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Think about the world without stories. No tales of adventure, love, loss or victory. It’s a bleak thought, isn’t it? But thankfully we got the incredible gift of English literature, brought to life by the pens of some of the most talented and famous authors of all time in history. From intimate whispers of Austen’s romances to towering heights of Shakespeare’s tragedies these authors have left a big mark on our minds. Therefore, in this article, we will get to know about some of the most famous personalities in literature and their famous work, genres they have worked on, awards, and more to
Table of Contents
- 1 List of Famous Authors of All Time
- 2 All About the Famous Authors of All Time
- 2.1 William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
- 2.2 Leo Tolstoy (1828 -1910)
- 2.3 Jane Austen (1775 – 1817)
- 2.4 Charles Dickens (1812 – 1817)
- 2.5 Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941)
- 2.6 T. S. Eliot (1888 – 1965)
- 2.7 Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 – 1881)
- 2.8 James Joyce (1882-1941)
- 2.9 F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940)
- 2.10 Stephen King
- 3 FAQs
The literary world is vast and ever-evolving, filled with countless stories, characters, and ideas. Here in the table, we will learn about the writing style of literary world heroes.
| Famous Authors of All Time | Writing Style |
| William Shakespeare | Elizabethan English, verse, blank verse, prose |
| Leo Tolstoy | Realism, social commentary, epic narratives |
| Jane Austen | Social satire, wit, realism, third-person limited omniscient |
| Charles Dickens | Social realism, historical fiction, vivid descriptions, humour |
| Virginia Woolf | Modernism, stream of consciousness, interior monologue, symbolism |
| T. S. Eliot | Modernism, poetry, symbolism, fragmented narratives |
| Fyodor Dostoevsky | Psychological fiction, realism, exploration of human psychology, philosophical questions |
Also Read about the Greatest Writers of All Time & Their Best Selling Works
Thousands of years ago literature started when people started writing down stories, poems and other forms of expression. Things were going on when books were not in existence. As time started to pass on literature became common and now we have its vast and complex face. In creating this literature many legends presented their work such as T.S Eliot, William Shakespeare and many more. Let’s know about them in detail –
William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, actor and poet who was born on 23 April 1564 in Warwickshire, England. He is best known as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent. He is also known as England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” (or simply “the Bard”). Some of his famous works are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar etc.
| All About William Shakespeare | |
| Name | William Shakespeare |
| Born | April 1564 |
| Died | 23 April 1616 |
| Occupations | Play wright, poet, actor |
| Years active | c. 1585–1613 |
| Era | Elizabethan Jacobean |
| Organisation | Lord Chamberlain’s Men/King’s Men |
| Language | Early Modern English |
| Genres | Play (comedy, history, tragedy) |
Leo Tolstoy (1828 -1910)
Leo Tolstoy was a famous Russian writer, whose most famous work was War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Tolstoy’s books are about real life and real people. He wrote about family, love and the struggles people face. His stories are so interesting and well-written that they’ve been read by people all over the world for many years. Tolstoy was a critique of the social and political system of his time and if we talk about his literary style and technique, his novels often have a vast scope, encompassing historical events, social; changes and the personal journeys of numerous characters.
| About Leo Tolstoy | |
| Name | Leo Tolstoy |
| Born | 9 September 1828 |
| Died | 20 November 1910 |
| Occupation | Writerreligious thinker |
| Education | Imperial Kazan University (dropped out) |
| Period | Modern |
| Genres | Novel, novella, short story, sketch, play, children’s literature, song, polemic, essay, treatise, epistle, literary and art criticism, textbook, autobiography, diary, translation, correspondence |
| Subjects | Christian anarchism, pacifism |
| Years active | 1847–1910 |
| Notable awards | Griboyedov Prize (1892) |
Jane Austen (1775 – 1817)
Jane Austen a renowned name in English literature, crafted timeless tales that offered a sharp critique of 18th-century English society. Her most famous works, including Sense and Sensibility, pride and Prejudice and Emma, delved into themes of love, marriage and societal expectations providing insightful commentary on the limitations faced by women during that era.
| About Jane Austen | |
| Name | Jane Austen |
| Born | 16 December 1775 |
| Died | 18 July 1817 |
| Period | 1787–1817 |
Charles Dickens (1812 – 1817)
Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, England and he was a well-known English writer. His stories often focused on the lives of poor people during the Victorian era. Some of his most popular books include A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, and Great Expectations.
| About Charles Dickens | |
| Name | Charles Dickens |
| Born | 7 February 1812 |
| Died | 9 June 1870 |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Notable works | The Pickwick Papers, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby |
Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941)
Vergina Woolf was born on 25 January 1882, in London. She is renowned for her unique writing style and important ideas about women’s rights. Some of her best-known books include Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and Orlando. Woolf was a key figure in the modernist movement, which changed how stories were told.
| About Virginia Woolf | |
| Name | Adeline Virginia Stephen |
| Born | 25 January 1882 |
| Died | 28 March 1941 (aged 59) River Ouse, East Sussex, England |
| Occupation | Novelist, essayist, publisher, critic |
| Alma mater | King’s College London |
| Notable works | Mrs Dalloway (1925) To the Lighthouse (1927) Orlando (1928) A Room of One’s Own (1929) The Waves (1931) |
T. S. Eliot (1888 – 1965)
Thomas Stern Eliot or T.S. Eliot was a poet and playwright born on September 26, 1888, in St. Louis, Missouri. He moved to England at the age of 25 and became a British citizen in 1927. Eliot is known for his best poems like The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Waste Land, which changed poetry in the 20th century. For the children, he also wrote fun books such as Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, which inspired the musical cats.
| About T. S. Eliot | |
| Name | T. S. Eliot |
| Born | 26 September 1888 |
| Died | 4 January 1965 |
| Occupation | Poet, essayist, playwright, publisher, critic |
| Education | Harvard University(AB, AM) Merton College, Oxford |
| Period | 1905–1965 |
| Notable works | The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915) The Waste Land (1922) The Hollow Men (1925) Murder in the Cathedral (1935) Four Quartets (1943) |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Literature (1948) Order of Merit (1948) |
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 – 1881)
Fyodor Dostoevsky was born on November 11, 1821, in Moscow and was a renowned Russian writer. He is best known for his powerful novels like Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoevsky’s stories often examine deep questions about life, morality and human nature, making him one of the greatest authors in world literature.
| About Fyodor Dostoevsky | |
| Name | Fyodor Dostoevsky |
| Born | 11 November 1821 Moscow, Russian Empire |
| Died | 9 February 1881 |
| Occupation | Writer, journalist, military, engineer |
| Education | Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute |
| Period | Modern (19th century) |
| Genres | Psychological fiction (novel, novella, short story), opinion journalism (polemic, essay, sketch, feuilleton, epistle, memoir), literary criticism, diary, poetry, translation, oration |
| Years active | 1844–1880 |
| Notable works | Notes from Underground (1864) Crime and Punishment (1866) The Idiot (1868–1869)Demons (1871–1872) The Brothers Karamazov (1879–1880) A Writer’s Diary (1873–1881) |
James Joyce (1882-1941)
James Joyce (1882-1941) was an Irish novelist, literary critic and poet. He was born in Dublin and he was considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. His works were known for their experimental style and exploration of consciousness, including the short story collection Dubliners, the novel A Portrait of the Artist a Young Man and the epic Ulysses a landmark in modernist literature.
| About James Augustine Aloysius Joyce | |
| Name | James Augustine Aloysius Joyce |
| Born | 2 February 1882 Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Novelist, poet |
| Notable works | Dubliners (1914) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) Ulysses (1922) Finnegans Wake (1939) |
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940)
American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald was known for his short stories, essays and novels. He attended Princeton University, where he was involved in the literary and social scene. His works explore the themes of class, love, wealth and disillusionment. His most famous novel The Gatsby, is considered a classic of American alcoholism and financial difficulties.
| About F. Scott Fitzgerald | |
| Name | Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald |
| Born | September 24, 1896 |
| Died | December 21, 1940 (aged 44) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, essayist |
| Alma mater | Princeton University (no degree) |
| Period | 1920–1940 |
| Literary movement | Modernism |
| Notable works | The Beautiful and Damned (1922) Tales of the Jazz Age (1922) The Great Gatsby (1925) Tender Is the Night (1934) |
Stephen King
Stephen is an American author known for his suspense and horror fiction. He has written over 6o novels, including bestsellers like Carrie, The Shinning, The Stand and IT. King’s works often explore themes of fear, loss, and redemption, and have influenced countless other writers. He has also adapted several novels into successful films and television series.
| About Stephen Edwin King | |
| Name | Stephen Edwin King |
| Born | September 21, 1947 |
| Pen name | Richard Bachman, John Swithen, Beryl Evans |
| Occupation | Author |
| Alma mater | University of Maine (BA) |
| Period | 1967–present |
| Genre | Horror, fantasy, supernatural fiction, drama, gothic, genre fiction, dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic, fiction, crime fiction, suspense, thriller |
Also Read – Best Indian Authors and Their Best Selling Books
FAQs
Here are the names of the greatest of authors of all time: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, Virginia Woolf etc.
Here are the names of some of the best authors in the world: Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, ohn Green, Elif Shafak etc.
Some of the awesome writers are William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Barbara Cartland, Danielle Steel etc.
Relevant Reads
This was all about the famous authors of all time and their contributions to the history of literature. For more such informative reads on famous personalities, stay tuned to the General Knowledge page of Leverage Edu.