Ursula K. Le Guin

Legendary American writer Ursula K. Le Guin was born on this day in 1929. Le Guin is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of her generation. She is probably best known for her Fantasy novel A Wizard of Earthsea (1968). Le Guin was also a master of Science Fiction, winning numerous Hugo and Nebula Awards. Her novels The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) and The Dispossessed (1974), both achieved the double honour, winning both the Hugo and the Nebula. Ursula K. Le Guin died in 2018.

Margaret Atwood

Canadian writer Margaret Atwood was born on this day in 1939 in Ottawa. Atwood is a prolific writer of dozens of titles, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels and children’s books. Margaret Atwood is best known for 1985’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel that is perhaps even more relevant today than it was when it won the Governor-General’s Award in 1985 and the Arthur C. Clark Award in 1987, and was a finalist for the Booker Prize. Atwood did go on to win the prestigious Booker Prize, for best English language novel, in 2000 for The Blind Assassin, and was a co-winner in 2019 for The Testaments, a much celebrated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale.

Stephen King

American writer Stephen King was born on this day in 1947. King has been referred to as the “King of Horror” as he has written dozens of horror novels and hundreds of horror stories. Some of his best known works include Carrie, It, The Shining, and the Dark Tower series. Many of his novels and stories have been adapted for film and television.

King’s works aren’t limited to horror. He has also written books and stories that fit it many other categories or genres. Many lovers of the films “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand By Me.” don’t realize that these films were adapted from King’s books.


Find out more:

Stephen King.com

Fantastic Fiction

Vox: Stephen King