- 1465 - Charles, Duke of Orléans, French poet died
- 1524 - Marko Marulić, Croatian poet died
- 1902 - Stella Gibbons, English novelist born
- 1921 - Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer born
- 1932 - Umberto Eco, Italian writer born
- 1938 - Ngugi wa Thiongo, Kenyan writer born
- 1940 - Michael O'Donoghue, American writer born
- 1951 - Andrei Platonov, Russian writer died
- 1991 - Vasko Popa, Yugoslav poet died
- 2003 - Jean Kerr, American author died
