Overview of the events of 2019 in literature
Overview of the events of 2019 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2019.
New books
Dates after each title indicate U.S. publication, unless otherwise indicated.
Fiction
- André Alexis – Days by Moonlight[7]
- Margaret Atwood – The Testaments (September 10)[8]
- Leigh Bardugo – Ninth House (October 8)[8]
- Kevin Barry – Night Boat to Tangier (June 29, UK)
- Simon Beckett – The Scent of Death (February 12, Germany; April 18, UK)
- Xurxo Borrazás – Covalladas. Prosa vertical
- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan – Starling Days (July 11, UK)
- Candice Carty-Williams – Queenie (April 11, UK)
- Ted Chiang – Exhalation: Stories (May 7)
- Ta-Nehisi Coates – The Water Dancer (September 24)[8]
- Lindsey Davis – A Capitol Death (April 4, UK)
- Lucy Ellmann – Ducks, Newburyport (July 4)
- Bernardine Evaristo – Girl, Woman, Other (May, UK)
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti – Little Boy (March)
- Jon Fosse – Det andre namnet – Septologien I-II (The Other Name: Septology I-II) (Norway)
- Alice Hoffman – The World That We Knew (September 24)
- Michel Houellebecq – Serotonin (January 4, France)
- Luke Jennings – Killing Eve: No Tomorrow (March 26, UK)
- László Krasznahorkai – Chasing Homer (October 8, Hungary)
- John Lanchester – The Wall (January 17, UK)
- John le Carré – Agent Running in the Field (October 15, UK)
- Deborah Levy – The Man Who Saw Everything (August 29, UK)
- Valeria Luiselli – Lost Children Archive (March 7)
- Ian McDonald – Luna: Moon Rising (March 19)
- Ian McEwan – Machines Like Me (April)
- Maaza Mengiste – The Shadow King (September 24)
- Chigozie Obioma – An Orchestra of Minorities (January)
- Joseph O'Connor – Shadowplay (June 6, UK)
- Téa Obreht – Inland (August 13)
- Ann Patchett – The Dutch House (September 24)[8]
- Max Porter – Lanny (March 5)
- Salman Rushdie – Quichotte (August 29, UK)[8]
- Elizabeth Strout – Olive, Again (October 15)
- Zlatko Topčić – June 28, 1914 (July 5)
- Christos Tsiolkas – Damascus (Australia)
- Mario Vargas Llosa – Harsh Times[9]
- Ocean Vuong – On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (June 4)[8]
- Colson Whitehead – The Nickel Boys (July 16)[8]
- Ian Williams – Reproduction (January 22, Canada)
- Jeanette Winterson – Frankissstein: A Love Story (May 28, UK)
Children and young people
Poetry
Drama
Non-fiction
Biography and memoirs
Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in literature" article:
- January 1
- January 2
- January 3
- January 4 – John Burningham, English writer of children's literature (Mr Gumpy's Outing, Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers), 82 (born 1936)[23]
- January 5
- January 6 – Bea Vianen, Surinamese writer (mainly in Dutch but also in Sranan Tongo) and admirer of V. S. Naipaul, 83 (born 1935)[26]
- January 7
- January 8 – Pierre Barillet, French playwright, 95 (born 1923)[31]
- January 9
- January 12
- A. Brian Deer, Canadian Kahnawake Mohawk librarian noted for developing the Brian Deer Classification System, 74 (born 1945)[34]
- Javier de Hoz, Spanish philologist and academic noted for his work on Paleohispanic languages, historical linguistics, ancient Celtic languages, history of writing, preclassical Greek literature, Greek epigraphy and ancient Greek theatre, 78 (born 1940)[35]
- Linda Kelly, English Romantic historian noted for portraying Thomas Chatterton, Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Thomas Moore, 82 (born 1936)[36]
- January 13
- January 15 – Bai Hua, Chinese novelist, playwright and poet, 88 (born 1930)[39]
- January 16 – Mirjam Pressler, German novelist and translator from Hebrew, English, Dutch and Afrikaans, 78 (born 1940)[40]
- January 17
- January 18 – Brian Stowell, the first recorded full-length Manx novelist, translator of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland into Manx and 2008 Reih Bleeaney Vanannan recipient, 82 (born 1936)[44]
- January 19
- January 20
- Ian Dewhirst MBE, British historian, 82 (born 1936)[49]
- Ronald Hayman, British biographer of Pinter, Beckett, Stoppard, Nietzsche, Kafka, Grass, Proust and Thomas Mann, 86 (born 1932)[50]
- Norman Itzkowitz, American translator, historian of the Ottoman Empire and purveyor of psychoanalysis, 87 (born 1931)[51]
- January 21
- January 22
- January 23 – Diana Athill OBE, British literary editor and novelist, 101 (born 1917)[57]
- February 1 – Andrew McGahan, Australian novelist, 52 (born 1966)[58]
- February 9 – Farhad Ebrahimi, Iranian poet and writer, 83 (born 1935)[59]
- February 14 – Andrea Levy, English novelist, 62 (born 1956)[60]
- February 25 – Nikhil Sen, Bangladeshi dramatist, 87[61]
- March 1 – Peter van Gestel, Dutch writer, 81 (born 1937)[62]
- March 4 – Les Carlyon, Australian writer and newspaper editor, 76 (born 1942)[63]
- March 10 – Pius Adesanmi, Nigerian-born Canadian professor, writer, literary critic, satirist, and columnist, 47 (killed in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302[64]
- March 13 – Edmund Capon, English-born Australian art historian, 78 (born 1940)[65]
- March 15 – Rudi Krausmann, Austrian-born Australian playwright and poet, 85 (born 1933)[66]
- April 1 – Vonda N. McIntyre, American science fiction writer, 70 (born 1948)[67]
- April 29 – Les Murray, Australian poet, anthologist and critic, 80 (born 1938)[68]
- May 14 – Daniel Vidart, Uruguayan anthropologist, writer, historian, and essayist, 98 (born 1920)[69]
- May 19 – John Millett, Australian poet, reviewer and poetry editor, 98 (born 1921)[70]
- May 22 – Judith Kerr, English writer and illustrator (born 1923)[71]
- June 1 – Christobel Mattingley, Australian author of books for children and adults, 87 (born 1931)[72]
- June 8 – Milan Asadurov, Bulgarian science fiction writer (born 1949)[73]
- July 7 – Steve Cannon, American novelist ("Groove, Bang, and Jive Around"), playwright, and arts impresario (A Gathering of the Tribes), 84 (born 1935)[74]
- July 13 – Kerry Reed-Gilbert, Australian poet, author and champion of Indigenous writers, 62 (born 1956)[75]
- July 17 – Andrea Camilleri, Italian novelist (Inspector Montalbano novels) and playwright, 93 (born 1925)[76]
- July 18 – Luciano De Crescenzo, Italian writer and director, 90 (born 1928)[77]
- July 21 – Ann Moyal, Australian historian, (born 1926)[78]
- July 22 – Brigitte Kronauer, German novelist, 78[79]
- August 5 – Toni Morrison, American novelist (Beloved, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby), winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature and 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 88 (born 1931)[80]
- September 1 – Barbara Probst Solomon, American author (born 1928)[81]
- September 11 – Anne Rivers Siddons, American novelist, (The House Next Door) and (Peachtree Road), 83 (born 1936)[82]
- September 13 – György Konrád, Hungarian novelist and political dissident, President of PEN International (1990–1993), 86 (born 1933)[83]
- September 16 – Steve Dalachinsky, American poet, 72, (born 1946)[84]
- September 23
- October 6 – Ciaran Carson, Irish poet, 70 (born 1948)[87][88]
- October 12 – Alison Prince, English children's writer and biographer, 88[89]
- October 14 – Harold Bloom, American literary critic and writer (The Anxiety of Influence, The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages), 89 (born 1930)[90]
- October 30 – Beatrice Faust, Australian author and women's activist, 80 (born 1939)[91]
- November 5 – Ernest J. Gaines, American author (A Lesson Before Dying, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, A Gathering of Old Men), 86 (born 1933)[92]
- November 7 – Nabanita Dev Sen, Indian writer and academic, 79 (born 1938)[93]
- November 14 – Krystyna Boglar, Polish writer known mostly for her work for children and young adults (born 1931)[94]
- November 24 – Clive James, Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster and writer, 80 (born 1939)[95]
- December 29 – Alasdair Gray, Scottish author (Lanark) and visual artist, 85 (born 1934)[96]
- December 30 – Sonny Mehta, Indian-born British and American publishing executive (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group), 76, (born 1942)[97]
