Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries

Literature & Poetry

25

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Beverly Atlee Bunn Cleary

Beverly Cleary

United States

1916 – 2021 (104 years old)

Centenarian American children's author who sold over 85 million books featuring relatable, humorous everyday characters including Ramona Quimby, Beezus, Henry Huggins, and Ralph S. Mouse.

Yamhill, Oregon, United States

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Literature & Poetry

24

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Nawal El Saadawi

نوال السعداوي

Egypt

1931 – 2021 (89 years old)

Fierce and visionary Egyptian feminist writer, psychiatrist, and activist whose revolutionary books including Women and Sex and Woman at Point Zero broke deep taboos around female genital mutilation, patriarchy, and religious fundamentalism in the Arab world.

Giza, Egypt

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Literature & Poetry

34

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Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

United States

1919 – 2021 (101 years old)

Centenarian American poet, publisher, and free speech champion who founded City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco and defended Allen Ginsberg's Howl in a landmark 1957 First Amendment obscenity trial.

San Francisco, United States

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Literature & Poetry

23

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Jean-Claude Carrière

Jean-Claude Carrière

France

1931 – 2021 (89 years old)

Prolific and legendary French screenwriter, novelist, and dramatist whose brilliant collaborations with Luis Buñuel (Belle de Jour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) and adaptations like The Tin Drum and Cyrano de Bergerac defined international cinema, winning an Academy Honorary Award.

Colombières-sur-Orb, France

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Literature & Poetry

27

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Gilbert Naccache

جيلبار نقاش

Tunisia

1939 – 2020 (81 years old)

Iconic Tunisian Jewish leftist intellectual, agronomist, and political dissident who endured fourteen years of imprisonment under Bourguiba, authoring the clandestine literary masterpiece Cristal on cigarette wrappers.

Tunis, Tunisia

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Literature & Poetry

16

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Mouloud Achour

مولود عاشور

Algeria

1944 – 2020 (76 years old)

Refined Algerian novelist, short story writer, and cultural critic who explored human sensitivity, post-independence societal dilemmas, and the fragility of peace.

Tizi Ouzou, Algeria

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Literature & Poetry

2

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Albert Memmi

ألبير ميمي

Tunisia

1920 – 2020 (99 years old)

World-renowned Tunisian novelist and sociologist of Jewish heritage whose autobiographical masterpiece The Pillar of Salt and foundational essay The Colonizer and the Colonized defined post-colonial theory.

Paris, France

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Literature & Poetry

25

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Steph Bowe

Australia

c. 1995 – 2020 (25 years old)

Steph Bowe was an Australian novelist and blogger. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

Canberra, Australia

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Literature & Poetry

20

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Joe Steve Ó Neachtain

Ireland

c. 1943 – 2020 (77 years old)

Joe Steve Ó Neachtain was an Irish writer, actor, playwright and broadcaster in the Irish language. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

Dublin, Ireland

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Literature & Poetry

21

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David Chadwick

United States

c. 1927 – 2020 (93 years old)

David L. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

Washington, D.C., United States

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Literature & Poetry

21

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Charles Carrère

Switzerland

c. 1929 – 2020 (91 years old)

Charles Carrère was a French-Senegalese poet who specialized in Francophone Africa.. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

Geneva, Switzerland

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Literature & Poetry

20

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William J. Samarin

United States

c. 1927 – 2020 (93 years old)

William John Samarin was an American-born linguist and academic who was Professor at the Hartford Seminary and the University of Toronto. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

Washington, D.C., United States

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Literature & Poetry

23

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Bernard Diederich

Switzerland

c. 1927 – 2020 (93 years old)

Bernard Diederich was a New Zealand-born author, journalist, and historian.. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

Geneva, Switzerland

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Literature & Poetry

22

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Hylda Sims

Great Britain

c. 1933 – 2020 (87 years old)

Hylda Sims was an English folk musician and poet.. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

London, United Kingdom

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Literature & Poetry

21

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David Scott Milton

United States

c. 1935 – 2020 (85 years old)

David Scott Milton was an American author, playwright, screenwriter, and actor. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

Washington, D.C., United States

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Literature & Poetry

30

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Sir Roger Scruton

Great Britain

c. 1945 – 2020 (75 years old)

Sir Roger Vernon Scruton was an English philosopher, writer, and social critic who specialised in aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the furtherance of conservative views. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

London, United Kingdom

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Literature & Poetry

24

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Roddy Lumsden

Great Britain

c. 1967 – 2020 (53 years old)

Roderick Chalmers "Roddy" Lumsden was a Scottish poet, writing mentor and quizzer. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

London, United Kingdom

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Literature & Poetry

22

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Euphrase Kezilahabi

Switzerland

c. 1945 – 2020 (75 years old)

Euphrase Kezilahabi was a Tanzanian novelist, poet, and scholar.. Celebrated internationally for distinguished contributions to literature.

Geneva, Switzerland

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