July 2

Born:

1877 - Herman Hesse
German-Swiss poet, novelist and painter. Most famous works include Steppenwolf and Siddhartha. Won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946 "for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style."

1919 - Jean Craighead George
American author of children's and young adult literature, most well known for My Side of the Mountain and it's sequels.

1923 - Cyril M. Kornbluth
American science fiction author who wrote under a variety of aliases; a frequent collaborator with Frederick Pohl.

1923 - Wisława Szymborska-Włodek
Polish poet; winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature "for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality."

1951 - Jack Gantos 
American author of children's books, creator of the Rotten Ralph character.

1964 - Elizabeth Graver
American author whose The End of the Point was a National Book Award nominee in 2013.

1972 - Darren Shan
The pen name of Darren O'Shaughnessy, an Irish author of young adult novels, most notably The Saga of Darren Shan and the Cirque du Freak books.

1974 - Matthew Reilly
An Australian action thriller writer.






Died:

1566 - Nostradamus
1778 - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
1961 - Ernest Hemingway
1977 - Vladimir Nabokov
1999 - Mario Puzo
2010 - Beryl Bainbridge
2016 - Elie Wiesel