As governor of the province of Garfagnana, it is said that Ariosto was walking alone when captured by bandits (the province was rife with many gangs of bandits, but as governor Ariosto did not get the resources to fight them). When the chief bandit discovered his captive was the author of Orlando Furioso, he apologized and showed him the respect he deserved.

Blaise Cendrars (1 September, 1887 – 21 January, 1961) was Swiss poet and novelist, he held considerable influence in the European modernist movement. Books by Blaise Cendrars* 1) Born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland to a Swiss father and a Scottish mother as Frédéric-Louis Sauser. 2) Young Frédéric never showed much interest in school, he was sent to a German boarding school, but ran away. His dislike for studies showed again when enrolled in a school in his hometown. Finally young Frédéricwas sent to Russia as an apprentice to a Swiss watchmaker. 3) While in St. Petersburg, Russia, he began to write at the encouragement of a librarian at the National Library of Russia. Unfortunately there are no known copies of the poem. 4) When Mr. Cendrars returned to Switzerland in 1907, he started to study medicine and wrote his first verified poems. 5) When World War I started, Mr. Cendrars applealed to other foreign artists to join the French army. As a member of the French Foreign Legion he was serving in Somme where he lost a hand. 6) His war experience is described in La Main coupée (The severed hand) and J’ai tué (I have killed) as well as other poems. 7) As a member of the artistic community in Montparnasse he was considered a modern…

Bret Harte (25 August, 1836 – 5 May, 1902) was a short story writer whose stories featured the people of the California Gold Rush.

Alain Robbe-Grillet (18 August, 1922 – 18 February, 2008) was a French writer and filmmaker. Books by Alain Robbe-Grillet* 1) Mr. Robbe-Grillet’s family were mostly scientists and engineers. 2) His occupation was that of an agricultural engineer. 3) After he published his first novel The Erasers (Les Gommes) in 1953, Mr. Robbe-Grillet became a full time novelist. 4) He became a literary advisor for Les Éditions de Minuit a position heoccupied from 1955 until 1985. 5) By 1961 Mr. Robbe-Grillet published four novels. 6) Last Year in Marienbad (L’Année dernière à Marienbad) was the first script he wrote. Afterwards he wrote and directed his own movies. 7) The film was nominated for the 1963 Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay and won the Golden Lion when it came out in 1961 8) From 1971 to 1995, Mr. Robbe-Grillet held the position of a professor at New York University. He lectured on his own novels. 9) His novel Djinn (1981) was the basis for an opera. 10) He was elected a member of the Académie française in 2004 Books by Alain Robbe-Grillet* Zohar — Man of la Book *Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account

Trained as a teacher, she wrote in her spare time. Ms. Blyton’s first published book was Child Whispers (1922), while she was still teaching.

Knut Hamsun (4 August, 1859 – 19 February, 1952) was a Norwegian author and a Noble prize winner. Books by Knut Hamsun* 1) Born as Knud Pedersen to a poor family, the author grew up on his uncle’s farm. 2) When he was nine years old, the boy was separated from his family and went to live with his uncle, Hans Olsen, and helped him run a post office. 3) According to Mr. Hamsun, his uncle did not treat him well and he escaped back to his family after five years. 4) After going through various jobs, the author started apprenticing as a rope maker and writing. 5) Mr. Hamsun spent several years in America – traveling and working. He later published his impresses as Fra det moderne Amerikas Aandsliv (1889). 6) During World War II, the author supported the German war effort, he met with high ranking Nazi officers, Goebbels, and even met Hitler himself. 7) After the war, Mr. Hamsun was arrested for treason, put in a psychiatrist hospital, and fined. Much of this was due to public anger for his eulogy on Hitler. 8) To this day, Norwegians have a love/hate relationship with the author, as they…

Beatrix Potter (28 July, 1866 – 22 December, 1943) was a British writer and scientist who is known for her children’s books featuring animals. Beatrix Potter, 2012, Olivia Waste – Image from Art Now and Then Books by Beatrix Potter* 1) Born in South Kensington, London to a wealthy family, young Ms. Potter lived a very comfortable early life. 2) Ms. Potter was very interested in nature, she was a curious botanist, collected fossils and was able to expertly draw fungi. 3) One of her pet rabbits was called Benjamin Bouncer. 4) Not surprisingly, the young Ms. Potter was an avid reader. Some of the books she enjoyed were The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley, the Brer Rabbit stories by Joel Chandler Harris, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. 5) When on vacation,, Ms. Potter used to send letters with stories and illustrations to the children of her former nanny. One of those letters formed the basis of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. 6) The first “Tales series” books was published in 1902, the author published 22 more books (for a total of 23). 7) Ms. Potter was a savvy businesswoman, she designed and sold the rights for merchandising of her books. 8) Even though she was born in a big city, Ms. Potter…

Ernest Hemingway (21 July, 1899 – 2 July, 1961) needs no introduction… From the Collection of the United States Postal Service Books by Ernest Hemingway* 1) Born in Oak Park, IL, Mr. Hemingway worked a bit for the Kansas City Star for a few months after he finished high-school before enlisting in the military for World War I. This was in response to a Red Cross recruitment effort. 2) The author served as an ambulance driver on the Italian front before being seriously injured. 3) Despite his serious injuries, the author assisted Italian soldiers to safety and got the Italian Silver Medal for Bravery. 4) Hemingway’s first love, Agnes von Kurowsky, was a nurse he met at the hospital while recuperating from his injuries. The couple planned on getting married, however Ms. Kurowsky left the author in favor of someone else. Hemingway was devastated and his biographer, Jeffrey Meyers, thinks that it’s because of this that the author had a habit of abandoning his wife before she abandons him. 5) Visiting Pamplona, Spain in 1923 with Hadley (his wife at the time),the Hemingways attended the Festival of San Fermin which sparked the author’s interest in bullfighting. 6) Mr. Hemingway wrote…

As a member of Harvard’s all male Porcellian Club he was introduced to, and became a lifelong friend, of future president Teddy Roosevelt

During his life Mr. Heinlein published 59 short stories, 32 novels, and 16 collections. Four of his works became feature films (he wrote one of the screenplays), two TV series, and episodes on a radio series.