Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in literature" article: •
January 1 –
Jahn Otto Johansen, Norwegian non-fiction writer and 1982
Cappelen Prize recipient, 83 (born
1934) •
January 3 –
Fred Bass, American bookseller and owner of the
Strand Bookstore, 89 (born
1928) •
Valery Chalidze, Russian-born American publisher, 79 (born
1938) •
Philip Eden FRMetS, English weather historian, 66 (born
1951) •
Keorapetse Kgositsile, South African poet and National Poet Laureate, 79 (born
1938) •
Ambalavaner Sivanandan, Sri Lankan writer and 1998
Commonwealth Writers' Prize winner in the Best First Book category for Europe and South Asia, 94 (born
1923) •
January 4 –
Aharon Appelfeld, Romanian-born Israeli writer, 85 (born
1932) •
January 5 –
Muntazir Baba, Pakistani
Pushto poet, 68 (born
1950) •
Rasa Chughtai, Indian-born Pakistani
Urdu poet, 89 (born
1928) •
Donald D. Evans, Canadian philosopher with an interest in
Dostoevsky and
Camus, 90 (born
1927) •
Carlo Pedretti, Italian historian, 89 (born
1928) •
Marina Ripa di Meana, Italian best-selling autobiographer, 76 (born
1941) •
January 7 –
Markku Into, Finnish poet and translator, 72 (born
1945) •
Bjørg Vik, Norwegian novelist, short story writer and playwright, co-founder of feminist magazine
Sirene, 82 (born
1935) •
January 8 –
J. F. C. Harrison, English historian, 96 (born
1921) •
Jenny Joseph, English poet, 85 (born
1932) •
Tricia Walker, English best-selling writer, 53 (born
1964) •
January 9 –
Heikki Kirkinen, Finnish historian, 90 (born
1927) •
Yılmaz Onay, Turkish writer and translator, 80 (born
1937) •
Mario Perniola, Italian philosopher and professor of
aesthetics, 76 (born
1941) •
January 10 –
Gordon Hølmebakk, Norwegian publishing editor, essayist and novelist, 89 (born
1928) •
January 12 –
Doodhnath Singh, Indian
Hindi language writer, 81 (born
1936) •
Heinrich von Stietencron, German
Indologist, 84 (born
1933) •
January 13 –
Darmanto Jatman, Indonesian poet, 75 (born
1942) •
January 14 –
Geoffrey Best FBA, English historian, 89 (born
1928) •
Pablo García Baena, Spanish poet and 1984
Asturias Prize recipient, 96 (born
1921) •
Samuel A. Schreiner Jr., American writer, 96 (born
1921) •
January 15 –
Moussa Diagana, Mauritanian writer, 71 (born
1946) •
January 17 –
Guy Dupré, French writer and publisher, 89 (born
1928) •
January 18 –
Peter Mayle, English best-selling memoirist of
A Year in Provence and
A Good Year, 78 (born
1939 •
Nancy Richler, Canadian novelist and second cousin of the novelist
Mordecai Richler, 60 (born
1957) •
Henry Soles Jr., American editor of two books:
The Soul Food New Testament and the
Children of Color Bible (both published by
Tyndale House), 82 (born
1935) •
January 19 –
Saqi Farooqi, Pakistani poet, 81 (born
1936) •
David M. Knight, English historian of science, 81 (born
1936) •
January 21 –
Jock Haswell, English military historian and intelligence officer, 98 (born
1919) •
January 22 –
Emilio Gastón, Spanish poet, 83 (born
1935) •
Ursula K. Le Guin, American science fiction and fantasy author, 88 (born
1929) •
January 23 –
Nicanor Parra, Chilean poet and physicist, 103 (born
1914) •
January 24 –
Matti Rissanen, Finnish philologist with an interest in
Old English, director of the project that produced the
Helsinki Corpus of English Texts covering 1,000 years of the English language and used widely since its publication in 1991, involved in the translation of
Shakespeare, 80 (born
1937) •
January 25 –
Claribel Alegría, Nicaraguan poet, 93 (born
1924) •
Shawkat Ali, Bangladeshi writer, 81 (born
1936) •
Neagu Djuvara, Romanian historian, essayist, philosopher and novelist, 101 (born
1916) •
January 29 –
Anthony Kemp, English military historian, 78 (born
1939) •
Stewart Sutherland, Baron Sutherland of Houndwood , Scottish philosopher of religion, explorer of continental thinkers including
Fyodor Dostoevsky,
Søren Kierkegaard,
Albert Camus and
Simone Weil, 76 (born
1941) •
January 30 –
Andreas Gruschke, German writer and sinologist, 57 (born
1960) •
Richard Murphy, Irish poet, 90 (born
1927) •
January 31 –
Haim Gouri, Israeli poet, 94 (born
1923) •
February 1 –
André Baudry, French philosophy professor and founder of the homophile review
Arcadie, 95 (born
1922) •
Niranjan Bhagat, Indian poet in the English and Gujarati languages (the English being mostly in the style of
Gitanjali), 1949
Kumar Suvarna Chandrak recipient, 1953
Narmad Suvarna Chandrak recipient, 1969
Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak recipient, 1998
Premanand Suvarna Chandrak recipient, 1999
Sahitya Akademi Award for Gujarati language recipient, 2001
Narsinh Mehta Award winner, 91 (born
1926) •
William Whitehead, Canadian writer and longtime partner of fellow writer
Timothy Findley, 86 (born
1931) •
February 3 –
Bill Teale, American educator and literacy advocate, 70 (born
1947) •
February 5 –
Gregor Dorfmeister (pseudonym Manfred Gregor), German novelist (
Die Brücke,
Town Without Pity), 88 (born
1929) •
Mathieu Riboulet, French novelist and 2012
Prix Décembre recipient, 57 (born
1960) •
February 6 –
Liliana Bodoc, Argentine fantasy writer, 59 (born
1958) •
Douglas Botting, English biographer, 83 (born
1934) •
Jao Tsung-I (饒宗頤), Chinese-born Hong Kong
sinologist,
calligrapher and historian, 100 (born
1917) •
James W. Sire, American writer, professor of English literature, philosophy and theology, editor for
InterVarsity Press, 84 (born
1933) •
John Anthony West, American science fiction writer with an interest in Egypt, 85 (born
1932) •
Michael White, English biographer of
C. S. Lewis and others, and mystery fiction writer, 58 (born
1959) •
February 7 •
Brahim Akhiat, Moroccan writer, 77 (born c.
1941) •
John Perry Barlow, American internet activist, writer, and lyricist, 70 •
February 9 –
Alfonso Lacadena, Spanish Mesoamerican
epigraphist and academic at
Complutense University of Madrid, 53 (born
1964) •
Edward Pearce, English biographer and playwright, 78 (born
1939) •
Keith M. Wilson, English historian (date of birth unknown) •
February 10 –
Michiko Ishimure (石牟礼道子), Japanese writer, 90 (born
1927) •
February 11 –
Raymond Vautherin, French-born Italian linguist,
patois poet, playwright and translator, 82 (born
1935) •
February 12 –
Bill Crider, American writer of crime, mystery, horror and westerns, 76 (born
1941) •
Jack Ludwig, Canadian novelist, short story writer, essayist and the basis of the character Valentine Gersbach in
Saul Bellow's novel
Herzog, 95 (born
1922) •
Françoise Xenakis, French writer, 87 (born
1930) •
February 13 –
Ernest Hecht , Czechoslovak-born English publisher and founder of
Souvenir Press, 88 (born
1929) •
Victor Milán, American
libertarian science fiction writer, 63 (born
1954) •
February 14 –
Lerone Bennett Jr., American scholar, chronicler of life for
the blacks in that country and editor of
Ebony, 89 (born
1928) •
February 15 –
Tosun Bayrak, Turkish writer and translator known for efforts on works of the Sufi mystic
Ibn Arabi, 92 (born
1926) •
Steven Collins, English-born American Buddhist studies scholar, 66 (born
1951) •
Iseabail Macleod , Scottish lexicographer and former Director of the
Scottish National Dictionary Association, 81 (born
1936) •
Daniel Vernet, French writer, 72, (born
1945) •
February 16 –
Eleanor Winsor Leach, American academic from whom "
Vergilians learned much... on the
Eclogues,
Georgics, and
Aeneid, her 1974 book on the
Eclogues, her two major [of] Roman literature, art, and society, and many articles on Latin poetry and painting and their reception," 80 (born
1937) •
February 17 –
Akinwunmi Isola, Nigerian playwright, novelist (
O Leku) and promoter of the
Yoruba language, 78 (born
1939) •
February 18 –
John David Morley, English novelist and travel writer, 70 (born
1948) •
February 20 –
Tōta Kaneko (金子兜太), Japanese
Person of Cultural Merit, 2005
Cikada Prize recipient, 2015
Asahi Prize recipient, 98 (born
1919) •
Roy McDonald, Canadian poet, 80 (born
1937) •
Zigmas Zinkevičius, Lithuanian linguist-historian and 1994
Herder Prize recipient, 93 (born
1925) •
February 21 –
Beryl Fletcher, New Zealand feminist novelist, 79 (born
1938) •
February 22 –
Euler Granda, Ecuadorian poet and 2009
Premio Eugenio Espejo recipient, 82 (born
1935) •
February 23 –
Wolfhart Westendorf, German Egyptologist, 93 (born
1924) •
February 25 –
Michael Green, English novelist and playwright, 91 (born
1927) •
Cynthia Heimel, American feminist writer of satirical books and playwright, 70 (born
1947) •
Penny Vincenzi, English writer of novels and short stories, 78 (born
1939) •
February 28 –
Pierre Milza, French historian and biographer, 85 (born
1932) •
March 1 –
Diana Der Hovanessian,
Armenian American poet, translator and professor at
Yerevan State University, 83 (born
1934) •
March 2 –
Adela Calva Reyes, Mexican writer and playwright, 50–51 (born
1967) •
Gordon Challis, New Zealand poet, 85 (born
1932) •
Ota Filip, Czech novelist who wrote both in German and Czech, 87 (born
1930) • March 2 –
Barbara Kiefer Lewalski, American literary scholar and authority on Renaissance literature known for work on
John Milton, 87 (born
1931) •
March 3 –
Jacques Gernet, French sinologist, 96 (born
1921) •
Emma Hannigan, Irish writer known for writing about her experience with cancer, 45 (born
1972) •
Anthony Lejeune, English writer, 89 (born
1928) •
Ivone Ramos, Cape Verdean writer, 91 (born
1926) •
Jorge Wagensberg Lubinski, Spanish physicist, academic (
University of Barcelona), writer and aphorist, founder director of
CosmoCaixa, 69 (born
1948) •
March 4 –
José Triana, Cuban poet and playwright, 87 (born
1931) •
March 5 –
Robert Assaraf, Moroccan historian, 81 (born
1936) •
Derek Bickerton, English-born American linguist, academic and writer of novels, 91 (born
1926) •
Clive Sinclair , English fiction writer included in
Granta 1983 list of Best Young British Novelists, 70 (born
1948) •
Hayden White, American historian in the tradition of literary criticism (
Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe), 89 (born
1928) •
March 6 –
Lucie Brock-Broido, American poet and academic, 61 (born
1956) •
Peter Nicholls, Australian writer and editor of
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 78 (born
1939) •
Indra Bahadur Rai, Indian writer, 91 (born
1927) •
March 8 –
Sir Wilson Harris, Guyanese poet, essayist, and fiction writer (
Palace of the Peacock), 96 (born
1921) •
Jean Jolivet, French philosopher and medievalist, 93 (born
1925) •
Gerd Søraa, Norwegian writer of novels and local history, 83 (born
1934) •
Peter Temple, Australian crime fiction writer, 71 (born
1946) •
Kate Wilhelm, American science fiction, mystery and suspense writer, 89 (born
1928) •
March 9 –
Ulla Nenonen, Finnish missionary and Bible translator, 84 (born
1933) •
March 10 –
Val Mulkerns, Irish writer and poet, 93 (born
1925) •
March 11 –
H. Blair Neatby, Canadian historian, 93 (born
1924) •
David W. Noble, American historian, 92 (born
1925) •
Mary Rosenblum, American science fiction and mystery writer, 65 (born
1952) •
March 12 –
Emily Stipes Watts, American literary historian, 81 (born
1936) •
March 13 –
Emily Nasrallah, Lebanese writer of novels, children's stories and short story collections, 86 (born
1931) •
March 14 –
Robert L. Bireley, American Jesuit historian of
Counter-Reformation Central Europe, 84 (born
1933) •
Alfred W. Crosby, American ecological historian (
The Columbian Exchange,
Ecological Imperialism), 87 (born
1931) •
David Wyman, American historian (
The Abandonment of the Jews), 89 (born
1929) •
March 16 –
Russell Freedman, American biographer, non-fiction and children's writer, 88 (born
1929) •
March 17 –
Zdeněk Mahler, Czech writer and biographer, 89 (born
1928) •
Sushil Siddharth, Hindi prose and poetry writer, critic, editor and satirist, 59 (born
1958) •
March 18 –
Li Ao (李敖), Chinese-Taiwanese essayist and historian, 82 (born
1935) •
Michael Rutschky, German writer and 1997
Heinrich Mann Prize recipient, 74 (born
1943) •
March 19 –
Jürg Laederach, Swiss writer and 1997
Austrian State Prize for European Literature recipient, 72 (born
1945) •
Luo Fu, Taiwanese poet, 89 (born
1928) •
Kedarnath Singh, Indian poet, critic and essayist, 83 (born
1934). •
March 20 –
Ann-Charlotte Alverfors, Swedish writer, 71 (born
1947) •
Tom Griffin, American playwright (
The Boys Next Door), 72 (born
1946) •
March 22 –
Khozh-Akhmed Bersanov, Russian Chechen writer and ethnographer, 91 (born
1926) •
Jan Kantůrek, Czech translator, 69 (born
1948) •
Morten Piil, Danish film critic and translator of
Vladimir Nabokov, 75, (born
1943) •
Dariush Shayegan, Iranian cultural theorist and philosopher, winner of the French ADELF award presented by the Association of French Authors in 2004 for his French novel
Land of Mirage, 83, (born
1935) •
March 23 –
Philip Kerr, Scottish writer of historical detective thrillers and children's books, 62 (born
1956) •
Alberto Ongaro, Italian writer of historical and adventure books, 92 (born
1925) •
Aileen Paterson MBE, Scottish writer and illustrator of children's books, 83 (born
1934) •
March 24 –
John Ehle, American "father of Appalachian literature", 92 (born
1925) •
March 25 –
Bob Biderman, British-American novelist, 77 or 78 (born
1940) (date death announced) •
March 28 –
Clément Rosset, French philosopher and writer, 78 (born
1939) •
March 29 –
Anita Shreve, American novelist (''
The Pilot's Wife, The Weight of Water, Stella Bain''), 71 (born
1946) •
Ivor Forbes Guest, English historian and writer, 97 (born
1920) •
Drue Heinz, American literary publisher (
The Paris Review) and patron (
Drue Heinz Literature Prize), 103 (born
1915) •
March 31 –
Margarita Carrera, Guatemalan philosopher, professor, writer and 1996 laureate of the
Miguel Ángel Asturias National Prize in Literature, 88 (born
1929) •
April 1 –
Brian Moynahan, English historian and biographer, 77 (born
1941) •
Efraín Trelles, Peruvian historian of Spanish colonialism, 64 (born
1953) •
April 2 –
Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, Egyptian novelist, 55 (born
1962) •
April 3 –
Arrigo Petacco, Italian journalist and writer, 88 (born
1929) •
April 4 –
John Lynch, English historian of Latin America, 91 (born
1927) •
April 5 –
Irina Tokmakova, Russian poet, playwright and translator, 89 (born
1929) •
April 6 –
Daniel Chavarría, Uruguay-born Cuban writer, 84 (born
1933) •
Henryk Skolimowski, Polish philosopher, 87 (born
1930) •
Edla Van Steen, Brazilian playwright and short story writer, 81 (born
1936) •
April 7 –
Gerd Honsik, Austrian writer, 76 (born
1941) •
April 8 –
Efraín Jara Idrovo, Ecuadorian writer, existentialist poet and 1999
Premio Eugenio Espejo recipient, 92 (born
1926) •
April 10 –
Danarto, Indonesian writer and artist, 76 (born
1941) •
J. D. McClatchy, American poet, 72 (born
1945) •
April 11 –
Alexander Welsh, American literary scholar, 84 (born
1933) •
April 12 –
Sergio Pitol, Mexican novelist, translator and 2005
Miguel de Cervantes Prize recipient, 85 (born
1933) •
April 14 –
Frank Bren, Australian actor and playwright, 74 (born
1943) •
Sam Hamill, American poet and publisher, 74 (born
1943) •
Jon Michelet, Norwegian writer, 73 (born
1944) •
April 15 –
Luise Hercus, German-born Australian linguist, 92 (born
1926) •
April 16 –
Beverley Farmer, Australian novelist and short story writer, 77 (born
1941) •
April 17 –
Joan Chase, American novelist, 81 (born
1936) •
April 18 –
Jean Flori, French medieval historian, 82 (born
1936) •
Howard Sachar, American historian, 90 (born
1928) •
Willibald Sauerländer, German art historian, 94 (born
1924) •
April 19 –
Arnold Eidslott, Norwegian poet, 91 (born
1926) •
Herbert Pilch, German linguist and celtologist, 91 (born
1926) •
April 20 –
Pavel Šrut, Czech poet, writer and translator, 78, (born
1940) •
April 21 –
Firmin Le Bourhis, French writer, 67 (born
1950) •
April 22 –
Balantrapu Rajanikanta Rao, Indian writer, composer and musicologist, 98 (born
1920) •
April 23 –
Edward W. Tayler, American literary scholar, 87 (born
1931) •
April 24 –
Belal Chowdhury, Bangladeshi poet, 79 (born
1938) •
Dinu C. Giurescu, Romanian historian, 91 (born
1927) •
Emma Smith, English writer whose best-selling novel was republished 50 years later, 94 (born
1923) •
April 25 –
Steven Marcus, American literary critic and scholar, 89 (born
1928) •
April 26 –
Elvira Orphée, Argentine writer,
Guggenheim Fellow (1988), 95 (born
1922) •
April 28 –
Yevgeny Titarenko, Russian writer, 82 (born
1935) •
May 2 –
Kottayam Pushpanath, Indian novelist and translator, 80 (born
1938) •
May 3 –
Demetrio Túpac Yupanqui, Peruvian academic and
Quechua translator of
Don Quixote, 94 (born
1923) •
May 4 –
Renate Dorrestein, Dutch writer and journalist, 64 (born
1954) •
May 5 –
Klaus Dede, German writer and journalist, 82 (born
1935) •
Rosemarie Schuder, German writer, 89 (born
1928) •
May 6 –
Cirilo Bautista, Filipino writer and poet, 76 (born
1941) •
Jamal Naji, Jordanian fiction writer, 63 (born
1954) •
May 7 –
Andreas Findig, Austrian writer, 56 (born
1933) •
Mikhail German, Russian writer, 85 (born
1933) •
May 9 –
Murai Shimako (村井志摩子), Japanese playwright, 89 (born
1928) •
May 10 –
Günther Haensch, German linguist and lexicographer, 95 (born
1923) •
Adam Parfrey, American writer, editor and publisher (
Feral House), 61 (born
1957) •
May 11 –
Gérard Genette, French literary theorist, 87 (born
1930) •
Josh Greenfeld, American playwright and screenwriter, 90 (born
1928) •
Peter Mayer, American publisher (
The Overlook Press,
Penguin Books), 82 (born
1936) •
May 13 –
Balkavi Bairagi, Indian poet and politician, 87 (born
1931) •
May 14 –
John James, Welsh poet, 79 (born
1939) •
May 15 –
Balakumaran, Indian writer, 71 (born
1946) •
Tom Murphy, Irish playwright, 83 (born
1935) •
Barbara Nawrocka-Dońska, Polish journalist and feminist essayist, 93 (born
1924) •
May 16 –
François Bréda, Romanian writer and literary critic, 62 (born
1956) •
Elena Gremina, Russian scriptwriter, director and playwright, 61 (born
1956) •
Miriam T. Griffin, American classical scholar, Emeritus Fellow in Ancient History at
Somerville College, 82 (born
1934) •
May 17 –
Inger Brattström, Swedish writer, 97 (born
1923) •
Craig Harbison, American art historian, 74 (born
1944) •
May 18 –
John Ashdown-Hill, English historian and writer on late medieval English history, focusing on the
House of York and
Richard III of England, whose work led to the discovery of Richard III's remains, 69 (born
1949) •
Liam Ó Muirthile, Irish poet, 68 (born
1950) •
May 19 –
Bernard Lewis, Anglo-American Middle East historian and professor (
Princeton University), 101 (born
1916) •
May 20 –
Ramón Chao, Spanish anti-Francoist journalist (
Le Monde,
La Voz de Galicia) and writer, 82 (born
1935) •
May 21 –
António Arnault, Portuguese politician, poet and Grand Master of
Grande Oriente Lusitano,
Minister of Social Affairs (1978), 82 (born
1936) •
May 22 –
Alberto Dines, Brazilian journalist (
Jornal do Brasil,
Grupo Abril,
Observatório da Imprensa), writer and professor (
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism), 86, (born
1932) •
May 23 –
Vinod Bhatt, Indian humorist and biographer, 80 (born
1938) •
May 24 –
Paul Harris, Scottish writer and publisher, 69 (born
1948) •
May 26 –
Mazhar Kaleem, Pakistani lawyer and novelist (
Imran Series), 75 (born
1942) •
May 27 –
Gardner Dozois, American science fiction writer (born
1947) •
May 28 –
Semavi Eyice, Turkish art historian (
Istanbul University), 95 (born
1922) •
May 31 –
M. L. Thangappa, Indian writer, 84 (born
1934) •
June 1 •
Poldy Bird, Argentine writer, 76 (born
1941) •
Jill Ker Conway, Australian-American scholar and author, 83 (born
1934) •
John Julius Norwich, English historian and travel writer, 88 (born
1929) •
Michael Andrew Screech, English Renaissance scholar, 92 (born
1926) •
June 3 –
Alessandra Appiano, Italian writer and journalist, 59 (born
1959) •
Gilbert Trausch, Luxembourg historian, 86 (born
1931) •
Kyra Petrovskaya Wayne, Russian-born American writer, 99 (born
1918) •
June 4 –
Abhimanyu Unnuth, Mauritian writer, 80 (born
1937) •
June 5 –
Daša Drndić, Croatian radio playwright (
Radio Belgrade) and novelist (
Sonnenschein), 71 (born
1946) •
June 6 –
Mateja Matevski, Macedonian poet, 89 (born
1929) •
David McFadden, Canadian poet and travel writer, 77 (born
1940) •
Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx, English poet,
Spouse of the Prime Minister (1964–1970, 1974–1976), 102 (born
1916) •
June 7 –
Philippe de Baleine, French writer, 96 (born
1921). •
June 8 •
Per Ahlmark, Swedish politician and writer (born
1939) •
Anthony Bourdain, American chef, writer, and television personality (born
1956) •
Liu Yichang, Hong Kong novelist, editor and publisher, a founder of Hong Kong's modern literature, 99 (born
1918) •
June 15 –
Raoul Van Caenegem, Belgian historian, 90 (born
1927) •
Macdara Woods, Irish poet, 76 (born
1942) •
June 17 –
Andrei Ivanovich Stepanov, Soviet-born Russian diplomat and writer, 88 (born
1930) •
June 18 –
Paul Gratzik, German writer, 82 (born
1936) •
Nathan Shaham, Israeli writer, 93 (born
1925) •
Marta Terry González, Cuban librarian, 87 (born
1931) •
June 19 –
Stanley Cavell, American philosopher, 91 (born
1926) •
Ivan Drach, Ukrainian poet, screenwriter and politician, member of
Verkhovna Rada (1990–1994, 1998–2000, 2002–2006), 81 (born
1936) •
Frank Vickery, Welsh playwright, 67 (born
1951) •
June 20 –
Sándor Kányádi, Hungarian poet and translator, 89 (born
1929) •
Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi, Pakistani banker, writer and humorist, 94 (born
1923) •
June 21 –
Oldřich Král, Czech sinologist and translator, 87 (born
1930) •
Eric Stanley, English literary scholar and historian, 94 (born
1923) •
June 22 –
Nahum Korzhavin, Russian-American poet, 92 (born
1925) •
June 23 –
Donald Hall, American poet, former
U.S. Poet Laureate, 89 (born
1926) •
Richard Lowitt, American historian, 96 (born
1922) •
Phan Huy Lê, Vietnamese historian, 84 (born
1934) •
June 24 –
Keith Bosley, English poet and translator, 80 (born
1937) •
June 26 –
Andrey Dementyev, Russian poet, 89 (born
1928) •
June 28 –
François Bluche, French historian, 92 (born
1925) •
Domenico Losurdo, Italian Marxist philosopher and historian (
Liberalism: A Counter-History), 76 (born
1941) •
Christine Nöstlinger, Austrian writer, 81 (born
1936) •
June 30 –
Timothy Murphy, American poet, 67 (born
1951) •
Fuat Sezgin, Turkish Islamic science historian (
Goethe University Frankfurt), 93 (born
1924) •
July 1 –
Bozhidar Dimitrov, Bulgarian historian, 72 (born
1945) •
July 2 –
Meic Stephens, Welsh writer and editor (
The Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales,
Library of Wales: Poetry 1900–2000), 79 (born
1938) •
July 3 –
Thérèse Kleindienst, French librarian, 101 (born
1916) •
July 4 –
Rogelio Mangahas, Filipino poet and writer, 79 (born
1939) •
July 5 –
François Budet, French singer-songwriter, novelist, and poet, 78 (born
1940) •
Gerald Messadié, French essayist and novelist, 87 (born
1931) •
Michel Suffran, French novelist, 87 (born
1931) •
July 6 –
Amritlal Vegad, Indian writer, 89 (born
1928) •
July 7 –
Peter Sawyer, English historian, 90 (born
1928) •
July 8 –
Anthony Kirk-Greene, English historian, 93 (born
1925) •
July 10 –
Clive King, English writer, 94 (born
1924) •
July 13 –
Atukwei Okai, Ghanaian poet and academic (
University of Ghana), 77 (born
1941) •
Claude Seignolle, French writer, 101 (born
1917) •
July 14 –
Petr Weigl, Czech director, playwright and dramaturge, 79 (born
1939) •
July 17 –
Radoslav Nenadál, Czech writer and English-language translator, 88 (born
1929) •
Hugh Whitemore, English playwright, 82 (born
1936) •
July 18 –
Anne Olivier Bell, English literary editor and art scholar, member of the
Monuments Men Brigade, 102 (born
1916) •
Ling Li (凌力), Chinese historical novelist and missile engineering technologist, 76 (born
1942) •
July 26 –
Sha Yexin (沙叶新), Chinese playwright and political activist, 79 (born
1939) •
July 27 –
Marco Aurelio Denegri, Peruvian linguist, intellectual and sexologist, 80 (born
1938) •
August 4 –
Lluïsa Forrellad, Spanish writer, 91 (born
1927) •
Anita Miller, American writer, publisher and co-founder of
Academy Chicago Publishers, 91, (born
1926) •
August 5 –
Matthew Sweeney, Irish poet, 65 (born
1952) •
August 6 –
Kamrul Hasan Bhuiyan, Bangladeshi military officer and writer, 66 (born
1952) •
Christian Habicht, German historian (
Ancient Greece), 92 (born
1926) •
Leonard Lewinsohn, American Islamic scholar, 64–65 (born
1953) •
Anya Krugovoy Silver, American poet, 49 (born
1968) •
August 7 –
Andrew Coburn, American fiction writer, essayist and newspaper columnist, 86 (born
1932) •
Joel H. Silbey, American historian, 84 (born
1933) •
Robley Wilson, American writer, 88 (born
1930) •
August 8 (actual date) or
9 (official date) –
Mario Alinei, Italian linguist, 91 (born
1926) •
Robert Hugh Ferrell, American historian, 97 (born
1921) •
August 10 –
William Corbett, American poet, 75 (born
1942) •
Mahmut Makal, Turkish writer, 88 (born
1930) •
August 11 –
Pierre Coustillas, French
University of Lille academic and literary scholar specialising in
George Gissing, 88 (born
1930) •
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, Trinidad-born British novelist and 2001
Nobel Prize laureate, 85 (born
1932) •
August 12 –
Michael Scott Rohan, Scottish fantasy and science fiction writer, 67 (born
1951) •
Steven T. Ross, American military historian, 81 (born
1937) •
August 13 –
John Calder, Canadian-born British publisher who founded
Calder Publishing in 1949, 91 (born
1927) •
Georges Hausemer, Luxembourg fiction, travelogue and non-fiction writer, and translator from French, English, Spanish and Luxembourgeois into German, who sometimes worked as an illustrator using the pseudonym '
Theo Selmer, 92, 61 (born
1957) •
Ann Moss , English literary historian, 80 (born
1938) •
August 14 –
Chemmanam Chacko, Indian poet, 92 (born
1926) •
Eduard Uspensky, Russian children's writer (
Uncle Fedya, His Dog, and His Cat), poet, playwright and screenwriter, 80 (born
1937) •
August 15 –
Abu Bakr al-Jazaeri, Algerian Islamic scholar and writer, 97 (born
1921) •
Allan Rune Pettersson, Swedish writer (''
Frankenstein's Aunt, Frankenstein's Aunt Returns''), 82 (born
1936) •
Sterling Stuckey, American historian specialising in slavery and Afro-American culture, 86 (born
1932) •
August 16 –
Benny Andersen, Danish poet, short story writer, children's writer and pianist, 88 (born
1929) •
George Athan Billias, American historian, 99 (born
1919) •
Wakako Yamauchi,
Japanese American playwright whose works were influential in
Asian-American theatre, 93 (born
1924) •
August 17 –
Jeremy Catto, English historian, 79 (born
1939) •
Halima Xudoyberdiyeva, Uzbekistani nationalist, liberationist, feminist writer and poet, 71 (born
1947) •
August 18 –
Tom Clark, American poet, biographer and poetry editor of
The Paris Review between 1963 and 1973, 77 (born
1941) •
Eduard Frolov, Russian historian, Head of Department of History of Ancient Greece and Rome at
Saint Petersburg State University in 1971–2015 and member of the
Journal of Ancient History editorial board, 85 (born
1933) •
Henk Wesseling, Dutch historian, 81 (born
1937) •
August 20 –
Matthew Aid, American military historian specializing in
signal intelligence and history of
National Security Agency, 60 (born
1958) •
August 21 –
John Christgau, American writer on sports and his country's history, 84 (born
1934) •
Vesna Krmpotić, Croatian writer, translator 1999
Vladimir Nazor Award recipient and 2013
Tin Ujević Award recipient, 86 (born
1932) •
Hanna Mina, Syrian novelist, 94 (born
1924) •
August 22 –
Jesús Torbado, Spanish writer and 1965
Alfaguara Prize recipient, 75 (born
1943) •
August 23 –
Cindy Haug, Norwegian writer, 61 (born
1956) •
Ann Ireland, Canadian novelist, writing instructor and past president of
PEN Canada, 65 (born
1953) •
Franck Venaille, French poet and 1996
Prix Mallarmé recipient, 81 (born
1936) •
August 24 –
Stanley Morgan, English thriller writer, 88 (born
1929) •
Ciril Zlobec, Slovene poet, 93 (born
1925) •
August 26 –
Hamsad Rangkuti, Indonesian short story writer, 75 (born
1943) •
Neil Simon, American playwright (
Biloxi Blues,
The Odd Couple), 1991
Pulitzer Prize winner (
Lost in Yonkers) and
1965,
1985 and
1991 Tony winner, 91 (born
1927) •
August 28 –
Josep Fontana, Spanish historian and
Pompeu Fabra University academic, 86 (born
1931) •
August 29 –
Carilda Oliver Labra, Cuban poet, 96 (born
1922) •
August 30 –
Peter Corris, Australian academic, historian, journalist and novelist of historical and crime fiction, 76 (born
1942) •
August 31 –
Ian Jones, author and television writer and director, 86 (born
1931) •
Amanda Kyle Williams, American novelist of crime fiction, 61 (born
1957) •
September 1 –
Margit Sandemo,
Norwegian Swedish writer of historical fantasy works such as
The Legend of the Ice People, 94 (born
1924) •
Mykola Shytyuk, Ukrainian historian, 64 (born
1953) •
Ehsan Yarshater, Iranian historian, linguist and
Iranologist who was director of the Center for Iranian Studies at
Columbia University, 98 (born
1920) •
September 3 –
Rama Chowdhury, Bangladeshi writer, 81 (born
1937) •
September 5 –
Bhagwatikumar Sharma, Indian Gujarati writer and journalist, 84 (born
1934) •
Priscila Uppal, Canadian poet, novelist, playwright and teacher of creative writing, 43 (born
1974) •
September 6 –
Salawat Gallyamov, Russian linguist, 58 (born
1959) •
Gilbert Lazard, French linguist,
Iranologist and translator of classical Persian poetry, 98 (born
1920) •
September 7 –
Gaston-Armand Amaudruz, Swiss
neo-fascist political philosopher, 97 (born
1920) •
September 8 –
Christopher Harper-Bill, English medieval historian focusing on "the
ecclesiastical history of England from the
Norman Conquest to the eve of the
Reformation" and editing
episcopal and monastic records, 71 (born
1947) •
September 9 –
Adrian C. Louis, American
Lovelock Paiute tribe writer whose work focused on poverty, alcoholism and social problems, 72 (born
1946) •
John W. Rogerson, English
Anglican priest,
theologian,
biblical scholar and Emeritus Professor of Biblical Studies at the
University of Sheffield, 83 (born
1935) •
September 10 –
Paul Virilio, French philosopher of
aesthetics,
cultural theorist and
urbanist, 86 (born
1932) •
September 12 –
Ronald Carter , English linguist and founding member of the
Poetics and Linguistics Association, 71 (born
1947) •
Albert Ullin ,
German Australian children's bookseller and founder of Australia's first children's bookstore-The Little Bookroom, 88 (born
1930) •
September 13 –
Guido Ceronetti, Italian poet, philosopher, playwright, puppeteer and translator, 91 (born
1927) •
Albrecht Wellmer, German philosopher and 2006
Theodor W. Adorno Award recipient, 85 (born
1933) •
John Wilcock, 91, English travel writer and co-founder of
The Village Voice, 91 (born
1927) •
September 14 –
Rudolf Schieffer, German historian specialising in
medieval history and president of
Monumenta Germaniae Historica between 1994 and 2012, 71 (born
1947) •
September 15 (date death announced) –
Joris Borghouts, Dutch
Egyptologist who in 1999 was elected a member of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 79 (born
1939) •
David Lowenthal , American historian and geographer known for his work on
cultural heritage, 95 (born
1923) •
Lionello Puppi, Italian art historian, 86 (born
1931) •
Charles Rappleye, American writer, editor and co-founder of the art magazine
Artillery, 62 (born
1956) •
David Rubadiri, Malawi poet, playwright, novelist, academic and diplomat, 88 (born
1930) •
September 16 –
John Molony, Australian historian and Emeritus Professor of History at
Australian National University, 91 (born
1927) •
September 17 –
Stephen Jeffreys, English playwright who gave
Thomas Shadwell's
The Libertine a modern adaptation, 68 (born
1950) •
Daniel N. Robinson, American philosopher, 81 (born
1937) •
September 18 –
Marceline Loridan-Ivens, French
memoirist (
But You Did Not Come Back), 90 (born
1928) •
September 19 –
Vishnu Khare, Indian
Hindi poet and translator, 78 (born
1940) •
Kondapalli Koteswaramma, Indian feminist writer, 100 (born
1918) •
David Wong Louie,
Chinese American novelist and short story writer, 63 (born
1954) •
Pavel Řezníček, Czech poet, novelist (), short story writer and translator from French, 76 (born
1942) •
September 20 –
John Cunliffe, English children's writer, 85 (born
1933) •
Inge Feltrinelli, German-born Italian publisher and photographer, 87 (born
1930) • , Chinese children's writer, 98 (born
1920) •
September 21 –
Herbert Meier, Swiss writer, translator of French classical and modern plays into German and 1964
Conrad Ferdinand Meyer Prize recipient, 90 (born
1928) •
Zinaida Mirkina, Russian poet, essayist (on
Marina Tsvetaeva,
Fyodor Dostoevsky and
Alexander Pushkin) and translator of
Sufi poetry as well as works by
Rabindranath Tagore and
Rainer Maria Rilke, 92 (born
1926) •
September 23 –
Olav Angell, Norwegian poet, jazz musician, novelist, translator of
James Joyce's
Ulysses, and 2002
Riksmål Society Literature Prize and 2006
Bastian Prize recipient, 86 (born
1932) •
Jane Fortune, American feminist art historian, 76 (born
1942) •
Derek Wheatley QC, English barrister and novelist-
The Silent Lady (Mona Lisa), 92 (born
1926 or
1927?) •
September 24 –
Arnold Krammer, American historian specialising in German and American history, 77 (born
1941) •
September 25 –
Ismail Fahd Ismail, Kuwaiti novelist, short story writer and literary critic, 78 (born
1940) •
September 27 –
Kavita Mahajan, Indian feminist
Marathi fiction and non-fiction writer, children's writer and translator focusing on social issues, 51 (born
1967) •
September 28 –
Tamaz Chiladze, Georgian dramatist, poet and novelist (
The Pond and
The Brueghel Moon), 87 (born
1931) •
Joe Masteroff, American playwright (
Cabaret,
She Loves Me) and
1967 Tony winner, 98 (born
1919) •
September 29 –
Pascale Casanova, French literary critic rejected by French academia after her PhD but secured a posting at the United States
Duke University, 59 (born
1959) •
September 30 –
John J. McDermott, American philosopher, 86 (born
1932) •
October 1 –
Donald Read, English historian, 88, (born
1930) •
Antoine Sfeir,
Franco-Lebanese journalist and professor who wrote books such as
The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism, 69 (born
1930) •
October 2 –
Smilja Avramov, Serbian academic and educator, 100 (born
1918) •
October 3 –
Fang Nanjiang (方南江), Chinese writer of military-themed novels and major general of the
People's Armed Police, 75 (born
1942) •
Heo Su-gyeong (허수경), South Korean poet, 54 (born
1964) •
October 6 –
James Cowan, Australian author, 76 (born
1942) •
Ira Gasman, American playwright and lyricist, 76 (born c.
1942) •
Michel Vovelle, French historian specialising in
French Revolution, 85 (born
1933) •
October 7 –
Oleg Pavlov, Russian writer, 48 (born
1970) •
October 8 –
David Wise, American
spy novelist, writer of non-fiction (exposing
Operation Ajax,
Operation PBSuccess,
Central Intelligence Agency involvement in the
Bay of Pigs Invasion, in Laos and Vietnam, and efforts to overthrow
Sukarno) and (inaugural) 1975
Orwell Award recipient, 88 (born
1930) •
October 9 –
Robert Bausch, American novelist and short story writer, 73 (born
1945) •
October 11 –
Fatos Arapi, Albanian poet and 2008
Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath recipient, 89 (born
1929) •
Pran Nevile, Indian historian (
Lahore: A Sentimental Journey), 95 (born
1922) •
Hebe Uhart, Argentine writer, 81 (born
1936) •
October 12 –
Jan Jakob Tønseth, Norwegian biographer, essayist, member of the
Norwegian Academy, novelist, poet, short story writer, translator, 1977
Gyldendal's Endowment recipient, 2002
Cappelen Prize recipient and 2007
Dobloug Prize recipient, 71 (born
1947) •
October 13 –
Sue Hubbell, American librarian and essayist who wrote about
beekeeping, 83 (born
1935) •
October 14 –
H. G. Jones, American archivist, 94 (born
1924) •
October 15 –
Arto Paasilinna, Finnish novelist (
The Year of the Hare), 76 (born
1942) •
October 16 –
David Helwig, Canadian editor, essayist, memoirist, novelist, poet, short story writer and translator, 80 (born
1938) •
Even Hovdhaugen, Norwegian linguist, 77 (born
1941) •
October 18 –
Anthea Bell OBE, English translator of
Asterix,
Austerlitz,
Freud and
Kafka, 82 (born
1936) •
Hideo Osabe (長部日出雄), Japanese essayist, novelist and 1973
Naoki Prize recipient, 84 (born
1934) •
October 20 –
Gaétan Gervais, Canadian historian and co-designer of the
Franco-Ontarian flag, 74 (born
1944) •
October 21 –
Robert Faurisson, British-born French professor of literature and historian, 89 (born
1929) •
François Montmaneix, French poet, writer and 2003
Prix Guillaume Apollinaire recipient, 80 (born
1938) •
Eleanor Witcombe, Australian screenwriter and playwright, 95 (born
1923) •
October 22 –
Anne Fairbairn, Australian poet, journalist and expert in Arab culture, 90 (born
1928) •
Raymond Fraser , Canadian biographer, editor, essayist, memoirist, novelist, poet and short story writer, 77 (born
1941) •
Robert Saladrigas, Catalan literary critic, 1991
Premi Sant Jordi de novel·la recipient and 2004
Josep Pla Award recipient, 78 (born
1940) •
October 23 –
Tony Hoagland, American poet, 64 (born
1953) •
John Hostettler, English writer of legal histories and biographies, 93 (born
192) •
Louis O'Neill, Canadian writer, professor and politician,
MNA (1976–1981), 93 (born
1925) •
Rein Põder, Estonian writer and publisher, 75 (born
1943) •
October 23 –
Alojz Rebula,
Italian-born Slovene writer, playwright, essayist and 2005
Kresnik Award recipient, 94 (born
1924) •
October 24 –
Anatoly Gladilin, Russian writer who defected to Paris, 83 (born
1935) •
October 25 –
John Taylor Gatto, American teacher and writer on that country's modern education system (
Dumbing Us Down,
The Underground History of American Education), 82 (born
1935) •
October 26 –
György Károly, Hungarian poet and writer, 65 (born
1953) •
October 27 •
Angela Bianchini, Italian-born woman critic and literary critic who defected to the United States during the 1940s, 97 (born
1921) •
Ntozake Shange, American
black feminist playwright and poet (born
1948) •
October 28 –
Luis Miguel Enciso Recio, Spanish historian and politician,
Senator (1977–1982), 88 (born
1930) •
Peter Everwine, American poet, Professor Emeritus of English at
Fresno State and translator, 88 (born
1930) •
David Kenneth Fieldhouse FBA, English historian of the
British Empire, 93 (born
1925) •
I. John Hesselink, American theologian, 90 (born
1928) •
Erno Polgar, Hungarian writer, 64 (born
1954) •
October 29 –
Klaas Bruinsma, lecturer in English and history at
Drachten and
West Frisian language translator from Dutch, Spanish, Latin (
Virgil) and Greek (
Homer,
Sophocles) among others—, 87 (born
1931) •
Dave Duncan, Scottish-born Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer (
West of January,
The Cutting Edge), 85 (born
1933) •
Li Xifan (李希凡), Chinese literary scholar and
redologist, 90 (born
1927) •
October 30 –
Yashwant Dev, Indian
Marathi poet and composer, 91 (born
1926) •
María Irene Fornés, Cuban-American playwright who led
Off-Off-Broadway and engaged in a sexual liaison with
Susan Sontag, 88 (born
1930) •
Jin Yong , Hong Kong
wuxia novelist, essayist and newspaper proprietor (
Ming Pao), 94 (born
1924) • October 30 –
Sangharakshita, British Buddhist teacher and writer from the
Triratna Buddhist Community, 93 (born
1925) •
October 31 –
Louise DeSalvo, American writer on
Italian-American culture and scholar of
Virginia Woolf, 76 (born
1942) •
November 2 –
Jane H. Hill, American anthropologist and linguist working with Native American languages of the
Uto-Aztecan language family and anthropological linguistics of North American communities, 79 (born
1939) •
November 3 –
Alistair Elliot, English librarian, poet, translator of
Euripides's
Medea and 2000
Cholmondeley Award recipient, 86 (born
1932) •
Eric Schiller, American writer on
chess and player of it, 63 (born
1955) •
November 4 –
Bertil Mårtensson, Swedish writer of crime, fantasy and science fiction, 73 (born
1945) •
Grant R. Osborne, American
theologian and
New Testament scholar, 76 (born
1942) •
Ali Squalli Houssaini, Moroccan children's writer and lyricist of the
national anthem, 86 (born
1932) •
November 6 –
Coşkun Büktel, Turkish playwright, novelist and translator of
D. H. Lawrence, 67 (born
1950) •
Frances M. López-Morillas, American translator of
Spanish literature (fiction and non-fiction) into English and wife of Professor Juan López-Morillas of the Departments of Spanish and Comparative Literature at
Brown University, 1000 (born
1918) •
November 7 –
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, Scottish-born American editor, obituarist and book reviewer (
The New York Times Book Review from 1965; senior daily book critic at
The New York Times between 1969 and 1995), 84 (born
1934) •
Alan Watson, Scottish legal scholar, one of the world's foremost authorities on
Roman law,
comparative law,
legal history and law and religion, credited with coining the term "
legal transplants", 85 (born
1933) •
November 8 –
Bartolomé Bennassar, French historian specializing in Spanish and Latin American history, 1987 Grand Cross of the
Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise recipient and 2005
Grand prix Gobert recipient, 89 (born
1929) •
Chin Yang Lee (黎錦揚), Chinese-born American bestselling writer of
The Flower Drum Song, 102 (born
1915) •
November 9 –
Janet Paisley, Scottish writer and poet in Scots and English, 70 (born
1948) •
Barre Toelken, American folklorist president of the
American Folklore Society between 1977 and 1978 and editor of the
Journal of American Folklore and
Western Folklore, 83 (born
1935) •
November 10 –
Liu Xuyi (刘绪贻), Chinese historian specialized in
American studies, 105 (born
1913) •
Marc Wilmet, Belgian linguist, 80 (born
1938) •
November 11 –
Olga Harmony, Mexican playwright, 90 (born
1928) •
Donald McCaig, American novelist, 78 (born
1940) •
Alun Morgan, Welsh jazz critic noted for plain, lucid prose, 90 (born
1928) •
Zeng Shiqiang (曾仕強), Taiwanese
sinologist noted for his study of the oldest of the
Chinese classics I Ching, 84 (born
1934) •
Fred Patten, American contributor to the fantasy and science fiction genres, 77 (born
1940) •
November 12 –
Stan Lee dies in
Los Angeles, California. •
November 14 –
Prabhat Nalini Das, Indian academic, Professor of English and translator into English, 91 (born
1927) •
Fernando del Paso, Mexican novelist, essayist, poet, member of
El Colegio Nacional de México since 1996, 1966
Xavier Villaurrutia Award, 1982
Rómulo Gallegos Prize, 2007
FIL Award, 2013
Alfonso Reyes International Prize and 2015
Miguel de Cervantes Prize recipient, 83 (born
1935) •
November 15 –
E. D. Blodgett, Canadian poet, literary critic and translator, 83 (born
1935) •
Aldyr Schlee, Brazilian short story writer and translator noted for designing the jersey of the
Brazil national football team, 83 (born
1934) •
November 16 –
Paul Ferris, Welsh biographer of
Dylan Thomas, (and editor of his letters), Thomas's wife and
Northcliffe, 89 (born
1929) •
William Goldman, American writer in the fantasy and thriller genres who turned to screenwriting, 87 (born
1931) •
November 17 –
Ajin Panjapan, Thai writer, 91 (born 19??) •
November 18 – , Ukrainian linguist, literary critic, professor and translator from English and
Italian, 96 (born
1922) •
Iain Moireach, Scottish Gaelic editor, novelist, poet and short story writer, 80 (born
1938) •
November 19 –
Shiao Yi (蕭逸), Taiwanese-American
wuxia novelist, 83 (born
1935) •
November 20 –
James H. Billington, American academic, history teacher and former
Librarian of Congress, 89 (born
1929) •
November 21 –
Meena Alexander, Indian-born American feminist poet and scholar, 67 (born
1951) •
Fahmida Riaz, Pakistani feminist poet, 72 (born
1946) •
November 22 –
Judith Rodriguez , Australian editor, lecturer, librettist and poet who was the wife of
Thomas Shapcott, 82 (born
1936) •
November 23 –
Jean-Loup Rivière, French playwright and drama critic, 70 (born
1948) •
November 24 –
Ikeogu Oke, Nigerian poet and writer of
children's literature who received the 2017
Nigeria Prize for Literature, 51 (born
1967) •
November 25 –
Paul Ellingworth, Scottish biblical scholar and translator, 87 (born
1931) •
Philip Levine, American classicist, 96 (born
1922) •
Claude Péloquin,
Québécois poet, 76 (born
1942) •
November 26 –
Luc Deflo, Belgian writer, 60 (born
1958) •
Iravatham Mahadevan, Indian
epigraphist noted for his successful decipherment of
Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions and expertise on
Indus Valley civilisation epigraphy, 88 (born
1930) •
Leo P. Ribuffo, American historian, 72–73 (born
1945) •
Goran Stefanovski, Macedonian playwright, 66 (born
1952) •
Barbara Brooks Wallace, American writer of
children's literature, 95 (born
1922) •
November 28 –
Thomas J. J. Altizer, American
radical theologian noted for his contribution to the short-lived "
God is dead" cultural moment experienced by that country, 91 (born
1927) •
Blaže Ristovski, Macedonian folklorist, historian, linguist and member of the
Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, 87 (born
1931) •
Harry Leslie Smith, English memoirist, 95 (born
1923) •
November 29 –
Elisa Brune, Belgian writer, 52 (born
1966) •
Altaf Fatima, Pakistani
Urdu novelist and short story writer, 91 (born
1927) •
Miguel Romero Esteo, Spanish professor and playwright, 88 (born
1930) •
November 30 –
Attash Durrani, Pakistani linguist and scholar noted for his work on
Urdu language and
literature, 66 (born
1952) •
December 1 •
Ivan Katardžiev, Macedonian historian, 92 (born
1926) •
Pauls Putniņš, Latvian playwright, journalist and politician, 81 (born
1937) •
December 2 –
Séry Bailly, Ivorian writer and politician, 70 (born
1948) •
December 3 •
Andrei Bitov, Russian novelist and short story writer of
Circassian ancestry, 81 (born
1937) •
Justin Cartwright , South African-born British
Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist, 75 (born
1943) •
Hans-Günther Thalheim, German linguist and writer noted for work on the eighteenth century (especially the
Sturm und Drang phase of the
German classicist movement;
Schiller;
Winckelmann;
Goethe Kleist), 94 (born
1924) •
December 4 –
Nh. Dini, Indonesian feminist novelist, 82 (born
1936) •
December 5 –
Julia Vinograd, American street poet, graduate of the
Iowa Writers' Workshop and Berkeley's unofficial poet laureate, 74 (born
1943) •
December 6 •
Kuslan Budiman, Indonesian poet and fiction writer, 83 (born
1935) •
Joseph Joffo, French novelist noted for a widely translated memoir,
A Bag of Marbles, 87 (born
1931) •
Murray Murphey, American historian, philosopher and advocate of
social sciences, 90 (born
1928) •
December 8 –
Jamal Nebez,
Iraqi Kurdish linguist, mathematician and translator of
Gogol and
Shakespeare into
Kurdish, 85 (born
1933) •
December 9 •
William Blum, American historian (
Killing Hope,
Rogue State), 85 (born
1933) •
Tor Fretheim, Norwegian writer of
children's literature and recipient of the 1986
Norwegian Critics Prize for Best Children's Book, 72 (born
1946) •
December 10 •
Mushirul Hasan, Indian historian, 69 (born
1949) •
Robert Spaemann, German Roman Catholic philosopher seen as a member of the
Ritter school, whose work focused on
Christian ethics, 91 (born
1927) •
Xavier Tilliette, French philosopher and theologian, 97 (born
1921) •
December 11 •
Harold L. Kahn, American historian focusing on
Imperial China, 88 (born
1930) •
Lia Wyler, Brazilian translator of
Harry Potter series, 84 (born
1934) •
December 12 •
Wilhelm Genazino, German novelist, 2004
Georg Büchner Prize recipient and 2007
Kleist Prize recipient, 75 (born
1943) •
Meng Lang (孟浪), Chinese poet and promoter of dissidents such as
Liu Xiaobo, 57 (born
1961) •
December 15 •
Eryue He (二月河), Chinese
historical fiction writer, 73 (born
1945) •
Jacques Verdier, French novelist, 61 (born
1957) •
December 19 –
Bhai, Surinamese poet, 83 (born
1935) •
December 20 –
F. W. Bernstein, German poet and 2008
Wilhelm Busch Prize recipient, 80 (born
1938) •
December 21 –
Tom Leonard, Scottish poet writing in
Glaswegian dialect, 74 (born
1944 with
Alasdair Gray and
James Kelman) •
December 22 •
Gary N. Knoppers, Canadian theologian noted for work on
1 Chronicles, 62 (born
1956) •
Jane Langton, American writer of children's literature and
detective fiction, 95 (born
1922) •
Roger Owen, English historian noted for work on Middle East, 83 (born
1935) •
December 23 –
Eileen Battersby, American-born Irish literary critic known for advocating fiction in translation, 60 (born c.
1958) •
December 24 –
Osvaldo Bayer, Argentine "ultra-
pacifist anarchist" novelist, 91 (born
1927) •
December 25 •
Nirendranath Chakravarty, Indian poet and writer about the fictional detective
Bhaduri Moshai, 94 (born
1924) •
Baldur Ragnarsson, Icelandic poet and writer of
Esperanto works, 88 (born
1930) •
Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, American writer on African American women, 77 (born
1941) •
Terence Wheeler, English novelist and playwright, 82 (born
1936) •
December 26 –
Elizabeth Zachariadou, Greek historian of
Turkish studies, notably the early
Ottoman Empire (–1600), 87 (born
1931) •
December 27 –
Wilfred Shuchat, Canadian scholar and
rabbi, 98 (born
1920) •
December 28 •
Seydou Badian Kouyaté, Malian novelist and lyricist of his country's national anthem "
Le Mali", 90 (born
1928) •
Amos Oz, Israeli novelist, memoirist, etc., recipient of 2005
Goethe Prize and 2013
Franz Kafka Prize, 79 (born
1939) •
December 30 –
Edgar Hilsenrath, German novelist ranged from the
grotesque (
The Nazi and the Barber) to the poetic (
The Story of the Last Thought), 92 (born
1926) •
December 31 –
Gülriz Sururi, Turkish novelist, memoirist and essayist, 89 (born
1929) ==Awards==