Lady Antonia Fraser (born 1932)
writer and historian. Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Pakenham was born in 1932 into an Irish-English aristocratic family in London. She wrote several biographies (about Oliver Cromwell, Maria Stuart, Marie Antoinette) and standard works as well as crime novels. Fraser is a bestselling author with an international reputation and also publishes in part under the name Antonia Pinter. She was married to the Nobel Prize winner for literature Harry Pinter.
Dick Francis (1920-2010)
Francis was born in Lawrenny in 1920 and wrote mainly crime novels. Since his father owned a racing stable, he was already a jockey in the saddle at the age of six. He even rode horse races for the Queen Mother for four years. His successful riding career with around 350 victories ended abruptly in 1956 after a fall. Due to the serious injuries he suffered, he had to give up riding and became a sports reporter for the London Sunday Express. In addition, a book by Francis appeared every year, which has received numerous awards. His works “A surefire thing” and “Original or Fake” were filmed. Francis died on Grand Cayman in 2010.
Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901-1935)
The writer, born James Leslie Mitchell in Aberdeenshire in 1901, wrote a melancholy description of rural life in Scotland, the trilogy “A Scots Quair” (1932-1934), which made him famous at once. In it he also applied the Stream of Consciousness. Before that, however, Gibbon served in the Royal Air Force and was stationed in Iran and Egypt, among others. Gibbon died in Hertfordshire in 1935.
Graham Greene (1904-1991)
writer. Greene was born Henry Graham Greene in 1904 in Berkhamsted, UK. He was the fourth child of Charles Henry and Marian – b. Raymond – Greene. Greene studied at Balliol College, Oxford. For his spy stories, thrillers and adventure stories (eg “The Silent American”, “The Comedians’ Hour”) he received more nominations for the Nobel Prize for Literature than any other writer. However, it was not awarded to him. Greene died in Switzerland in 1991.
Dafydd ap Gwilym (approx. 1320-1350)
Dafydd ap Gwilym was born in Ceredigion around 1320 into a noble family and became the most famous poet in Wales. In his work, which mainly revolves around the theme of love, a lot of European influences can be seen. Gwilym is considered an innovator in Welsh poetry. His most popular piece is called “The Girls of Llanbadarn”. Gwilym died around 1350 and is said to have been a frequent traveler.
Joanne Harris (born 1964)
writer. Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris was born in Barnsley in 1964 and studied languages in Cambridge. Besides her work as a writer, she also works as a French teacher. Harris gained international fame through her novel “Chocolat”, published in 1999, and its film adaptation a year later with the likes of Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.
Nick Hornby (born 1957)
writer. Nick Hornby was born in Redhill in 1967 and studied in Cambridge, where he wrote radio plays, among other things. He then taught English before becoming just a writer in the early 1990s. His book “High Fidelity” (1995) and the related film adaptation in 2000 made him famous at once. This was followed by box office hits such as “About a Boy” (1998) and “How to be Good” (2001).
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
writer. Aldous Leonard Huxley was born in Godalming, UK, in 1894. He later emigrated to Los Angeles, where he died in 1963. He studied at Balliol College in Oxford and from the age of 22 worked exclusively as a writer. He became famous for his novel “Brave New World”, published in 1932, which was perceived as extremely disturbing.
Sarah Kane (1971-1999)
playwright, director. Sarah Kane was born in Essex in 1971 as the daughter of strongly religious journalists. She was prone to melancholy and depression and wrote very radical pieces such as “Zerbombt” or “4.48 Psychose”. Conflicts of relationships, loneliness, inadequacy – these were Kane’s themes, which always provoked controversy. Due to her clear language, however, she has received several awards. Kane died in London in 1999 by hanging herself.
John Keats (1795-1821)
The poet, who was born in London in 1795, is one of the greatest and saddest of his time – English Romanticism. His “Ode to a Nightingale” (1819) is one of the most moving pieces of writing in English literature. The descendant of a stable master died of tuberculosis at the age of only 26. His mother had previously been divorced from this illness.
David Lodge (born 1935)
writer, literary scholar. David Lodge was born in 1935 in London to a saxophonist. He studied at the University of London and worked for a long time as a lecturer and professor of English literature at the University of Birmingham. Lodges campus novels are legendary. Some of the most famous are “Little World: An Academic Romance” (1984) and “Scavenger Hunt” (1984). Lodge knows how to entertain, works with parodic elements and has locations all over the world, including Heidelberg.
Alistair MacLean (1922-1987)
Alistair MacLean was born the son of a pastor in Glasgow in 1922 and studied at the University of Edinburgh after serving in the Royal Navy. Maclean made a name for himself as a writer of thrillers. The war appears again and again in his works, which became internationally successful. “Rendezvous with Death” (1962) and “Souvenirs” (1969) are among his most important pieces, which were also made into films. Maclean died in 1987 in Munich from years of drinking problems.
