This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2007.

Events

January 1 January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__ Events ...

– ''

Post- och Inrikes Tidningar ''Post- och Inrikes Tidningar'' () or ''PoIT'' is the government newspaper and gazette of Sweden, and the country's official notification medium for announcements like bankruptcy declarations or auctions. The newspaper also carries advertising, t ...

'' (

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

), the world's oldest surviving newspaper (begun in 1645 as ''Ordinari Post Tijdender''), starts publishing

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...

only. *

March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Easte ...

– A car bomb explodes on Mutanabbi Street in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, the city's historic center of bookselling. *

April 1 Events Pre-1600 * 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. * 1081 – Alexios I Komnenos overthrows the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, and, after his tro ...

– The first in the ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' series by Jeff Kinney is released in book form in New York. * April 26 – Polly Stenham's play '' That Face'', written when she was 19, opens at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

in London, UK. * July 21 – The final book in J. K. Rowling's

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

series, ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the seventh and final novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publish ...

'', sells over 11 million copies in its first 24 hours, becoming the fastest selling book in history. * November 2 – The Tomi Ungerer Museum opens in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. * November 19 – The first Kindle e-book reader is released. * December 5 – The first European Book Prize is awarded to

Guy Verhofstadt Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium from 2009 until 2024. He was a me ...

for ''United States of Europe''. * December 11 –

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...

informs fans online that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

New books

Fiction

* André Aciman – '' Call Me by Your Name'' * Gilbert Adair – '' A Mysterious Affair of Style'' * Alan Bennett – '' The Uncommon Reader'' * Bob Burg and John D. Mann – '' The Go-Giver'' *

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, ...

– '' The Yiddish Policemen's Union'' * Brock Clarke – '' An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England'' *

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his long-running series of novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also writ ...

– '' Sword Song'' *

Don DeLillo Donald Richard DeLillo (born November 20, 1936) is an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist. His works have covered subjects as diverse as consumerism, nuclear war, the complexities of language, art, televi ...

– '' Falling Man'' *

Junot Díaz Junot Díaz ( ; born December 31, 1968) is a Dominican American writer, creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a former fiction editor at '' Boston Review''. Central to Díaz's work is the immigrant experience ...

– '' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao'' * Steve Erickson – '' Zeroville'' * Joshua Ferris – '' Then We Came to the End'' * Ge Fei (格非) – 山河入梦 (''Shanhe Rumeng'') * Helon Habila – ''Measuring Time'' * Mohsin Hamid – '' The Reluctant Fundamentalist'' * Han Kang – '' The Vegetarian'' (채식주의자, ''Chaesikjuuija'') * Elizabeth Hay – '' Late Nights on Air'' * Khaled Hosseini – '' A Thousand Splendid Suns'' * Hiromi Itō (伊藤比呂美) – ''The Thorn-Puller: New Tales of the Sugamo Jizō'' (とげ抜き新巣鴨地蔵縁起, ''Toge-nuki: Shin Sugamo Jizō engi'') *

Denis Johnson Denis Hale Johnson (July 1, 1949 – May 24, 2017) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and poet. He is perhaps best known for his debut short story collection, ''Jesus' Son (short story collection), Jesus' Son'' (1992). His most succes ...

– '' Tree of Smoke'' * Panos Karnezis – '' The Birthday Party'' * Andrus Kivirähk – '' Mees, kes teadis ussisõnu (The Man Who Spoke "Snakish")'' * Jesse Lee Kercheval – ''The Alice Stories'' * Torsten Krol – ''Callisto'' * Min Jin Lee – '' Free Food for Millionaires'' *

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan (born 21 June 1948) is a British novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of the ...

– '' On Chesil Beach'' * Elizabeth McKenzie – '' MacGregor Tells the World'' * Angela Makholwa – ''Red Ink'' *

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist. Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing ''The Dainty Monsters'', and then in 1970 the critically a ...

– '' Divisadero'' * Tito Perdue – ''Fields of Asphodel'' * Bahaa Taher – ''Sunset Oasis'' (واحة الغروب) *

Olga Tokarczuk Olga Nawoja Tokarczuk (; born 29 January 1962) is a Polish writer, activist, and public intellectual. She is one of the most critically acclaimed and successful authors of her generation in Poland. In 2019, she was awarded the 2018 Nobel Pri ...

– '' Flights (Bieguni)'' * Zlatko Topčić – '' Safet Sušić'' *

Graham Swift Graham Colin Swift FRSL (born 4 May 1949) is a British people, British writer. Born in London, UK, he was educated at Dulwich College, Queens' College, Cambridge, and later the University of York. Career Some of Swift's books have been filmed ...

– '' Tomorrow'' * M. G. Vassanji – '' The Assassin's Song'' * David Wong – '' John Dies at the End'' * Kirby Wright – ''Moloka'i Nui Ahina, Summers on the Lonely Isle'' * Corrina Wycoff – '' O Street'' * Juli Zeh – ''

Dark Matter In astronomy, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravity, gravitational effects that cannot be explained by general relat ...

Genre fiction

* Joe Abercrombie – '' Before They Are Hanged'' (March 15, second of The First Law series) * Christopher Barzak – '' One For Sorrow'' (August 28) *

Jim Butcher Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary Fantasy literature, fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and ''Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, M ...

– '' White Night'' (April 3, Harry Dresden No. 9) *

– '' The Yiddish Policemen's Union'' (May 1) * Hal Duncan – '' Ink'' (February 2, second in The Book of All Hours series) *

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ...

– '' Crooked Little Vein'' (July 24) * Steven Erikson – '' Reaper's Gale'' (April 24, seventh in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series) *Justin Evans – '' A Good and Happy Child'' (May 22) *

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...

– '' Spook Country'' (August 7) *

Ed Greenwood Ed Greenwood (born July 21, 1959) is a Canadian fantasy writer and the creator of the '' Forgotten Realms'' game world. He began writing articles about the Forgotten Realms for ''Dragon'' magazine beginning in 1979, and subsequently sold the rig ...

– ''

Dark Lord In fiction and mythology, a dark lord (sometimes capitalized as Dark Lord or referred to as an evil overlord, evil emperor etc. depending on the work) is an antagonistic archetype, acting as the pinnacle of villainy and evil within a typically h ...

'' (September, first in the Falconfar series) *

Tanith Lee Tanith Lee (19 September 1947 – 24 May 2015) was a British science fiction and fantasy writer. She wrote more than 90 novels and 300 short stories, and was the winner of multiple World Fantasy Society Derleth Awards, the World Fantasy Lifetime ...

– '' Piratica III: The Family Sea'' (third in The Piratica Series) * Scott Lynch – '' Red Seas Under Red Skies'' (July 31, second in the Gentleman Bastard series) * Richard K. Morgan – '' Th1rte3n'' (June 26) * Ian McDonald – ''

Brasyl ''Brasyl'' is a 2007 novel by British author Ian McDonald (author), Ian McDonald. It was nominated for the 2008 Hugo Awards in the best novel category. In 2008 it was nominated for, and made the longlist of, the £50,000 Warwick Prize for Writing ...

'' (May 1) *

Chuck Palahniuk Charles Michael Palahniuk (;, , born February 21, 1962) is an American novelist of Ukrainian and French ancestry who describes his work as transgressional fiction. He has published 19 novels, three nonfiction books, two graphic novels, and two ad ...

– '' Rant: An Oral History of Buster Casey'' (May 1) * Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child – '' The Wheel of Darkness'' *Risa – '' Battle of Demons'' (華鬼, ''Hana Oni'', first print (book) publication, July 31) *

Lucius Shepard Lucius Shepard (August 21, 1943 – March 18, 2014) was an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leaned into other genres, such as magical realism. Career Shepard was a native of Lynchburg, Virginia, wher ...

– ''Softspoken'' (April 15) * Jeffrey Thomas – ''Deadstock'' (February 27) *

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

(died 1973; with

Christopher Tolkien Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 16 January 2020) was an English and naturalised French academic editor and writer. The son of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher edited 24 volumes based on his father's P ...

and Alan Lee) – ''

The Children of Húrin ''The Children of Húrin'' is an epic fantasy novel which forms the completion of a tale by J. R. R. Tolkien. He wrote The Lay of the Children of Húrin, the original version of the story in the late 1910s, revising it several times later, but ...

'' * Catherynne M. Valente – '' The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice'' (October 30, second in the Orphan's Tales series)

Children and young people

* David Almond – '' My Dad's a Birdman'' * Sherman Alexie – '' The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian'' *Robin Brande – '' Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature'' * Libba Bray – '' The Sweet Far Thing'' *

Suzanne Collins Suzanne Collins (born August 10, 1962) is an American author and television writer who is best known as the author of the young adult literature, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian book series ''The Hunger Games''. She is also the author ...

– '' Gregor and the Code of Claw'' (fifth and final '' Underland Chronicles'') *Catherine Drury – '' Ivan's Appeal'' * Joseph Epstein, etc. – ''Literary Genius: 25 Classic Writers Who Define English and American Literature'' * Charlie Higson **'' Double or Die'' (third in the '' Young Bond'' series) **'' Hurricane Gold'' (fourth in the '' Young Bond'' series) *Dianne Hofmeyr – '' Eye of the Moon'' * Nick Hornby – '' Slam'' * D. J. MacHale – '' The Pilgrims of Rayne'' *

Richelle Mead Richelle Mead (born November 12, 1976) is an Americans, American fantasy author who is known for the ''Georgina Kincaid'' series, ''Vampire Academy'', ''Bloodlines (book series), Bloodlines'' and the ''Dark Swan'' series. Education and career Ric ...

– ''

Vampire Academy ''Vampire Academy'' is a series of six young adult fiction, young adult paranormal romance novels by American author Richelle Mead. It tells the story of Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway, a dhampir girl, who is training to be a guardian of her moroi be ...

'' (first in the eponymous series of six books for reluctant readers) *

Stephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer (; Morgan; born December 24, 1973) is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire literature, vampire romance series ''Twilight (novel series), Twilight'', which has sold over 160 million ...

– ''

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...

'' * China Miéville – '' Un Lun Dun'' * Robert Muchamore **'' The Fall'' (seventh in the ''

CHERUB A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...

'' series) **'' Mad Dogs'' (eighth in the ''

'' series) *

Jenny Nimmo Jenny Nimmo (born 15 January 1944) is a British author of children's books, including fantasy and adventure novels, chapter books, and picture books. Born in England, she has lived mostly in Wales for 40 years. She is probably best known for tw ...

– '' Charlie Bone and the Wilderness Wolf'' *

Garth Nix Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the ''The Old Kingdom, Old Kingdom'', ''The Seventh Tower, Seventh Tower'' and ''The Keys to the Kingdom, Keys t ...

– '' Lady Friday'' (fifth book in ''

The Keys to the Kingdom ''The Keys to the Kingdom'' is a fantasy-adventure book series written by Garth Nix, comprising seven books published between 2003 and 2010. The series chronicles the adventures of a boy named Arthur, who becomes involved with a magical world ...

'' series) *Janet Nolan – '' A Father's Day Thank You'' * Iona Opie – '' Mother Goose's Little Treasures'' * Jerry Pinkney (adapted from

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...

) – '' Little Red Riding Hood'' * J. K. Rowling – ''

'' (final book in the ''

'' series) * Brian Selznick – '' The Invention of Hugo Cabret'' * Hikaru Sugii (杉井光) – '' Heaven's Memo Pad'' *Laura Wiess – '' Such A Pretty Girl'' * N. D. Wilson – '' 100 Cupboards'' (first book in the '' 100 Cupboards'' series)

Drama

*Hassan Abdulrazzak – '' Baghdad Wedding'' * Bola Agbaje – '' Gone Too Far!'' *

Jacob M. Appel Jacob M. Appel (born February 21, 1973) is an American polymath, author, bioethicist, physician, lawyer, and social critic.Nagamatsu, Sequoia "A Few Words with the Ubiquitous Jacob M. Appel" ''Prince Mincer'' Journal http://primemincer.com/ con ...

– '' The Mistress of Wholesome'' * Sebastian Barry – ''The Pride of Parnell Street'' *

Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (; born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author, translator, and playwright. In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable." Fosse's work spans over se ...

– '' I Am the Wind'' *

Melissa James Gibson Melissa James Gibson is a Canadian-born playwright based in New York. Life The child of former British Columbia Liberal Party, BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly, MLA Gordon Gibson (politician, born 1937), Gordon Gibson and journalist ...

– ''

Current Nobody ''Current Nobody'' is a full-length play by Melissa James Gibson that premiered at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, DC, on October 29, 2007. It is an adaptation of the ''Odyssey''. The work offers a play on gender roles against the back ...

'' * Lee Hall – '' The Pitmen Painters'' * David Henry Hwang – '' Yellow Face'' * Tracy Letts – '' August: Osage County'' * Caleb Lewis – '' Dogfall'' * Tarell Alvin McCraney – '' The Brothers Size'' * Hannah Moscovitch – ''East of Berlin'' * Brendan O'Carroll – '' For the Love of Mrs. Brown'' * Mark O'Rowe – '' Terminus'' * Aaron Sorkin – '' The Farnsworth Invention'' * Nick Stafford (stage adaptation) – '' War Horse'' * Polly Stenham – '' That Face''

Poetry

* Dejan Stojanović – ''Ples vremena'' (Dance of Time)

Non-fiction

Peter Ackroyd Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William ...

– ''Thames: Sacred River'' * Xurxo Borrazás – ''Arte e parte'' * Andrea Cagan – ''Peace Is Possible: The Life and Message of Prem Rawat'' *

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian Medieval studies, medievalist, philosopher, Semiotics, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular ...

– '' On Ugliness'' * Wayne Federman, Marshall Terrill and Jackie Maravich – '' Maravich'': The Definitive Biography of Pistol Pete Maravich * David Halberstam – '' The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War'' * Ian Halperin – '' Hollywood Undercover'' *

Christopher Hitchens Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British and American author and journalist. He was the author of Christopher Hitchens bibliography, 18 books on faith, religion, culture, politics, and literature. He was born ...

– '' God is not Great'' * A. J. Jacobs – '' The Year of Living Biblically'' * Linda and Terry Jamison – ''Separated at Earth'' *

Naomi Klein Naomi Klein (born May 8, 1970) is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses; support of ecofeminism, organized labour, and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism and Criticism of capitalism, ca ...

– '' The Shock Doctrine'' * Arthur Kroeger – '' Hard Passage: A Mennonite Family's Long Journey from Russia to Canada'' *

Anthony Lewis Joseph Anthony Lewis (March 27, 1927 – March 25, 2013) was an American public intellectual and journalist. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and was a columnist for ''The New York Times''. He is credited with creating the field o ...

– '' Freedom for the Thought That We Hate'' *Lupa – '' A Field Guide to Otherkin'' * John Matteson – '' Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father'' * Daisuke Miyao – '' Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom'' *

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for hi ...

– '' What I Talk About When I Talk About Running'' (走ることについて語るときに僕の語ること, ''Hashiru Koto ni Tsuite Kataru Toki ni Boku no Kataru Koto'') * Ram Oren – ''ha-Shevu?ah'' (released in English in 2009 as '' Gertruda's Oath'') * Jessica Riskin – '' Genesis Redux'' * Bruce Serafin – '' Stardust'' *Kathy Stevens – '' Where the Blind Horse Sings'' * Alexandru Tzigara-Samurcaș – ''Lupta vieții unui octogenar'' (An Octogenarian's Lifelong Combat; posthumous)

Deaths

January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: Muhammad and his ...

–

Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson (born Robert Edward Wilson; January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) was an American writer, futurist, psychologist, and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized within Discordianism as an Episkopos, pope and saint, Wilson ...

, American author and conspiracy researcher (born

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

) *

January 19 Events Pre-1600 * 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to '' Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. * 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surren ...

– Hrant Dink, Turkish-Armenian journalist (born

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

; murdered) *

January 23 Events Pre-1600 * 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor. * 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao. * 1229 ...

– Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist (born

) *

January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to become monks by Constantine VII, who becomes sole emperor of the ...

–

Herbert Reinecker Herbert Reinecker (24 December 1914 – 27 January 2007) was a German novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Career Born in Hagen, Westphalia, Reinecker began to write short stories already as a high school student. In 1936, he moved to Berlin, w ...

, German novelist, dramatist and screenwriter (born

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...

) *

January 30 Events Pre-1600 * 1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen. * 1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom. 1601–1900 * 1607 – An es ...

–

Sidney Sheldon Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy '' The Bachelor and the Bobby-Sox ...

, American writer (born

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

) *

February 22 Events Pre-1600 * 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. * 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Fer ...

–

Lothar-Günther Buchheim Lothar-Günther Buchheim () (6 February 1918 – 22 February 2007) was a German author, painter, and wartime journalist under the Nazi regime. In World War II he served as a war correspondent aboard ships and U-boats. He is best known for his 19 ...

, German author, painter, and art collector (born

1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...

) *

March 2 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost ...

– Henri Troyat, French writer and historian (born

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

) *

February 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. * 1270 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battl ...

– Sheridan Morley, English critic and biographer (born

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

) *

March 30 Events Pre-1600 * 598 – Avar–Byzantine wars: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro- Slavic army is decimated by the plague. * 1282 ...

– Michael Dibdin, British crime writer (born

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

) *

– Driss Chraïbi, Moroccan author (born

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

) *

April 3 Events Pre-1600 * 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul. * 1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. * 1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created. ...

– Marion Eames, Welsh novelist writing mainly in Welsh (born

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

) *

April 11 Events Pre-1600 * 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. * 1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi. *1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: Franco-Ferra ...

–

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...

, American satirical novelist (born 1922) *

April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. *599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in so ...

– David Halberstam, American journalist and historian (born

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, road accident) *

May 8 Events Pre-1600 * 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. * 413 – Emperor Honorius signs a ...

– Philip R. Craig, American author and poet (born

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

) *

May 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. * 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. * 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explo ...

–

Lloyd Alexander Lloyd Chudley Alexander (January 30, 1924 – May 17, 2007) was an American author of more than 40 books, primarily fantasy novels for children's literature, children and young adults. Over his seven-decade career, Alexander wrote 48 books, and ...

, American author (born 1924) *

June 3 Events Pre-1600 * 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. * 713 – The Byzantine Empire, Byzantine emperor Philippikos Ba ...

– Suzanne Robert, French Canadian novelist (born

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

) * June 21 – Douglas Hill, Canadian science fiction author and reviewer (born

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

, injuries resulting from car accident) *

June 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1358 – The Republic of Ragusa is founded. * 1497 – Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London, England. * 1499 – Amerigo Vespucci sights what is now Amapá State in B ...

– Dragutin Tadijanović, Croatian poet (born 1905) * July 31 – Margaret Avison, Canadian poet (born

) * August 3 – John Gardner, British author of James Bond continuation novels (born

) *

September 3 Events Pre-1600 *36 BC – In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompey, son of Pompey, thus ending Pompeian resistance to the Second Triumvirate. * 301 – San Marino, one of the ...

– Mária Szepes, Hungarian novelist and screenwriter (born 1908) *

September 4 Events Pre-1600 * 476 – Romulus Augustulus is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself "King of Italy", thus Fall of the Western Roman Empire, ending the Western Roman Empire. * 626 – Li Shimin, Posthumous name, posthumously known as ...

– Zenia Larsson, Polish-Swedish writer and sculptor of Jewish descent (born 1922) * September 6 – Madeleine L'Engle, American novelist (born

) * September 16 – Robert Jordan (James Oliver Rigney, Jr.), American fantasy and historical novelist (born

) * October 19 – Jan Wolkers, Dutch author, sculptor and painter (born

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

) *

October 22 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – The Chalcedonian Creed, regarding the divine and human nature of Jesus, is adopted by the Council of Chalcedon, an ecumenical council. * 794 – Japanese Emperor Kanmu relocates his empire's capital to H ...

– Ève Curie, French author, daughter of Pierre and

Marie Curie Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was List of female ...

(born 1904) * November 10 –

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...

, American novelist, journalist and playwright (born

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

) * November 12 – Ira Levin, American novelist, dramatist and songwriter (born 1929) * November 19 – Magda Szabó, Hungarian novelist, dramatist and essayist (born

) *

November 27 Events Pre-1600 * AD 25 – Luoyang is declared capital of the Eastern Han dynasty by Emperor Guangwu of Han. * 176 – Emperor Marcus Aurelius grants his son Commodus the rank of " Imperator" and makes him Supreme Commander of th ...

– Jane Rule, Canadian novelist (born 1931) * November 28 – Elly Beinhorn, German pilot and author (born

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Moment magnitude scale, Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 9 – The "Mud March (suffragists), Mud March", the ...

) * December 22 –

Julien Gracq Julien Gracq (; born Louis Poirier; 27 July 1910 – 22 December 2007) was a French writer. He wrote novels, critiques, a play, and poetry. His literary works were noted for their dreamlike abstraction, elegant style and refined vocabulary. He ...

, French novelist, critic and poet (born 1910) *

December 27 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated. *1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to Indigenous peoples of the Americas, native Ind ...

– Jaan Kross, Estonian writer (born

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

)

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

: Doris Lessing

Australia

ALS Gold Medal The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (ALS Gold Medal) is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the ...

Alexis Wright Alexis Wright (born 25 November 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian writer. She is best known for winning the Miles Franklin Award for her 2006 novel '' Carpentaria''. She was the first writer to win the Stella Prize twice, in 2018 for her "colle ...

, '' Carpentaria'' *

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the Will (law), will of Miles Franklin ...

, '' Carpentaria'' * Patrick White Award: David Rowbotham

Canada

*''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Fre ...

'':

Heather O'Neill Heather O'Neill (born 1973) is a Canadian novelist, poet, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist, who published her debut novel, '' Lullabies for Little Criminals'', in 2006. The novel was subsequently selected for the 2007 edition of ' ...

, '' Lullabies for Little Criminals'', ''

Le Combat des livres ''Le Combat des livres'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Ici Radio-Canada Première in Canada. A French edition of the ''Canada Reads'' competition, the program was launched in 2004. It aired annually from ...

'': Denis Thériault, '' L'Iguane'' * Dayne Ogilvie Prize: Michael V. Smith * Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction: Linden MacIntyre, ''

Causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

''Faculty of Arts, 2007, Edna Staebler Award
/span>, ''Wilfrid Laurier University'', Previous winners, Linden MacIntyre, Retrieved 11/16/2012 *

Governor General's Awards The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

: Multiple categories; see 2007 Governor General's Awards * Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction: Anna Porter, ''Kasztner's Train: The True Story of Rezso Kasztner, Unknown Hero of the Holocaust'' *

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers ...

: Lawrence Hill, '' The Book of Negroes'' *

Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller Prize (known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize from 2005-2023) is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried c ...

: Elizabeth Hay, '' Late Nights on Air''

Europe

Camões Prize The Camões Prize (, ), named after Luís de Camões, is the most prestigious prize for literature in the Portuguese language. The prize was established in 1989 and is supported by the governments of Brazil and Portugal. It is awarded annually to ...

: António Lobo Antunes * Europe Theatre Prize:

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair lo ...

and

Peter Zadek Peter Zadek (; 19 May 1926 – 30 July 2009) was a German director of theatre, opera and film, a translator and a screenwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest directors in German-speaking theater. Biography Peter Zadek was born on 19 May ...

* European Book Prize:

, ''United States of Europe'' *

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...

: Gilles Leroy, '' Alabama Song''

Sweden

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award () is an international children's literary award established by the Swedish government in 2002 to honour the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002). The prize is five million SEK, making it ...

: Banco del Libro

United Kingdom

* Caine Prize for African Writing: Monica Arac de Nyeko,"Jambula Tree" * Carnegie Medal for children's literature:

Meg Rosoff Meg Rosoff (born 16 October 1956) is an American writer based in London, United Kingdom. She is best known for the novel '' How I Live Now'' (Puffin, 2004), which won the Guardian Prize, the Printz Award, the Branford Boase Award and made ...

, '' Just in Case''Hahn 2015, p. 661 *

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Un ...

for fiction: Rosalind Belben, ''Our Horses in Egypt'' *

for biography: Rosemary Hill, ''God's Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain'' *

Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

: Anne Enright, '' The Gathering'' * Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction: to

Half of a Yellow Sun ''Half of a Yellow Sun'' is a 2006 novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It became instantly successful after its publication; in the United States and Nigeria, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''Half of a Y ...

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born Grace Ngozi Adichie; 15 September 1977) is a Nigerians, Nigerian writer of novels, short stories, poem, and children's books; she is also a book reviewer and literary critic. Her most famous works include ''Purple ...

United States

* Newbery Award for children's literature: Susan Patron, '' The Higher Power Of Lucky'' * Compton Crook Award: Naomi Novik, '' His Majesty's Dragon'' *

Lambda Literary Awards Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

: Multiple categories; see 2007 Lambda Literary Awards. *

National Book Award for Fiction The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987, the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, bu ...

: to Tree of Smoke by

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by

* PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: to Everyman by Philip Roth *

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during ...

: to The Road by

Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...

* Whiting Awards: Fiction: Ben Fountain, Brad Kessler, Dalia Sofer; Nonfiction:

Carlo Rotella Carlo Rotella is an American non-fiction writer and academic. Life Carlo Rotella is the son of Salvatore Rotella, a chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago originally from Sicily. His mother was from Spain and was a professor of comparative litera ...

, Peter Trachtenberg, Jack Turner; Plays: Sheila Callaghan, Tarell Alvin McCraney; Poetry: Paul Guest, Cate Marvin

Events

New books

Fiction

Genre fiction

Children and young people

Drama

Poetry

Non-fiction

Deaths

Awards

Australia

Canada

Europe

Sweden

United Kingdom

United States

Other

See also

Notes

References