From poets like Dante Alighieri to Shakespeare, and writers like Kafka and William Faulkner, we have seen many people who have influenced the arts and lived on forever in their works. In addition to those who have been around almost forever, there are also many famous poets and writers who have greatly influenced our generation, thanks to the ideas they have supported not only through their works, but also through their ways of incomparable life.
Famous poets and writers
1. Maya Angelou
One of the greatest poets of her generation, MayaAngelou is a poet, singer and writer who, surprisingly, didn’t start her writing career until much later after holding many positions including disco dancer, performer and sex worker.
Although Maya was more famous as a poet, she also had three books of essays and seven autobiographies to her name before she died in 2014. Among her published works of poetry are: Just give me a glass of cold water Before Me (1971), And Still I Rise (1978), and Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women (1995).
2.Stephen King
With over 350 million copies of his works sold, Stephen King is one of the most widely read authors, not just of our generation, but forever. Known for his horror, supernatural fiction, and thriller, King has had many of his works adapted into films.
King started writing since 1967 and already had over 200 short stories to his name and over a hundred novels and collections. Although most of his works were published under his name, some were published under the pseudonyms Richard Bachman, John Swithen and Beryl Evans.
Some of his most popular works are He (2011), The Booth (1978), The Shining (1977), and The Green Line (1966).
3.JK Rowling
The Harry Potter series is one of the most influential books of our generation. The books have enjoyed a cult following that has made it the best-selling series in history with over 500 million copies sold worldwide and it has been adapted for film.
The person behind is Joanne Rowling who is more popular than JK Rowling or sometimes Robert Galbraith. The British writer has become one of the most influential writers thanks to the success of fantasy novels which saw her rise from poverty to become the world’s first billionaire author.
Besides Harry Potter, she has also written other works, including Carrière du mal (2015) and L’Appel du Coucou (2013) under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith.
4. Neil Gaiman
Why Neil Gaiman Became a Great Writer Not only because he’s a fantastic writer, but also because he’s covered so many areas as a writer, making him one of the most versatile. He is a novelist, comic book creator and screenwriter, among others.
Born in 1960, Gaiman has been writing since 1984. Among his most popular works are American Gods (2001), The Graveyard (2008) Good Omens (1990) and The Ocean at the End of the Road (2013).
Besides the many novels he has written, Gaiman has numerous comic books, including Black Orchid (with Dave McKean, 1988-1989), collections of short stories such as Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders (2006) and a handful of non-fiction works.
5.Charles Bukowski
Although Charles Bukowski died in 1994, he is still considered one of the most influential poets and writers of that generation. The German poet and novelist was born in 1920 in what is now Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. His family moved to the United States in 1923.
Some of his very popular works include Post Office (1971), Pulp (1978), Love is a Hound from Hell (1977) and The Last Night of Earth Poems (1992).
6. Margaret Atwood
Among the most famous poets and writers, one will always find the famous Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic and essayist, Margaret Atwood. With notable accolades such as the Man Booker Prize, the Arthur C. Clarke Prize, and the Franz Kafka Prize on her shelf, Atwood is highly celebrated for her contributions as a writer.
Born in 1939, the writer was unable to attend the ceremonyShe began writing plays and poetry at the age of 6. However, it was at the age of 16 that she decided to become a professional writer.
She published her first work of poetry Double Persephone in 1961 followed by Le jeu du cercle in 1964. She continued with other works of poetry, notably Speech for Doctor Frankenstein (1966) and Animals in this country (1968) before to publish his first novel The Edible Woman in 1969. Atwood has also been involved in non-fiction works such as Payback: Debt and the Dark Side of Wealth which was published in 2008 and Angel Catbird comic series (2016). She worked on comics with Johnnie Christmas.
7. J.D. Salinger
Born Jérôme David Salinger on January 1, 1919, the writer is very popular for his novel, The receiver in the rye which influenced a completely new genre. He is also known for his many short stories. He started writing since he was in high school at night using flashlights.
Although he spent most of his life trying to keep away from public exposure, his works attracted a lot of attention to him. When he died in 2010, he had already published more than 20 novels, collections of anthologies and unpublished stories. He left several unpublished works.
8. Toni Morrison
Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in 1931, Toni Morison is also one of the famous poets and writers who wielded great influence. A Pulitzer Prize and American Book Prize winner, her parents told her folk stories and African American stories as a child, which later helped her develop and maintain an interest in literature and art. ‘writing.
Her first book, The Bluest Eye was published in 1970, followed by Sula in 1973. She also published children’s literature, short stories and plays. Toni also has other non-fiction works.
9. George RR Martin
Famous as GRRM, George RR Martin is a novelist and short story writer who is famous for works such as A Song of Ice and Fire. It was this work that was adapted into the popular HBO series, Games of Thrones, launched since 2011.
The writer was born in 1948 and started reading when he was young to help him experience places beyond the small place where he lived. Soon after, he began writing monster stories for neighborhood kids who paid him pennies.
At the age of 21, he started selling short stories professionally. One of his early stories, With Morning Comes Foggy (1973), was nominated for Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards.
He has many books to his name, including the short story collections A Song for Lya (1976), Songs of Stars and Shadows (1977), and Portraits of His Children (1987). Her novels include A Dance with Dragons (2011), A Game of Thrones (1996), and Fevre Dream (1982).
10. Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath is one of the most famous writers and poets who have influenced our generation. Although she died in the 1960s, her works, and more particularly her poetry, are still relevant today.
Plath is a well-regarded novelist and poet for her novel. The Bell and Its Poems, Including Lady Lazarus and Papa. Born on October 27, 1932, she battled depression for most of her life and even tried to kill her several times before she passed away at age 30 from complications from diabetes.
She started writing poems when she was 8 years old and by the time she got to college she had already published many poems and over 50 short stories to her name. His first collection of poetry The Colossus and Other Poems was published in 1960. His remaining works of poetry were all published after his death. She also published a number of prose, novel and children’s books after her death.
11. Robert Frost
Frost lived from 1987 to 1963, but he is a poet many always come back to. His poem, The Road Not Taken is considered by many to be one of the best poems ever written.
With four Pulitzer Prizes and 31 Nobel Prize in Literature nominations, Frost has been a huge influence as a writer. He received up to $15 ($434 today) for his first poem, “My Butterfly. An elegy”.
In addition to the many poetry collections he published, Frost also owned spoken word poetry, as well as several plays and novels.
12. Kurt Vonnegut
Born November 11, 1922 in the United States, Kurt was of German descent. Her mother tried to write to get out of her depression, but without success. However, when his son went to high school, he realized that he could actually write more than a lot of people.
The following year, he continued to write and published his first novel Joueur Piano in 1952. By the time of his death in 2007, he had already published 14 novels, 5 plays, 3 collections of short stories and a number of documentary works. One of his best-known works is Slaughterhouse-five which was published in 1969.
A number of his works, including Slaughterhouse-five, or The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (1969) and Slapstick, or Lonesome No More! (1976) were adapted for the cinema.