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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 11, 2025

Posted on April 11, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of a noblewoman whom the scholar Samuel Putnam called “the first modern woman”: Marguerite de Navarre, born in Angoulême, France (1492). Her mother, Louise, was extremely well-educated, and when Marguerite’s father died a few years after her birth, Louise became the head of the household. She taught her children herself or hired the best tutors for them. Marguerite spoke at least five languages and studied literature.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 10, 2025

Posted on April 10, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1925 that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby was published. Fitzgerald believed he had written a great book, and he was disappointed by its reception. He wrote to his friend Edmund Wilson: “Of all the reviews, even the most enthusiastic, not one had the slightest idea what the book was about.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Posted on April 9, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

On this day in 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War. They met at a private residence in Appomattox Court House, Virginia. General Grant was reported to have begun the conversation by saying: “I met you once before, General Lee, while we were serving in Mexico … I have always remembered your appearance, and I think I should have recognized you anywhere.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Posted on April 8, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Barbara Kingsolver, born in Annapolis, Maryland (1955). She started writing fiction when she was pregnant and had horrible insomnia. She wrote every night, but she didn’t want to disturb her husband, so she worked on her novel in a closet. It was the story of a young woman who decides she needs to get out of her small town in Kentucky, and drives across the country to Arizona.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 7, 2025

Posted on April 7, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of jazz singer Billie Holiday, born Eleanora Fagan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1915). She was never professionally trained, but by the time she was 18, she had spent more time performing in clubs than performers twice her age. When she recorded with Benny Goodman, her career took off, and she went on to work with Artie Shaw and Lester Young, who gave her the nickname “Lady Day.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 6, 2025

Posted on April 6, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of country songwriter and singer Merle Haggard, born in Bakersfield, California (1937). The first song he wrote was “Branded Man,” about the life of an ex-con. He was still on parole when he wrote it.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 5, 2025

Posted on April 5, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of Thomas Hobbes, born in Westport, Wiltshire, England (1588) who witnessed a chaotic time in English politics, with two civil wars and the execution of the king. He wrote his most famous book, Leviathan, in the midst of it, in which he argues that people need a strong central authority to keep them from collapsing into war.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 4, 2025

Posted on April 4, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1968 that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated standing on the balcony of his room on the second floor of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis at 6:01 in the evening. He’d gone to Memphis to support a strike by 1,300 black sanitation workers.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 3, 2025

Posted on April 3, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of American author, statesman, and short-story writer Washington Irving, born in 1783 in New York City. That same week, the British cease-fire was brokered and the American Revolution ended, and William and Sarah Irving named their youngest child in honor of its most famous general, George Washington.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Posted on April 2, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It is the birthday of writer Émile Zola, born in Paris in 1840. His father was an Italian engineer, and he died when Émile was seven, leaving the family to get by on a small pension. Émile’s mother hoped he would become a lawyer, but he failed the qualifying examination, and so he took a series of clerical jobs. He also wrote literary and art reviews for newspapers.

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