Writers

Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka (Yoruba: Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka, born July 13, 1934) is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. He made extraordinary achievements in drama creation and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, becoming the first African to win the prize. In 1934, Soyinka was born into a poor family of the Egba tribe of the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria. His birthplace was Abeokuta. He first received his primary education in Abeokuta and his secondary education at Government College, Ibadan. Finally, he entered University College, Ibadan (1953-1954) and obtained a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Leeds, England. After graduation, he first worked at the Royal Court Theater in London as a script proofreader, and then returned to Nigeria to study African drama. He has taught at the University of Lagos, the University of Ibadan and the University of Ife. (In 1975, he became a professor of comparative literature.) Soyinka has always been active in Nigerian politics. During the 1967 Nigerian civil war, he was arrested and imprisoned by the federal government led by Yakubu Gowon and held in solitary confinement because he was accused of breaking the peace between the warring parties. While in prison, he composed many poems, all of which were later published in Poems from Prison. Later, due to the attention and pressure from the international community, he was released after 22 months of imprisonment. His experiences in prison were eventually documented in The Man Died: Prison Notes. In addition, Soyinka is also known for his bold outspokenness. He often criticizes Nigeria's administrative departments and also opposes tyranny in other countries around the world, including the Robert Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe and the 1989 Tiananmen Incident by Deng Xiaoping's government in the People's Republic of China. Many of his works have clear arguments against dictatorship. These radical remarks often put him in danger, but they also greatly increased his reputation. During the reign of Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha (1993-1998), Soyinka was forced to leave Nigeria and lived in a foreign country.

Shen Congwen (December 28, 1902 - May 10, 1988), formerly known as Shen Yuehuan, with the courtesy name Chongwen, later changed his name to Shen Congwen. His pen names include Xiu Yunyun, Maolin, Jiachen, Shangguanbi, Xiaobing, Jiongzhi, etc. His real name is Ziaer Muzhai, male, from Phoenix, Hunan, a modern Chinese writer, novelist, essayist and archaeological expert.

Sidney Shapiro (English: Sidney Shapiro, December 23, 1915 - October 18, 2014), a Jewish-Chinese, born in New York, United States, was a translator and writer in the People's Republic of China. Its Chinese name means "erudite and enlightened".

Helen Adams Keller (English: Helen Adams Keller, June 27, 1880 - June 1, 1968) was a writer, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, United States. She lost her vision and hearing during an illness when she was 19 months old. Then, she mainly communicated using Home sign/Kitchen sign, which refers to the spontaneous gestural communication system of hearing-impaired children. At age 7, she met teacher and lifelong companion Anne Sullivan, who taught her how to use language, including reading and writing. Sullivan's first lesson was to spell words on Keller's hands, showing her the names of objects around her. She also learned how to communicate and understand what others were saying using the Tadoma method. After being educated in junior colleges and mainstream schools, she attended Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute and became the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. From 1924 to 1968, she worked for the American Foundation for the Blind; during this time she traveled throughout the United States and to 35 countries around the world, providing assistance to people with vision loss. She was a prolific author, authoring 14 books and hundreds of speeches and essays on topics ranging from animals to key figures. She campaigned for people with disabilities, women's suffrage, labor rights and world peace issues. She joined the Socialist Party of America in 1909. She was a supporter of the NAACP and a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1933, when her book How I Became a Socialist was burned by the Hitler Youth, she wrote an open letter to the Student Body of Germany denouncing censorship and prejudice in Nazi Germany. Her story with Sullivan was made famous throughout the world in her autobiography, My Life, and in the film and stage play The Miracle Worker, based on the work.

Heinrich Theodor Böll (German: Heinrich Theodor Böll, December 21, 1917 - July 16, 1985), born in Cologne, Germany, was one of the most important German writers and translators after World War II. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972.

Haizi (March 24, 1964 - March 26, 1989), whose real name is Zha Haisheng, is a contemporary Chinese poet. Together with Xi Chuan and Luo Yihe, they are known as the "Three Musketeers of Peking University".

Giordano Bruno (Italian: Giordano Bruno, Latin: Iordanus Brunus Nolanus; 1548-February 17, 1600), formerly known as Filippo Bruno, was an Italian philosopher, alchemist, poet, cosmological theorist and mystic during the Renaissance. He is best known for his cosmological theories, which conceptually generalized and extended the then- ascendant Copernican model. He studied "Hermeticism" deeply and explored the universe through the path of mysticism. He boldly claimed that the stars were distant suns, each with its own planetary system, and that these planets were very likely to harbor life. Furthermore, he insisted that the universe was infinite and had no center. Bruno was subsequently tried by the Roman Inquisition on numerous heretical charges, including denying the core doctrines of eternal punishment, the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the virginity of the Virgin, and transubstantiation. The church felt deeply threatened by his theories of pantheism and soul reincarnation, and convicted him of heresy. In 1600, Bruno was burned at the stake in Rome's Campo de' Fiori. His fame grew after his death, and critics in the 19th and early 20th centuries regarded him as a martyr to science. Some historians believe that the main reason for his trial was not cosmology, but his radical views on religion and the afterlife; however, some scholars hold the opposite view, claiming that cosmology was the cause of death. In any case, the Bruno case is still regarded as a milestone in the history of intellectual freedom and the emergence of modern science. In addition to cosmology, Bruno has also written extensively on memory techniques such as the "Memory Palace". Historian Frances Yates noted that Bruno was deeply influenced by the Presocratics of Empedocles, Neoplatonism, and Hermeticism, as well as the legend surrounding the "Triple Great Hermes" of the Hellenistic period. The rest of the research focuses on his "qualitative research approach" to mathematics and his unique attempt to apply the concept of geometric space to language.

Edgar Allan Poe (English: Edgar Allan Poe; January 19, 1809 - October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, best known for his suspense novels and thrillers. Edgar Allan Poe is a representative figure of dark romantic literature and a pioneer of detective novels and science fiction. Bernard Shaw once said: America produced two great writers - Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain. Edgar Allan Poe was an Irish-American who was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His real name was Edgar Poe. His father ran away from home when he was a child, and his mother died when he was three years old. Poe was raised by John and Frances Allen in Richmond, Virginia. He attended schools run by Mrs. Dubber and Father Bransby, and returned to school in Richmond to learn fencing, horseback riding, swimming, Latin and French, etc. After briefly studying at the University of Virginia and serving in the military, Poe published his first collection of poems, Tamerlane (1827), at his own expense, and began his creative career. Poe later devoted his attention to prose, and in the following years he worked in literary magazines and periodicals, becoming a well-known literary critic in his unique style. Poe often traveled to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and other cities due to work requirements. In 1835, at the age of 26, he married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clem in Baltimore. In January 1845, Edgar Allan Poe published the poem "The Raven" and became famous overnight. Two years later, his wife died of tuberculosis. Poe began planning to launch a publication in his own name, The Pennsylvanian (later renamed The Stylus Pen), but he did not complete it until his death. Poe died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849. His works also frequently appear in popular culture such as literature, music, film and television. Most of the residences where Edgar Allan Poe lived during his lifetime have been preserved as museums to this day.

Edward Lear (English: Edward Lear, May 12, 1812 - January 29, 1888) was a famous British limerick poet, cartoonist, and landscape painter in the 19th century. He traveled around Europe throughout his life and is famous for his work "A Book of Nonsense".

Wang Xiaobo (May 13, 1952 - April 11, 1997), whose ancestral home is Qu County, Sichuan, was born in Beijing and is a writer in the People's Republic of China. When he was young, he worked as a worker and teacher on a farm in Yunnan. Studied at Renmin University of China from 1978 to 1982. In 1984, he went to the United States to study. Obtained a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988. Later he taught at Peking University and Renmin University of China. After 1992, he became a freelance writer. He died of a heart attack in Beijing on April 11, 1997.

Wang Yi (June 1973-), pen name Wang Shuya, is a Chinese writer, poet, scholar, Calvinist Reformed pastor, and one of the founders of Early Rain Covenant Church. He has been engaged in writing for a long time and has served as a director and teacher in many Protestant educational institutions and seminaries. He was once listed as one of the "50 Public Intellectuals Who Influence China" by Southern People Weekly. Later, as a Christian intellectual and a pastor who promoted the openness of Chinese house churches, he was listed as one of "25 Chinese People Worth Watching" by the Financial Times. He is the author of more than ten books including "Constitutionalism", "The Rivers and Lakes of Disobedience", "Heaven Was Silent for Half an Hour", and "I Have Peace Like a River".

Wang Wei (699-761), whose courtesy name was Mojie, was known as Mojie layman. He was also known as Wang Youcheng due to his official position. He was also known as the poet and Buddha. He was a native of Qi County, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. He was an official, poet and painter in the Tang Dynasty. Wang Wei was born in a gentry family and was promoted to Jinshi. He was demoted to Jezhou and was appreciated by Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling. He was promoted to Youshiyi and Zuobuque, and became a court poet. He was captured by the rebels during the Anshi Rebellion and was forced to accept a post. After being rescued, he was found guilty of treason. He was pardoned by Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty. He was only demoted to Prince Zhongyun. Later, he moved to Zhongshu Sheren and Shangshu Youcheng. Wang Wei's important contribution lies in improving the status of quatrains and the artistic characteristics of antitheses. He is known as the "Tian Wen Zong". He was praised by Su Shi as "painting in poetry" and poetry in painting. He was revered as the ancestor of ink painting and the master of landscape painting. There are more than 370 poems by Wang Wei in existence. They are good at various genres and have a wide range of themes. They are especially good at landscape poems and pastoral poems. The style of poetry is soft, quiet and leisurely, and the language is concise and comprehensive. The poems are widely sung. His famous works include "Wangchuan Collection", "Reminiscences of Shandong Brothers on September 9th", "Send Yuan Er Envoy to Anxi", "Bird Song Stream", etc. In terms of painting, Wang Wei was influenced by both Li Sixun and Wu Daozi. He used broken ink techniques and was good at landscape painting and figure painting. His representative works include "Wangchuan Picture" and "Fu Sheng Teaching Sutra Picture". In terms of religion, Wang Wei believed in Buddhism, practiced Zen for a long time, and incorporated Zen principles into his poetry.

Malala Yousafzai (Urdu: ملالہ یوسف زئی; Pashto: ملاله یوسفزۍ, pronounced: [məˈlaːlə jusəf ˈzəj]; English: Malala Yousafzai; born July 12, 1997), is a Pakistani activist known for her fight for women's rights and women's right to education. In 2014, at the age of 17, she won the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest recipient of any Nobel Prize.

Margaret Mead (English: Margaret Mead, December 16, 1901 - November 15, 1978), American anthropologist, was an important scholar in the formation of modern anthropology in the United States. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom immediately after his death in 1978.

Margaret Atwood (English: Margaret Atwood, November 18, 1939 -), Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic and inventor. Since 1961, it has published 18 poetry collections, 18 novels, 11 non-fiction books, 9 short story collections, 8 children's books, 2 graphic novels and some independently published poetry collections and novels. Among them, the novel "The Handmaid's Tale" is the most well-known. His works have been recognized by many major awards, including: two Booker Prizes, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Governor General's Award of Canada, the Kafka Award, the Princess of Asturias Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Many works have been adapted into movies and TV series. Atwood's work covers a variety of themes, including gender and identity, religion and myth, the power of language, climate change and "power politics." Many of her poems were inspired by myths and fairy tales, stories that interested her from an early age. Atwood is the founder of the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Canadian Writers Trust. She is also a senior fellow at Massey College in Toronto. She is the inventor of the LongPen device and its associated technologies that enable remote robotic document writing.

Václav Havel (Czech: Václav Havel, October 5, 1936 - December 18, 2011) was a Czech writer and playwright, a political dissident and one of the thinkers of the Velvet Revolution. First President of the Czech Republic.

Władysław Stanislaw Reymont (Polish: Władysław Stanisław Reymont, May 7, 1868 - December 5, 1925), nee Rejment, was a Polish writer. He was the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1924. Remont's baptismal certificate lists his surname as "Rejment". He changed his name when he first published his work; presumably to avoid the trouble of publishing in Galicia without permission from tsarist censorship in Russian-occupied Poland. Kazimierz Wyka, who is passionate about Remont's work, believes that the reason for the name change may be to avoid being associated with the word "rejmentować", which means "curse" in some Polish dialects.

Bai Xianyong (August 16, 1937 -), a writer and playwright of the Republic of China, was born in Guilin, Guangxi. His father was Bai Chongxi, a first-level general of the Republic of China. Due to his father's work, he moved to Taiwan with the government when he was young, and his works also have a lot of color from the times before and after the government moved to Taiwan. His representative works include the novel collection "Taipei People" and "The New Yorker", the novel "Evil Son" and the essay "Tree Like This", etc. He is an important creator in the Chinese literary world in the 20th century and has been unanimously praised by many well-known writers and critics such as Yu Guangzhong and Xia Zhiqing. His masterpiece "Taipei Man" ranked seventh among the "Top 100 Chinese Novels of the 20th Century" selected by Asia Weekly, the highest ranking among living writers, and one of the best Chinese novels in the second half of the 20th century. In recent years, he has written fewer novels and has turned his energy to writing book reviews and the revitalization of Kun Opera. His recent works include several biographies of his father Bai Chongxi and an introduction to "A Dream of Red Mansions".

Bai Hua (November 20, 1930 - January 15, 2019), formerly known as Chen Youhua, male, was a native of Huangchuan, Henan, and a Chinese writer. Twin brother Ye Nan.

Sir Kazuo Ishiguro (English: Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, Japanese: Ishiguro Kazuo/Ishiguro Kazuo, November 8, 1954 -) is a British novelist and playwright. He was born in Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. He moved to the UK with his parents in 1960 when he was five years old, and was officially naturalized in the UK in 1983. Awarded with the Rising Sun Medal. Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the most famous writers in the English-speaking world today. He has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize four times and won the prize in 1989 for his work "The End of the Day". His novel "Don't Lose, Don't Forget" published in 2005 was selected as "Top Ten Novels of 2005" and "One Hundred Excellent English Novels from 1923 to 2005" by Time Magazine. His latest novel "Clara and the Sun" will be published in 2021. In 2008, The Times ranked Ishiguro 32nd among the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. In 2017, Kazuo Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The award citation said that he "exposed the abyss beneath our illusion of connection with the world in novels of powerful emotional power." The following year, on the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, the then British monarch, he was made a knighthood.

Zunun Kadir (Uyghur: زۇنۇن قادىرى / Zunun Kadir, 1911 - September 24, 1989) was a Uyghur native of Emin County, Xinjiang, and a writer of the People's Republic of China. He is one of the earliest writers in the history of Uyghur literature to write in the form of dramas and novels. He once served as a member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, a director of the Chinese Writers Association, and vice chairman of the Xinjiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

Tycho Brahe, also translated as Tycho Brahe, was a Danish nobleman, astronomer, astrologer and alchemist. His most famous assistant was Kepler.

Jane Austen is a British novelist. Her five major works interpret and comment on the lives of British landowners and squires at the end of the 18th century. Her second published novel, Pride and Prejudice, was her most critically acclaimed work during her lifetime. The plots in her novels often reflect women's reliance on marriage in pursuit of social status and economic security. Her work criticized the sensual novels of the second half of the eighteenth century, and her novels were part of the nineteenth-century shift to realism.

Milan Kundera (Czech: Milan Kundera, Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɪlan ˈkundɛra]; April 1, 1929 - July 11, 2023) was a Czech-French writer born in Brno, Czechoslovakia. He went into exile in France in 1975, became a naturalized French citizen in 1981, and regained Czech citizenship in 2019. In an interview in his later years, he claimed to be a French writer and believed that his works should be classified as French literature. Famous works include "The Unbearable Lightness of Life", "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting", etc. Before the Velvet Revolution in 1989, his works were banned in Czechoslovakia for a long time. He rarely gave interviews to the media and may have been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, but he never won one in his lifetime. On July 11, 2023, Milan Kundera passed away due to a long illness at the age of 94.