Need a reason to celebrate? Who doesn’t these days? Let’s commemorate and celebrate (some of the) authors whose birthdays occur in May and whose works provide endless consolation and inspiration in the best and worst of times. So, lift a glass (and a book) to the following literary lights:
Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923-December 12, 1999) Joseph Heller’s iconic anti-war novel, Catch-22, was nominated one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read. The title has firmly entered the English lexicon, referring to a vicious circle with an absurd, no-win choice. Although he is best known for Catch 22, his other works include God Knows and Something Happened.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/479402
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (May 7, 1927-April 3, 2013) Novelist and screenwriter, Jhabvala was known for her insightful portrayals of contemporary Indian life and for her 46 years as a pivotal member of the Ismail Merchant and James Ivory filmmaking team. She was awarded the Man Booker Prize in 1975 for her novel, Heat and Dust. Her short story collection, A Love Song for India, continues her lifelong reflections on East and West.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/778970
Daphne du Maurier (May 13, 1907-April 19, 1989) English writer, Daphne du Maurier, was one of the most successful novelists and playwrights of the mid-twentieth century. Many of her books were adapted into films, including the novels, Rebecca, which won a Best Picture Oscar, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories, The Birds and Don’t Look Now. Anyone who has ever read the haunting Rebecca will forever recall the opening line: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/1979697
Laura Hillenbrand (May 15, 1967) American author Laura Hillenbrand is best known for her inspirational books, including Sea Biscuit: An American Legend and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption. Collectively, both books sold over 13 million copies and both were made into blockbuster motion pictures.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/1001465
Lionel Shriver (May 18, 1957) American journalist and novelist, Shriver is best known for her terrifying portrayal of a sociopathic child in We Need to Talk About Kevin, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2005 and was adapted into a movie in 2011.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/681057
Jodi Picoult (May 19, 1966) With her “ripped from the headlines” plots, Picout has written a succession of best-selling novels, including My Sister’s Keeper, Nineteen Minutes, Sing Me Home and A Spark of Light. Her last five novels have debuted at number one on the New York Times best-seller list.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/3924290
Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941-June 26, 2012) Nora Ephron had a remarkable career as a journalist, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer and director. She was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Writing for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle. Her wit and self-deprecating humor were always evident in her books, including Wallflower at the Orgy; Heartburn; I Feel Bad About My Neck And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman; and I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/109851
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859-July 7, 1930) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s name is synonymous with his iconic fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, who was first introduced in the 1888 story, A Study in Scarlet. Through the course of sixty mysteries, Holmes and his ever present assistant, Watson, solved impossible cases and brought order and justice to 19th and early 20th century England. Many of the Holmes mysteries were adapted into movies, including The Hound of the Baskervilles; to this day countless films and television shows are inspired by Holmes and Watson.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/784969
William Trevor (May 24, 1928-November 20, 2016) William Trevor was widely regarded as the Irish Chekhov – one of the greatest short story writers of his age. He won the Whitbread Prize three times and was nominated five times for the Booker Prize, the last for his novel Love and Summer (2009), which was also shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2011.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/3470721
Jamaica Kincaid (May 25, 1949) Novelist and essayist, Jamaica Kincaid writes scathingly about colonialism, particularly as it relates to her native Antigua. In books like Annie John, she also explores issues of familial relationships and female identity in male dominated societies.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/2812921
John Cheever (May 27, 1927-June 18, 1982) Novelist and short story writer John Cheever was a brilliant chronicler of the lives, morals and mannerisms of American suburbia. The Ossining resident, whose stories appeared frequently in the New Yorker, won the National Book Award in 1957 for his first novel, The Wapshot Chronicle. In 1978 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his collection, The Stories of John Cheever.
https://westchester.overdrive.com/media/457221
Maeve Binchy (May 28, 1939-July 30, 2012) Maeve Binchy’s novels about love and romance in Ireland sold more than 40 million copies and were published in 37 languages. Among the most popular were Light a Penny Candle (1982), Echoes (1985), Circle of Friends (1990) and Tara Road (1998). Her novels and short stories about love and romance, family relationships and the tension between rural and urban life are the perfect antidote for these difficult times.
Last Modified April 28, 2024