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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, January 31, 2026

Posted on January 31, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Norman Mailer, born in Long Branch, New Jersey (1923). He grew up in Brooklyn, went to Harvard, and then got drafted during World War II. He served in the Philippines, and although he didn’t participate in much fighting, he got enough material to go home and write a novel, The Naked and the Dead (1948), published when he was just 25 years old.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, January 30, 2026

Posted on January 30, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of poet and novelist Richard Gary Brautigan, born in Tacoma, Washington (1935). He moved to San Francisco, where he read his poetry at psychedelic rock concerts, helped produce underground newspapers, and became involved with the Beat Movement. He had long blond hair and granny glasses.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, January 29, 2026

Posted on January 29, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the man considered “the master of the modern short story” and a brilliant playwright, a man who said: “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress. When I get fed up with one, I spend the night with the other. Though it is irregular, it is less boring this way, and besides, neither of them loses anything through my infidelity.” Anton Chekhov was born today in Taganrog, a seaside city in southern Russia (1860).

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Posted on January 28, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the novelist Colette, born in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye in the Burgundy region of France (1873). She is best known as the author of Chéri (1920) and Gigi (1945).

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Posted on January 27, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg, Austria (1756). He only lived for 35 years but he started his career early — a child prodigy from a family of musicians. He toured all over Europe, and wrote his first opera at age 11.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, January 26, 2026

Posted on January 26, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Irish statesman, co-founder of Amnesty International, and winner of the 1974 Nobel Peace Prize, Seán MacBride, born in Paris (1904). He’s the son of Maud Gonne, the woman whom poet W.B. Yeats worshipped and embraced as his Muse. Sean’s father was Major John MacBride, a military leader whom Gonne chose to marry over Yeats and whom Yeats considered a “brute.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, January 25, 2026

Posted on January 25, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of W. Somerset Maugham, born in Paris (1874). His father was in Paris as a lawyer for the British Embassy. When Maugham was eight years old, his mother died from tuberculosis. His father died of cancer two years later. The boy was sent back to England into the care of a cold and distant uncle, a vicar. Maugham was miserable at his school. He said later: “I wasn’t even likeable as a boy.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, January 24, 2026

Posted on January 24, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist Edith Wharton, born Edith Newbold Jones in New York City (1862). She grew up in a rich, socially prominent family with old money — the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” is said to be a reference to them. When one of her aunts asked young Edith what she wanted to be when she grew up, she replied, “The best-dressed woman in New York.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, January 23, 2026

Posted on January 23, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of biochemist and pharmacologist Gertrude B. Elion, born in New York City (1918). After her grandfather died of cancer, she decided to become a cancer researcher. She entered Hunter College when she was just 15 years old, and graduated with a chemistry degree four years later. Elion wanted to work in a lab, but those jobs were for men only.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, January 22, 2026

Posted on January 22, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of poet Lord Byron, born George Gordon Noel Byron in London (1788). At the age of 19, he published his first book of poetry, Hours of Idleness (1807). The Edinburgh Review printed a nasty review of the book. He was so hurt that he wrote a magnificent satire, English Bards and Scotch Reviewers (1809), all in heroic couplets.

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