Here are seven author shoutouts for this week. Check out which authors are your favorites and find a new author you haven’t yet read.

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This Week’s Author Shoutouts:

Alice Munro

Alice Munro, hailing from Wingham, Ontario, Canada, is widely recognized as the reigning monarch of the modern short story genre. Her literary prowess has been acknowledged with a Nobel Prize in Literature, a Man Booker International Prize, a National Book Critics Circle Award, and three O’Henry Awards, along with numerous other commendations. Even in her teenage years, Munro exhibited her storytelling talent by publishing her inaugural narrative, and in less than two decades, she astounded the literary world with her highly acclaimed and celebrated debut collection.

Alice Munro, known for her distinctive writing style, frequently situated her stories in Huron County, Ontario. Her narratives featured an unnamed protagonist who navigated the complexities of life, presented in a fluid chronology and expressed through straightforward and unadorned language. Sadly, Alice Munro passed away on May 13, 2024.

Elwyn Brooks (E. B.) White

E.B. White, born in Mount Vernon, New York, is renowned for his beloved children’s books like Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. Additionally, he co-authored the influential English Language style guide called Strunk & White, officially known as The Elements of Style. Initially, White worked as a journalist and reporter before transitioning to a copywriter role. In 1927, he joined The New Yorker as a writer.

In 1973 he was honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1978. He suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and passed in 1985 at age 86.

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts. He is most famous for his book Walden, which reflects on living a simple life in natural surroundings, and his essay Civil Disobedience, which argues for disobeying an unjust government. Interestingly, Thoreau’s father was a pencil maker and he himself later studied at Harvard. Thoreau’s writings on philosophy, specifically transcendentalism (a reaction against intellectualism and spirituality), natural history, and political activism had a significant influence on notable figures such as Tolstoy, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.

He died at age 44 of the lingering effects of tuberculosis.

George Weller

George Weller, hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, gained widespread recognition not only as the author of five plays and numerous literary works but also for his remarkable journalism during World War II while working for the Chicago Daily News. It was his riveting interview with Naval submarine crew members who had witnessed an extraordinary emergency appendectomy, conducted using improvised tools like a tea strainer and spoons, that earned him the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Reporting in 1943.

In addition to being presented with the George Polk Memorial Award and receiving a Neiman Fellowship from Harvard University, he was honored by General Douglas MacArthur with a special Asiatic-Pacific Service Ribbon. He passed away in 2002, reaching the age of 95.

Arthur Laurents

Arthur Laurents, a Brooklyn native, was a renowned playwright. He crafted the scripts for several iconic Broadway shows such as West Side Story, Gypsy, Anyone Can Whistle, and La Cage aux Folles. Additionally, he directed a few productions, receiving Tony Awards for Best Musical (Hallelujah, Baby in 1968) and Best Direction of a Musical (La Cage aux Folles in 1984). Laurents also wrote screenplays, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, the beloved film The Way We Were, and the critically acclaimed The Turning Point.

The Broadway lights were dimmed for one minute in honor of him when he passed away from pneumonia complications in 2011. He was 93 years old.

Iris Murdoch

Iris Murdoch was born in Dublin, Ireland. She authored 26 novels, along with books on philosophy, plays, poetry collections, and short stories. Known for her intricate structures and multi-dimensional characters, Murdoch frequently explored intricate and evolving moral predicaments (also evident in her philosophical works). Her notable achievements include winning the Booker prize in 1978 for The Sea, the Sea, being appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1987, and receiving the Golden PEN Award in 1997 for a Lifetime’s Distinguished Service to Literature.

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1997 and died in 1999 at age 79.

Anita Brookner

Anita Brookner was an English author who wore two hats: art historian and novelist. Born in 1928, Brookner established herself as a scholar of 18th-century French art, even becoming the first woman Slade Professor of Fine Art at Cambridge. She published respected works of art criticism alongside her teaching career. In the 1980s, Brookner turned to fiction, and her novels found acclaim for their witty observations on life, particularly the experiences of middle-aged women. Her 1984 novel Hotel du Lac even won the prestigious Booker Prize.

Brookner passed away in 2016, leaving behind a legacy of insightful fiction and art commentary.

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