Today's Page: June 22nd
22 Jun 2012 9:57
H. Rider Haggard, Erich Maria Remarque, Dan Brown, Matthew Stepanek, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Octavia E. Butler are the acclaimed authors who were born or died on a day like this.
H. Rider Haggard
Sir Henry Rider Haggard was born on a day like this is Norfolk. He was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. Haggard is most famous as the author of the novels "King Solomon's Mines" and its sequel "Allan Quatermain", and "She" and its sequel "Ayesha". The hugely popular "King Solomon's Mines" is sometimes considered the first of the Lost World genre. "She" is generally considered to be one of the classics of imaginative literature and with 83 million copies sold by 1965, it is one of the best-selling books of all time. He is also remembered for "Nada the Lily" (a tale of adventure among the Zulus) and the epic Viking romance, "Eric Brighteyes". Haggard died on May 14, 1925, aged 68.
Erich Maria Remarque
Erich Maria Remarque, born on a day like this in 1898, was a German author. At the age of 16 he made his first attempts at writing; this included essays, poems, and the beginnings of a novel that was finished later and published in 1920 as "The Dream Room". His best known work, "All Quiet on the Western Front", was written in a few months in 1927. "Three Comrades", "Arch of Triumph", and "Spark of Life" are some of his other works. He passed away on September 25, 1970, aged 72.
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories. His books have been translated into over 40 languages, and as of 2009, sold over 80 million copies. He is best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, "The Da Vinci Code". It went to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list during its first week of release in 2003. It is now credited with being one of the most popular books of all time. "The Lost Symbol", "Deception Point", and "Angels & Demons" are his other works.
Matthew Stepanek
Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek was an American poet, who had six books of poetry and one book of essays all reach The New York Times bestsellers list. He became a peace advocate and motivational speaker, and lobbied on Capitol Hill on behalf of peace, people with disabilities, and children with life-threatening conditions. Stepanek suffered from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy that resulted in his death a month before his 14th birthday. His sister and two brothers also died from the disease during early childhood, and his mother has the adult form, diagnosed only after all four of her children were born. He passed away on a day like this in 2004. Former President Jimmy Carter delivered a eulogy:" We have known kings and queens, and we've known presidents and prime ministers, but the most extraordinary person whom I have ever known in my life is Mattie Stepanek. His life philosophy was 'Remember to play after every storm!' and his motto was: 'Think Gently, Speak Gently, Live Gently'. He wanted to be remembered as "a poet, a peacemaker, and a philosopher who played".
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh was born on a day like this in New Jersey in 1906. She was an American author, aviator, and the spouse of fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh. She was an acclaimed author whose books and articles spanned the genres of poetry to non-fiction, touching upon topics as diverse as youth and age; love and marriage; peace, solitude and contentment, as well as the role of women in the 20th century. Her best-known work is "Gift from the Sea", which stands as a seminal work in feminist literature. She passed away on February 7, 2001, at age 94.
Octavia E. Butler
Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, one of the best-known among the few African-American women in the field. She was born on a day like this in California in 1947. She began writing at the age of 10. She has won many awards, including the Nebula Award for "Parable of the Talents", the Hugo Award for her novelette "Bloodchild", and she is also the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. She passed away on February 24, 2006, aged 58.
