Statue of Sun Tzu Probably the most interesting thing about Sun Tzu is that it is not even known whether he actually existed. Although he is famous for having written The Art of War, in recent years, some historians have begun to wonder if he wasn't a made-up descriptor. That is because he isn't mentioned … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Sun Tzu
Tag: Classic Author Focus
Classic Author Focus: Dorothy B. Hughes
Dorothy B. Hughes I decided to write about Dorothy B. Hughes after reading her noir suspense novel In a Lonely Place. It is an excellent, dark novel that was made into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart in 1950, in which unfortunately they changed the ending. Sadly, Hughes's life wasn't as exciting as her novels. She … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Dorothy B. Hughes
Classic Author Focus: Kamala Markandaya
Kamala Markayanda One of the difficulties I've found with trying to introduce more female writers from cultures other than European is that once I've identified some of them, I can't find out anything about them. A classic example is Kamala Markandaya, who is cited as one of the best-known Indian authors. Yet, on all the … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Kamala Markandaya
Classic Author Focus: Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri A 13th and 14th century poet and philosopher, Dante Alighieri is, of course, known for his famous poem The Divine Comedy. His literary achievements go further than that, though, for before his time, poetry in Italy was written in Latin. His writings were in the vernacular Italian, making them accessible to more than … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Dante Alighieri
Classic Author Focus: Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth Maria Edgeworth was an 18th and early 19th century Anglo-Irish writer who wrote novels of Irish life and also was the first realistic writer of children's books. She was considered a significant figure in the evolution of European fiction. Edgeworth was born in England and lived there until she was fifteen, when her … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Maria Edgeworth
Classic Author Focus: Tove Ditlevsen
Tove DitlevsenA writer in many genres, including poetry, Tove Ditlevsen was one of Denmark's most famous authors at the time of her death. Ditlevsen was born in a working class area of Copenhagen. She led a difficult life, and her work often reflects the loneliness of living in the poorer regions of the city. Not … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Tove Ditlevsen
Classic Author Focus: Franz Kafka
Franz KafkaFranz Kafka is identified as a German-speaking Bohemian writer because he was born and lived in Prague, now part of the Czech Republic but then the capital of Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He is considered one of the major figures of 20th century literature, writing works that combined realism and fantasy, surrealism and … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Franz Kafka
Classic Author Focus: Ida Tarbell
Ida M. TarbellI haven't written many Classic Author Focus posts about nonfiction writers yet, but I thought it would be interesting to write about Ida Tarbell, who was a ground-breaking investigative journalist. She was the author of many muck-raking articles and books and is particularly famous for an exposé about the Standard Oil Company and … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Ida Tarbell
Classic Author Focus: George Sand
I don't think we hear much about George Sand anymore, but she was one of the most popular novelists of her time, more renowned than her peers Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balzac, and her popularity never flagged during her lifetime. She was one of the most notable writers of the Romantic period, which emphasized … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: George Sand
Classic Author Focus: Naguib Mafouz
Naguib Mafouz was a prolific Egyptian writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He wrote 34 novels, more than 350 short stories, movie scripts, and hundreds of op-ed newspaper columns. Many of his works have been made into films. Mafouz was the youngest child of a Muslim family in Cairo that was so strict … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Naguib Mafouz
Classic Author Focus: Christa Wolf
Christa WolfChrista Wolf was a literary critic, novelist, and essayist who was born into a pro-Nazi family in an area of Germany that now belongs to Poland, Gorzów Wielkopolski. After World War II, being German, they crossed into Germany, and ended up living in East Germany. After university, while working as an editor for two … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Christa Wolf
Classic Author Focus: Amrita Pritam
Amrita PritamWith over 100 books of poetry, fiction, biography, and essays, Amrita Pritam is beloved on both sides of the India-Pakistan border. She is considered the first major woman Punjabi poet and wrote in both Punjabi and Hindi. Born in the Punjab to a father who was schoolteacher and a preacher of the Sikh faith … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Amrita Pritam
Classic Author Focus: Miklós Bánffy
I selected Miklós Bánffy to write about this month because I am reading Volume I of his Transylvania Trilogy, the work he is most famous for. This trilogy depicts the decline of Hungary heading toward the first world war. Bánffy was a nobleman, a member a distinguished family of Transylvania, which until 1916 was a … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Miklós Bánffy
Classic Author Focus: Jean Rhys
Jean Rhys is, of course, best known for Wide Sargasso Sea, her imagining of the life of Mrs. Rochester, the "madwoman in the attic" in Jane Eyre. She was born on the island of Dominica in the British West Indies, and it was not until she wrote a book set in the Caribbean that she gained … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Jean Rhys
Classic Author Focus: Mary Gilmore
Mary Gilmore was an Australian socialist writer and poet who was the first woman to be awarded the honor of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She is considered a national literary icon of Australia. Gilmore was born in New South Wales as the daughter of a Scottish farmer, David Cameron, and … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Mary Gilmore
Classic Author Focus: Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de CervantesCervantes doesn't fit into my plan of writing about lesser known classic authors, but he certainly led an interesting life. He was born into a family of minor gentry that was going steadily downward in the world. He may have been largely self-taught, although the head of a municipal school in Madrid referred … Continue reading Classic Author Focus: Miguel de Cervantes