. He is known for his memoirs, particularly This Boy's Life , and his short stories. He has also written two novels.-Biography:Wolff was born in 1945 in Birmingham, Alabama...
- Our Story Begins (March 25)
Horror Fiction
- Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
- Duma KeyDuma KeyDuma Key is a horror novel by American novelist Stephen King published in 2008. The book reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. It is King's first novel to be set in Florida or Minnesota.-Plot:...
(January 22) - Matthew J. CostelloMatthew J. CostelloMatthew J. Costello is the author or coauthor of numerous novels and nonfiction works. His articles have appeared in publications including the Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated. He scripted Trilobyte's bestselling CD-ROM interactive dramas The 7th Guest and its sequel The 11th Hour, as...
- Doom 3: Worlds on FireDoom 3: Worlds on FireDoom 3: Worlds on Fire is the first book in a planned series of three novels. Before writing the book, its author Matthew Costello, wrote the scripts for Doom 3 and Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil.-Synopsis:...
(February 26) - Stephenie MeyerStephenie MeyerStephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...
- Breaking DawnBreaking DawnBreaking Dawn is the fourth and final novel in the The Twilight Saga by American author Stephenie Meyer. Divided into three parts, the first and third sections are written from Bella Swan's perspective and the second is written from the perspective of Jacob Black...
(August 2)
Children's and young adults' fiction
- Eoin ColferEoin ColferEoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...
- Artemis Fowl: The Time ParadoxArtemis Fowl: The Time ParadoxArtemis Fowl: The Time Paradox is the sixth book in the series Artemis Fowl by Irish writer Eoin Colfer. It was released in the U.S. on 5 July 2008, and on 7 August in the U.K...
(July 15) - John GreenJohn Green (writer)John Michael Green is an American author of young adult fiction and a YouTube vlogger.-Early life and career:...
- Paper TownsPaper TownsPaper Towns is the third young adult novel by John Green, published in October 2008 by Dutton Books. It debuted at number 5 on the New York Times bestseller list for children's books and was awarded the 2009 Edgar Award for best Young Adult novel....
(October 16) - Brian GreeneBrian GreeneBrian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds...
- Icarus At The Edge Of TimeIcarus at the Edge of TimeIcarus at the Edge of Time is a 2008 novel by physicist Brian Greene, illustrated by Chip Kidd with images from the Hubble Space Telescope. It was adapted into a 40-minute orchestral piece by Philip Glass with a film by AL and AL in 2010.... - Charlie HigsonCharlie HigsonCharles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
- Young Bond: By Royal Command (September 3) - Tōru Honda and Kasumu Kirino - Light Novel no Tanoshii KakikataLight Novel no Tanoshii Kakikatais a Japanese light novel written by Tōru Honda and illustrated by Kasumu Kirino. It was adapted into a live action film in 2010....
(February 15) - Minoru Kawakami and Satoyasu - Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere
- D. J. MacHale - Raven RiseRaven RiseRaven Rise is the title of the ninth book in The Pendragon Adventure by D.J. MacHale. It was released on May 20, 2008.-Synopsis:The book begins with separate narratives focusing on Patrick Mac and Alder, the Travelers of Third Earth and Denduron respectively. It follows the changes in their home...
(May 20) - Jenny NimmoJenny NimmoJenny Nimmo is a British author of numerous books for children, including many fantasy and adventure novels, beginning reader books, and picture books....
- Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock (June 1) - Garth NixGarth NixGarth Nix is an Australian author of young adult fantasy novels, most notably the Old Kingdom series, The Seventh Tower series, and The Keys to the Kingdom series. He has frequently been asked if his name is a pseudonym, to which he has responded, "I guess people ask me because it sounds like the...
- Superior SaturdaySuperior SaturdaySuperior Saturday is the sixth novel by Garth Nix in his The Keys to the Kingdom series. It follows the pattern set by the five previous novels...
(May 5) - Christopher PaoliniChristopher PaoliniChristopher Paolini is an American author. He is best known as the author of the Inheritance Cycle, which consists of the books Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance...
- Brisingr (September 20) - Angie SageAngie SageAngie Sage is the author of the Septimus Heap series which includes Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, and Darke. She is also the illustrator and/or writer of many children's books, and is the new writer of the Araminta Spook series.Angie Sage grew up in Thames Valley, London and Kent. Her...
- QuesteQuesteQueste is a fantasy novel by Angie Sage. It is the fourth book in the Septimus Heap series. The book was released on 16 April 2008, in the United States. The cover of the book is modeled after the in-story Restored notes of Nicko bound by Ephaniah Grebe into a book, with the Queste stone lying on...
(April 8) - Michael Salzhauer - My Beautiful MommyMy Beautiful MommyMy Beautiful Mommy is a children's book written by plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer. It is the first book ever written for children about plastic surgery and was illustrated by Victor Guiza.-Plot synopsis:...
Science fiction and fantasy
- Douglas PrestonDouglas PrestonDouglas Preston is an American author who has written seventeen popular techno-thriller and horror novels, four alone and the rest with Lincoln Child...
- BlasphemyBlasphemy (novel)-Plot summary:Isabella, a powerful particle accelerator has been constructed in Red Mesa in the remote Arizona desert, the most expensive machine ever built by science. A team of scientists under the direction of a charismatic Nobel Laureate, Gregory North Hazelius, experience trouble, and the...
(January 8) - Jim ButcherJim ButcherJim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling author most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K...
- Small FavorThe Dresden FilesThe Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher.He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in...
(April 1) (Harry Dresden #10) - Cornelia FunkeCornelia FunkeCornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German author of children's fiction. She was born on 10 December 1958, in Dorsten, North Rhine-Westphalia. Funke is best known for her Inkworld trilogy, with the English translation of the third book, Inkdeath, released on 6 October 2008. Many of her...
- Inkdeath (October 7) - Patricia A. McKillipPatricia A. McKillipPatricia Anne McKillip is an American author of fantasy and science fiction novels. Her novels have been winners of the World Fantasy Award, Locus Award and Mythopoeic Award. In 2008, she was a recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement...
- The Bell at Sealey HeadThe Bell at Sealey HeadThe Bell at Sealey Head is a 2008 fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was nominated for the 2009 Locus Award as well as the 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature.-Summary:...
(September 2) - Matthew StoverMatthew StoverMatthew Woodring Stover is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. He is perhaps best known for his four Star Wars novels, including the novelization of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. He has also written several fantasy novels, including Iron Dawn and Jericho Moon...
- Caine Black KnifeCaine Black KnifeCaine Black Knife is a 2008 fantasy novel written by American Science Fiction author Matthew Stover. It is labeled as the third of the Acts of Caine, and is act one of the Atonement story arc. It is published by the Ballentine Books division of Del Rey...
(October 14) - T.S. Church - Betrayal at Falador
New drama
- Salvatore AntonioSalvatore AntonioSalvatore Antonio is a Canadian actor and playwright. He was born to Italian-immigrant parents...
- In Gabriel's KitchenIn Gabriel's KitchenIn Gabriel's Kitchen is the debut play of Salvatore Antonio, centering on an Italian-Canadian family's reaction to their son's homosexuality. For Gabriel, the youngest son, falling in love leads to decisions which cannot be reversed... - Howard BrentonHoward Brenton-Early years:Brenton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, son of Methodist minister Donald Henry Brenton and his wife Rose Lilian . He was educated at Chichester High School For Boys and read English Literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. In 1964 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal...
- Never So GoodNever So Good (play)Never So Good is a 2008 play by Howard Brenton, which portrays the life and career of Harold Macmillan, a 20th-century Conservative British politician who served as Prime Minister... - Mary Higgins ClarkMary Higgins ClarkMary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark Conheeney , known professionally as Mary Higgins Clark, is an American author of suspense novels...
- Where Are You Now?Where Are You Now?"Where Are You Now?" is a Grammy Award-nominated 1995 R&B ballad by Brandy, written and produced by Grammy Award-winning rock musician, Lenny Kravitz... - Tyler PerryTyler PerryTyler Perry is an American actor, director, playwright, entrepreneur, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman...
- The Marriage Counselor - Lynn NottageLynn NottageLynn Nottage is an American playwright whose work often deals with the lives of women of African descent, African Americans and women. She was born in Brooklyn and is a graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama. She received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005, and a MacArthur Genius...
- RuinedRuined (play)Ruined is a play by Lynn Nottage. The play won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.The play involves the plight of women in the civil war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.-Production history:... - R T Hunt - Gaffers' RowGaffers' RowGaffers' Row is the debut novel by R T Hunt. The story centres around a coal-mining community in a fictional South Wales valley. Though the story, setting and characters are fictional the story derives its themes from real life events of Hunt and the Ogmore Valley.The book was first published by...
Non-fiction
- Julie AndrewsJulie AndrewsDame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
- Home: A Memoir of My Early YearsHome: A Memoir of My Early YearsHome: A Memoir of My Early Years is a best-selling memoir written by Julie Andrews. It was published on April 1, 2008 by Hyperion.Home tells the story of Julie Andrews' life up until 1963, when she left England for Hollywood to shoot Mary Poppins and is intended as part one of a two part memoir...
(April 1) - Dan ArielyDan ArielyDan Ariely is an Israeli American professor of psychology and behavioral economics. He teaches at Duke University and is the founder of The Center for Advanced Hindsight.-Biography:...
- Predictably IrrationalPredictably IrrationalPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions is a 2008 book by Dan Ariely, in which he challenges readers' assumptions about making decisions based on rational thought. Ariely explains, "My goal, by the end of this book, is to help you fundamentally rethink what makes you and...
(February 19) - Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
- Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of WealthPayback: Debt and the Shadow Side of WealthPayback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth is a non-fiction book written by Margaret Atwood, about the nature of debt, for the 2008 Massey Lectures. Each of the book's five chapters was delivered as a one hour lecture in a different Canadian city, beginning in St. John's, Newfoundland, on October...
(October 1) - Dionne BrandDionne BrandDionne Brand is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian. She was named Toronto's third Poet Laureate in September 2009.-Biography:...
- A Kind of Perfect Speech: The Ralph Gustafson Lecture Malaspina University-College 19 October 2006 - Augusten BurroughsAugusten BurroughsAugusten Xon Burroughs is an American writer known for his New York Times bestselling memoir Running with Scissors .- Life :...
- A Wolf at the TableA Wolf at the TableA Wolf at the Table is a 2008 memoir by Augusten Burroughs that recounts his turbulent childhood relationship with his father. In the summer of 2007, Burroughs announced on his official website that the book would be released on . In an interview with Wikinews, Burroughs said that many of his fans...
(April 29) - Michael ChabonMichael ChabonMichael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
- Maps and LegendsMaps and LegendsMaps and Legends is an essay collection by American author Michael Chabon that was scheduled for official release on May 1, 2008, although some copies shipped two weeks early from various online bookstores. The book is Chabon's first book-length foray into nonfiction, with 16 essays, some...
(May 1) - Sloane CrosleySloane CrosleySloane Crosley is a writer living in New York and the author of best-selling collections of essays, I Was Told There'd Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number....
- I Was Told There'd Be CakeI Was Told There'd Be CakeI Was Told There'd Be Cake is a New York Times-bestselling collection of essays by American writer and literary publicist Sloane Crosley.-Reception:In 2008, I Was Told There'd Be Cake paved the way for several funny female essayists...
(April 1) - John Duignan - The Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of ScientologyThe Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of ScientologyThe Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of Scientology is a non-fiction book about the organization and practices of the Church of Scientology, written by former Scientologist John Duignan with Nicola Tallant. The book was published in Ireland on October 7, 2008 by Merlin...
(October 7) by - EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
- The Way I AmThe Way I Am (autobiography)The Way I Am is an autobiography by American rapper Eminem, published on October 21, 2008. It is a collection of Eminem's personal stories, reflections, photographs, original artwork, and lyric sheets...
(October 21) - Richard FloridaRichard FloridaRichard Florida is an American urban studies theorist.Richard Florida's focus is on social and economic theory. He is currently a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, at the University of Toronto. He also heads a private consulting firm, the...
- Who's Your City?Who's Your City?Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life is a non-fiction book written by Richard Florida. The book advances Florida's previous work on the locational choices of people and businesses...
(March) - Haruki MurakamiHaruki Murakamiis a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and Jerusalem Prize among others.He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature...
(trans. Philip GabrielPhilip GabrielJ. Philip Gabriel is a full professor and department chair of the University of Arizona's Department of East Asian Studies and is one of the major translators into English of the works of the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami....
) - What I Talk About When I Talk About RunningWhat I Talk About When I Talk About RunningWhat I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a memoir by Haruki Murakami in which he writes about his interest and participation in long-distance running...
(July 29) - David SedarisDavid SedarisDavid Sedaris is a Grammy Award-nominated American humorist, writer, comedian, bestselling author, and radio contributor....
- When You Are Engulfed in FlamesWhen You Are Engulfed in FlamesWhen You Are Engulfed in Flames is a collection of essays by bestselling American humorist David Sedaris. It was released on June 3, 2008.-Synopsis:...
(June 3) - Ronnie Thompson - ScrewedScrewed: The truth about life as a Prison OfficerScrewed: The Truth About Life as a Prison Officer is a non-fiction book written by ex-prison officer-turned-author Ronnie Thompson . The book was first published by Headline Review on 24 January 2008 in hardback....
(January 24) - Bjørn Christian Tørrissen - One for the RoadOne for the Road (B.C. Tørrissen book)"One For The Road" is a travel book by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, first published in 2008. The book was translated from Norwegian, where it was published under the title "I pose og sekk!" .-Summary:...
(January 31) - Barbara WaltersBarbara WaltersBarbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
- Audition: A Memoir (May 6)
Awards and honors
- PEN/Faulkner Award for FictionPEN/Faulkner Award for FictionThe PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living American citizens. The winner receives US $15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US $5000. The foundation brings the winner and runners-up to...
- Kate ChristensenKate ChristensenKate Christensen is an American novelist. She won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award for her fourth novel, The Great Man, about a painter and the three women in his life. Her previous novels are In the Drink , Jeremy Thrane , and The Epicure's Lament...
, The Great ManThe Great Man (novel)The Great Man: A Novel is a 2007 novel by American author Kate Christensen. It won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, beating nearly 350 other submissions and earning Christensen the $15,000 top prize. The story takes place five years after the death, at 78, of celebrated painter Oscar... - Canada ReadsCanada ReadsCanada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
- Paul QuarringtonPaul QuarringtonPaul Lewis Quarrington was a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician and educator.-Background:...
, King LearyKing LearyKing Leary is a novel by Canadian humorist Paul Quarrington, published in 1987 by Doubleday Canada.-Plot introduction:The novel's protagonist is Percival "King" Leary, a legendary retired ice hockey player living in a smalltown nursing home, who is invited to Toronto by a young hotshot advertising... - IMPAC Dublin Literary Award - Rawi HageRawi Hage-Early life and education:Born in Beirut, Hage grew up in Lebanon and Cyprus. He moved to New York City in 1984. In 1991, he relocated to Montreal, where he studied Photography at Dawson College and Fine Arts at Concordia University. He subsequently began exhibiting as a photographer, and has had...
, De Niro's GameDe Niro's GameDe Niro's Game is the debut novel by Lebanese-Canadian writer Rawi Hage, originally published in 2006.The novel's primary characters are Bassam and George, lifelong friends living in wartorn Beirut... - Man Booker PrizeMan Booker PrizeThe Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
- Aravind AdigaAravind AdigaAravind Adiga is an Indian writer and journalist. His debut novel, The White Tiger, won the 2008 Man Booker Prize.-Early life and education:...
, The White TigerThe White TigerThe White Tiger is the debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga. It was first published in 2008 and won the Man Booker Prize in the same year. The novel provides a darkly comical view of modern day life in India through the narration of its protagonist Balram Halwai... - Pulitzer Prize for FictionPulitzer Prize for FictionThe Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It originated as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, which was awarded between 1918 and 1947.-1910s:...
- Junot DiazJunot DíazJunot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer and creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Central to Díaz's work is the immigrant experience...
, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Scotiabank Giller PrizeScotiabank Giller PrizeThe Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
- Joseph BoydenJoseph BoydenJoseph Boyden is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. His first novel, Three Day Road won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize...
, Through Black SpruceThrough Black SpruceThrough Black Spruce is a novel by Canadian writer Joseph Boyden, published in 2008 by Viking Press. It is Boyden's second novel and third published book.... - Nobel Prize in LiteratureNobel Prize in LiteratureSince 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
- J. M. G. Le Clézio - Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the YearBookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the YearThe Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year, originally known as the Diagram Group Prize for the Oddest Title at the Frankfurt Book Fair, commonly known as the Diagram Prize for short, is a humorous literary award that is given annually to the book with the oddest title...
- The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais, Philip M. ParkerPhilip M. ParkerPhilip M. Parker holds the INSEAD Chair Professorship of Management Science at INSEAD . He has patented a method to automatically produce a set of similar books from a template which is filled with data from database and internet searches... - Carnegie MedalCarnegie MedalThe Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
for children's literatureChildren's literatureChildren's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
: Philip ReevePhilip ReevePhilip Reeve is a British author and illustrator. He presently lives on Dartmoor with his wife Sarah and their son Samuel.-Biography:...
, Here Lies ArthurHere Lies ArthurHere Lies Arthur is a young adult novel by Philip Reeve. It was first published in April 2007. The Arthur of the title is the King Arthur of legend... - Newbery MedalNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
for children's literatureChildren's literatureChildren's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
: Laura Amy SchlitzLaura Amy SchlitzLaura Amy Schlitz is an American author of children's literature. She is a librarian and storyteller at Park School in Baltimore County, Maryland....
, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval VillageGood Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval VillageGood Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village is a 2007 children's book written by Laura Amy Schlitz. The book was awarded the 2008 Newbery Medal for excellence in children's literature.- Overview :...
January-February
- January 2 - George MacDonald FraserGeorge MacDonald FraserGeorge MacDonald Fraser, OBE was an English-born author of Scottish descent, who wrote both historical novels and non-fiction books, as well as several screenplays.-Early life and military career:...
, 82, British author (FlashmanFlashman (novel)Flashman is a 1969 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the first of the Flashman novels.-Plot introduction:Presented within the frame of the supposedly discovered historical Flashman Papers, this book describes the bully Flashman from Tom Brown's Schooldays...
) - January 3 - Henri ChopinHenri ChopinHenri Chopin was an avant-garde poet and musician.-Life:Henri Chopin was a French practitioner of concrete and sound poet, well-known throughout the second half of the 20th century...
, 85, French poet - January 11 - Nancy PhelanNancy PhelanNancy Phelan was an Australian writer who published over 25 books, including novels, biographies, memoirs, travel books and a cookbook...
, 94, Australian writer - January 13 - Patricia VerdugoPatricia VerdugoPatricia del Cármen Verdugo Aguirre was a Chilean journalist, writer and human rights activist. She focused much of her investigative reporting on the human rights abuses committed by the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.-Early life:Verdugo was born in 1947...
, 60, Chilean journalist and writer - January 16 - Hone TuwhareHone TuwhareHone Tuwhare was a noted New Zealand poet of Māori ancestry. He is closely associated with The Catlins in the Otago region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter part of his life.-Early years:...
, 85, New Zealand poet - January 17 - Edward D. HochEdward D. HochEdward Dentinger Hoch was an American writer of detective fiction. Although he wrote several novels, he was primarily known for his vast output of over 950 short stories.-Biography:...
, 77, American pulp writer - January 26
- John ArdaghJohn ArdaghJohn Ardagh was a British journalist, writer and broadcaster. In the 1950s and 1960s, he worked as a staff writer and correspondent for The Times and The Observer...
, 79, British journalist and writer - Abraham BrumbergAbraham BrumbergAbraham Brumberg was a Jewish American writer and editor. He is known for writing about the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Jewish issues...
, 81, American writer and editor
- John Ardagh
- January 29 - Margaret TrumanMargaret TrumanMary Margaret Truman Daniel , also known as Margaret Truman or Margaret Daniel, was an American singer who later became a successful writer. The only child of US President Harry S...
, 83, American writer - January 30 - Miles KingtonMiles KingtonMiles Beresford Kington was a British journalist, musician and broadcaster.-Early life :...
, 66, British journalist and writer
- February 4 - Rose HackerRose HackerRose Hacker was a British socialist, writer, sex educator and campaigner for social justice. At her death, aged 101, she was the world's oldest newspaper columnist.-Life:...
, 101, British writer and journalist - February 7 - Richard AltickRichard AltickRichard Daniel Altick was an American literary scholar, known for his pioneering contributions to Victorian Studies, as well as for championing both the joys and the rigorous methods of literary research.-Life:...
, 92, American literary scholar - February 8 - Phyllis A. WhitneyPhyllis A. WhitneyPhyllis Ayame Whitney was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. Often described as a Gothic novelist, a review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American...
, 104, American mystery writer - February 10 - Steve GerberSteve GerberStephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
, 60, American comic book writer (Howard the DuckHoward the DuckHoward the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
) - February 18 - Alain Robbe-GrilletAlain Robbe-GrilletAlain Robbe-Grillet , was a French writer and filmmaker. He was, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and Claude Simon, one of the figures most associated with the Nouveau Roman trend. Alain Robbe-Grillet was elected a member of the Académie française on March 25, 2004, succeeding Maurice...
, 85, French novelist - February 21
- Archie HindArchie HindArchie Hind , the author of The Dear Green Place, was a Scottish writer.-Life and work:The Dear Green Place was his only completed work , but it won four major awards and has been listed as one of the best 100 Scottish novels of all time...
, 80, British novelist - Robin MooreRobin MooreRobert Lowell "Robin" Moore, Jr. was an American writer who is most known for his books The Green Berets, The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy and, with Xaviera Hollander and Yvonne Dunleavy, The Happy Hooker: My Own Story.Moore also co-authored...
, 82, American writer
- Archie Hind
- February 22 - Stephen MarloweStephen MarloweStephen Marlowe was an American author of science fiction, mystery novels, and fictional autobiographies of Christopher Columbus, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, and Edgar Allan Poe...
, 79, American sci-fi and crime writer - February 28 - Julian RathboneJulian RathboneJulian Christopher Rathbone was an English novelist.- Life :Julian Rathbone attended Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was a contemporary of Bamber Gascoigne and Sylvia Plath. At Cambridge he took tutorials with FR Leavis, for whom, without having ever been what might be described as a...
, 73, British novelist - February 28 (probable) - Val PlumwoodVal PlumwoodVal Plumwood , formerly Val Routley, was an Australian ecofeminist intellectual and activist, who was prominent in the development of radical ecosophy from the early 1970s through the remainder of the 20th century....
, 68, Australian philosopher
March-April
- March 16 - Jonathan WilliamsJonathan Williams (poet)Jonathan Williams was an American poet, publisher, essayist, and photographer. He is known as the founder of The Jargon Society, which has published poetry, experimental fiction, photography, and folk art for more than fifty years...
, 79, American poet - March 19
- Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
, 90, British science-fiction writer and futuristFuturologyFutures studies is the study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science. In general, it can be considered as a branch under the more general scope of the field of... - Hugo ClausHugo ClausHugo Maurice Julien Claus was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms. Claus' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama, the novel, and poetry; he also left a legacy as a painter and film director...
, 78, Belgian writer
- Arthur C. Clarke
- March 23 - E. A. MarkhamE. A. MarkhamEdward Archie Markham FRSL was a poet and writer, born in Harris, Montserrat, and mainly resident in the United Kingdom from 1956. Known for poetry in both "nation-language" and standard English, for short stories and a comic novel, he sometimes used the pseudonym Paul St. Vincent and other...
, 68, Montserratian poet - April 3 - Andrew CrozierAndrew CrozierAndrew Thomas Knights Crozier was a poet associated with the British Poetry Revival.-Life:Crozier was educated at Dulwich College, and later Christ's College, Cambridge. His 1976 book Pleats won the Alice Hunt Bartlett Prize, awarded jointly that year with Lee Harwood...
, 64, British poet and editor - April 7 - Ludu Daw AmarLudu Daw AmarLudu Daw Amar was a well known and respected leading dissident writer and journalist in Mandalay, Burma. She was married to fellow writer and journalist Ludu U Hla and was the mother of popular writer Nyi Pu Lay...
, 92, Burmese writer and journalist - April 13 - Robert GreacenRobert GreacenRobert Greacen was an Irish poet and member of Aosdána. Born in Derry, Ireland, on 24 October 1920, he was educated at Methodist College Belfast and Trinity College Dublin...
, 87, Irish poet - April 17
- Aimé CésaireAimé CésaireAimé Fernand David Césaire was a French poet, author and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the négritude movement in Francophone literature".-Student, educator, and poet:...
, 94, French-Martinican poet - Zoya KrakhmalnikovaZoya KrakhmalnikovaZoya Alexandrovna Krakhmalnikova was a Russian Christian writer, of Ukrainian origin. She was an activist and former Soviet dissident who was repeatedly arrested by the authorities of the former Soviet Union for her publications.- Early life and career :Krakhmalnikova was born in the city of...
, 79, Russian writer and editor
- Aimé Césaire
- April 18
- Michael de LarrabeitiMichael de LarrabeitiMichael de Larrabeiti was an English novelist and travel writer. He is best known for writing The Borrible Trilogy, which has been cited as an influence by writers in the New Weird movement.-Early life:...
, 63, British novelist - William W. WarnerWilliam W. WarnerWilliam W. Warner was an American biologist and writer.Warner was a 1943 graduate of Princeton University. During World War II, Warner served in the Pacific Theater of operations as an aerial photograph analyst with a Marine air group.He was awarded the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction...
, 88, American biologist and Pulitzer Prize winning writer
- Michael de Larrabeiti
May-June
- May 1 - Elaine DundyElaine DundyElaine Dundy was an American novelist, biographer, journalist, actress and playwright.-Early life:Born Elaine Rita Brimberg in New York City, of Latvian maternal descent, her Polish father was an office furniture manufacturer and a violent bully...
, 86, American novelist - May 9 - Nuala O'FaolainNuala O'FaolainNuala O'Faolain was an Irish journalist, TV producer, book reviewer, teacher and author. She became internationally well-known for her two volumes of memoir, Are You Somebody? and Almost There; a novel, My Dream of You; and a history with commentary, The Story of Chicago May...
, Irish Journalist, novelist and critic - May 11 - Jeff TorringtonJeff TorringtonJeff Torrington was a novelist from Glasgow in Scotland.His novels draw on the changing face of modern Scotland. Swing Hammer Swing was set during the demolition of the old Gorbals. It took 30 years to write. The Devil's Carousel drew on the decline of a fictionalised version of the...
, 72, British novelist - May 12 - Oakley HallOakley HallOakley Maxwell Hall was an American novelist. He was born in San Diego, California, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and served in the Marines during World War II. Some of his mysteries were published under the pen names "O.M...
, 87, American novelist - May 14 - Roy HeathRoy HeathRoy A K Heath was a Guyanese writer, most noted for his "Georgetown Trilogy" of novels , consisting of From the Heat of the Day , One Generation , and Genetha...
, 81, Guyanese novelist - May 19 - Vijay TendulkarVijay TendulkarVijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi...
, 80, Indian playwright - May 23 - Alan BrienAlan BrienAlan Brien was a British journalist best known for his novel Lenin. This took the form of a fictional diary charting Lenin's life from the death of his father to shortly before his own demise in 1924....
, 83, British journalist and novelist - May 28 - Elinor LyonElinor LyonElinor Bruce Lyon was an English children's author.Lyon was born in Guisborough, Yorkshire and educated at Headington School, Oxford. Her father was P. H. B. Lyon. After living for a time in Switzerland, she returned to Oxford to read English at Lady Margaret Hall just as World War II began...
, 86, British children's writer
- June 2 - Ferenc FejtőFerenc FejtoFerenc Fejtő, , was a Hungarian-born French journalist and political scientist, specializing in Eastern Europe....
, 98, French-Hungarian historian and journalist - June 4 - Matthew BruccoliMatthew BruccoliMatthew Joseph Bruccoli was an American professor of English at the University of South Carolina. He was the preeminent expert on F. Scott Fitzgerald...
, 76, American biographer and editor - June 5 - Angus CalderAngus CalderAngus Lindsay Ritchie Calder was a Scottish academic, writer, historian, educator and literary editor with a background in English literature, politics and cultural studies.-Education:...
, 65, British writer and editor - June 8 - Peter RühmkorfPeter RühmkorfPeter Rühmkorf was a German writer who significantly influenced German post-war literature....
, 78, German poet - June 9 - Algis BudrysAlgis BudrysAlgis Budrys was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names "Frank Mason", "Alger Rome", "John A. Sentry", "William Scarff", and "Paul Janvier."-Biography:...
, 77, Lithuanian-American science fiction writer and editor - June 10
- Chinghiz AitmatovChinghiz AitmatovChyngyz Aitmatov was a Soviet and Kyrgyz author who wrote in both Russian and Kyrgyz. He was the best known figure in Kyrgyzstan's literature.- Life :...
, 79, Kyrgyz writer - Eliot AsinofEliot AsinofEliot Asinof was an American writer of fiction and nonfiction best known for his writing about baseball. His most famous book was Eight Men Out, a nonfiction reconstruction of the 1919 Black Sox scandal.-Biography:...
, 88, American sportswriter
- Chinghiz Aitmatov
- June 16 - Mario Rigoni SternMario Rigoni SternMario Rigoni Stern was an Italian author and World War II veteran.His first novel Il sergente nella neve, published in 1953 , draws on his own experience as a Sergeant Major in the Alpini corp during the disastrous retreat from Russia in World War II...
, 86, Italian novelist - June 18 - Tasha Tudor, 92, American children's writer and illustrator
- June 22 - Albert CosseryAlbert CosseryAlbert Cossery was an Egyptian-born French writer of Greek Orthodox Syrian and Lebanese descent, born in Cairo.- Life :...
, 94, French-Egyptian novelist - June 24 - Ruth CardosoRuth CardosoRuth Vilaça Correia Leite Cardoso was a Brazilian anthropologist and a former member of the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences at the University of Sao Paulo . She was the wife of 34th President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and First Lady of her country between January 1,...
, 77, Brazilian anthropologist and writer - June 25 - Lyall WatsonLyall WatsonLyall Watson was a South African botanist, zoologist, biologist, anthropologist, ethologist, and author of many new age books, among the most popular of which is the best seller Supernature. Lyall Watson tried to make sense of natural and supernatural phenomena in biological terms...
, 69, South African new age writer - June 27 - Lenka ReinerováLenka ReinerováLenka Reinerová was an author from the Czech Republic who wrote exclusively in German. She was born in Prague.- Life :...
, 92, Czech writer
July-August
- July 1
- Clay FelkerClay FelkerClay Schuette Felker was an American magazine editor and journalist who founded New York Magazine in 1968. He was known for bringing large numbers of journalists into the profession...
, 82, American magazine editor and journalist, founder of New YorkNew York (magazine)New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New... - Robert HarlingRobert Harling (typographer)Robert Henry Harling was a British typographer, designer, journalist and novelist who lived to the age of 98.-Books and other work:* The Letterforms and Type Designs of Eric Gill...
, 98, British typographer, editor and novelist
- Clay Felker
- July 2 - Simone OrtegaSimone OrtegaSimone Ortega Klein , better known simply as Simone Ortega, was a bestselling Spanish culinary author. Born in Barcelona to a family originally from Alsace in France, she published her first and bestselling book 1080 recetas de cocina in 1972...
, 89, Spanish cookery writer - July 4
- Thomas M. DischThomas M. DischThomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W...
, 68, American science fiction author and poet. - Janwillem van de WeteringJanwillem van de WeteringJanwillem Lincoln van de Wetering was the author of a number of works in English and Dutch. He was particularly noted for his detective fiction, his most popular creations being Grijpstra and de Gier, a pair of Amsterdam police officers who figure in a lengthy series of novels and short stories...
, 77, Dutch novelist
- Thomas M. Disch
- July 20 - Roger Wolcott HallRoger Wolcott HallRoger Wolcott Hall was an American Army officer and spy in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II and the author of a humorous memoir of his experiences in the Office of Strategic Services , entitled You’re Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger...
, 89, American memoirist and novelist - July 27 - Bob CrampseyBob CrampseyRobert "Bob" Crampsey was a Scottish association football historian, author and broadcaster, described as a "much loved Scottish cultural institution" by The Times...
, 78, British writer - July 30 - Peter CokePeter Coke-Personal life:Peter John Coke was born in Southsea on 3 April 1913. His father was a commander in the Navy, who took his family to Kenya to run a linen plantation, however, this venture failed and he began to run a coffee plantation...
, 95, British playwright
- August 3 - Aleksandr SolzhenitsynAleksandr SolzhenitsynAleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
, 89, Russian writer and Nobel Prize laureate - August 7 - Simon GraySimon GraySimon James Holliday Gray, CBE , was an English playwright and memoirist who also had a career as a university lecturer in English literature at Queen Mary, University of London, for 20 years...
, 71, British playwright - August 9 - Mahmoud DarwishMahmoud DarwishMahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who won numerous awards for his literary output and was regarded as the Palestinian national poet...
, 67, Palestinian poet - August 11 - George FurthGeorge FurthGeorge Furth was an American librettist, playwright, and actor.-Biography:Furth was born George Schweinfurth in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Evelyn and George Schweinfurth...
, 75, American playwright - August 17 - Dave FreemanDave Freeman (American author)David Stewart Freeman was an American advertising executive best known for co-authoring the 1999 book 100 Things to Do Before You Die with his friend Neil Teplica. It was based on the Web site whatsgoingon.com, which the pair ran together from 1996 to 2001...
, 47, American travel writer - August 23 - John RussellJohn Russell (art critic)John Russell CBE was a British American art critic.-Life and career:John Russell was born in Fleet, Hampshire, England, in 1919. He attended St Paul's School and then Magdalen College, Oxford....
, 89, British-American art critic - August 25 - Ahmed FarazAhmed FarazAhmad Faraz born Syed Ahmad Shah on January 14, 1931, in Kohat, was a Pakistani Urdu poet. He was considered one of the greatest modern Urdu poets of the last century. Faraz is his pseudonym 'takhalus'...
, 77, Pakistani poet - August 31 - Ken CampbellKen CampbellKen Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian.Ken Campbell may also refer to:* Ken Campbell , Canadian evangelist* Ken Campbell , former Scotland international goalkeeper...
, 66, British novelist and playwright
September-October
- September 5 - Robert GirouxRobert GirouxRobert Giroux was an influential American book editor and publisher. Starting his editing career with Harcourt, Brace & Co., he was hired away to work for Roger W. Straus, Jr. at Farrar & Straus in 1955, where he became a partner and, eventually, its chairman...
, 94, American editor and publisher - September 7 - Gregory McdonaldGregory McdonaldGregory Mcdonald was an American mystery writer best known for his character Irwin Maurice Fletcher, an investigative reporter otherwise known as "Fletch." Fletch was later played by Chevy Chase in the movie of the same name...
, 71, American mystery writer - September 12 - David Foster WallaceDavid Foster WallaceDavid Foster Wallace was an American author of novels, essays, and short stories, and a professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California...
, 46, American novelist - September 17 - James CrumleyJames CrumleyJames Arthur Crumley was the author of violent hardboiled crime novels and several volumes of short stories and essays, as well as published and unpublished screenplays...
, 68, American crime writer - September 20 - Duncan GlenDuncan GlenProfessor Duncan Munro Glen was a Scottish poet, literary editor and Emeritus Professor of Visual Communication at Nottingham Trent University. He became known to the literary world through his first full-length book, "Hugh MacDiarmid and the Scottish Renaissance"...
, 75, British poet, critic and literary historian - September 23 - William WoodruffWilliam WoodruffWilliam Woodruff was a professor of world history, but perhaps most noted for his two autobiographical works: The Road to Nab End and its sequel Beyond Nab End; both became bestsellers in the United Kingdom...
, 92, British historian and autobiographer - September 29 - Hayden CarruthHayden CarruthHayden Carruth was an American poet and literary critic. He taught at Syracuse University.-Life:Hayden Carruth grew up in Woodbury, Connecticut, and was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at the University of Chicago. He lived in Johnson, Vermont for many years...
, 87, American poet and literary critic - October 4 - Peter VansittartPeter VansittartPeter Vansittart OBE, FRSL was a British writer. He had 50 novels published between 1942 and 2008; he also wrote historical studies, memoirs, stories for children and three anthologies: Voices from the Great War , Voices 1870-1914 and Voices of the Revolution...
, 88, British historical novelist - October 14 - Barrington J. BayleyBarrington J. BayleyBarrington J. Bayley was an English science fiction writer.Bayley was born in Birmingham and educated in Newport, Shropshire...
, 71, British science-fiction writer - October 26 - Tony HillermanTony HillermanTony Hillerman was an award-winning American author of detective novels and non-fiction works best known for his Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels...
, 83, American mystery writer - October 27 - Es'kia Mphahlele, 88, South African writer
- October 29 - William WhartonWilliam Wharton (author)William Wharton , the pen name of the author Albert William Du Aime , was an American-born author best known for his first novel Birdy, which was also successful as a film.-Biography:...
, 82, American novelist - October 31 - Studs TerkelStuds TerkelLouis "Studs" Terkel was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for The Good War, and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago.-Early...
, 96, American historian
November-December
- November 4 - Michael CrichtonMichael CrichtonJohn Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
, M.D.Doctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, 66, author. - December 1 - Dorothy SterlingDorothy SterlingDorothy Sterling was a Jewish-American writer and historian.- Biography :She was born and grew up in New York City, attended Wellesley College and graduated from Barnard College in 1934. After college, she worked as a journalist and writer in New York for several years. In 1937 she married Philip...
, 95, nonfiction writer of black history for children - December 15 - Anne-Catharina VestlyAnne-Catharina VestlyAnne-Cath. Vestly , was a Norwegian author of children’s literature whose stature in Norwegian society can somewhat be compared to Sweden's famous children's book author Astrid Lindgren among Swedish people....
, 88, Norwegian children's book author - December 24 - Harold PinterHarold PinterHarold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
, 78, playwright and screenwriter. - December 31 - Donald E. WestlakeDonald E. WestlakeDonald Edwin Westlake was an American writer, with over a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into science fiction or other genres...
, American novelist,