- 1552 – Agrippa d'Aubigné, French poet born
- 1577 – Robert Burton, English cleric and writer born
- 1612 or 1613 – Samuel Butler, English poet born
- 1819 – John Ruskin, English author born
- 1828 – Jules Verne, French author born
- 1955 – John Grisham, American writer born
- 1998 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author died
