•
January 2 –
Jean Little, Canadian children's fiction author (died
2020) •
January 5 –
Umberto Eco, Italian novelist and semiotician (died
2016) •
January 18 –
Robert Anton Wilson, American novelist and playwright (died
2007) •
January 19 –
George MacBeth, Scottish poet and novelist (died
1992) •
February 7 –
Gay Talese, American literary journalist •
February 9 –
Roderick Cook, English actor and playwright (died
1990) •
February 14 –
Alexander Kluge, German writer, philosopher, and film director (died
2026) •
February 15 –
Troy Kennedy Martin, Scottish scriptwriter (died
2009) •
February 16 –
Aharon Appelfeld, Israeli novelist and poet (died
2018) •
February 20 –
Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist, playwright and author (died
2007) •
March 4 –
Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist poet and travel writer (died 2007) •
March 18 –
John Updike, American novelist and poet (died 2009) •
March 31 –
John Jakes, American historical novelist (died
2023) •
April 5 •
Bora Ćosić, Yugoslav-born Croatian-German writer •
Fănuș Neagu, Romanian novelist, journalist, and short story writer (died
2011) •
April 8 –
Joan Lingard, Scottish novelist (died
2022) •
April 10 –
Adrian Henri, English poet (died
2000) •
April 13 –
Barney Simon, South African writer, playwright and director (died
1995) •
May 7 –
Jenny Joseph, English poet (died 2018) •
May 24 –
Arnold Wesker, English dramatist (died
2016) •
June 5 –
Christy Brown, Irish autobiographer and poet (died
1981) •
June 6 –
Sara Banerji, English author and sculptor •
June 11 –
Athol Fugard, South African playwright and novelist (died
2025) •
June 18 –
Geoffrey Hill, English poet (died
2016) •
July 17 –
Karla Kuskin, American children's writer and illustrator (died
2009) •
July 18 –
Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Russian poet and writer (died
2017) •
July 22 –
Tom Robbins, American novelist (died
2025) •
August 16 –
Christopher Okigbo, Nigerian poet (died
1967) •
August 17 –
V. S. Naipaul, Trinidad-born novelist (died
2018) •
August 27 –
Antonia Fraser, English biographer, novelist and historian •
September 7 –
Malcolm Bradbury, English novelist (died
2000) •
September 9 –
Alice Thomas Ellis, English novelist, essayist and cookery book author (died
2005) •
October 24 –
Adrian Mitchell, English poet, playwright and fiction writer (died
2008) •
October 27 –
Sylvia Plath, American poet (suicide
1963) •
October 31 –
Katherine Paterson, Chinese-American author •
December 5 –
Jacques Roubaud, French poet, writer, and mathematician (died
2024) ==Deaths==