This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1998.

Events

March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...

–

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

' 1938 play ''

Not About Nightingales ''Not About Nightingales'' is a three-act play by Tennessee Williams in 1938. He wrote the play late in 1938, after reading in a newspaper about striking inmates of a Holmesburg, Pennsylvania, prison in August 1938, who had been placed in "an is ...

'' receives its stage première in London, in a collaboration between the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and

Corin Corin is a given name in English deriving from the Latin Quirinus, a Roman god. The meaning is unclear but is probably associated with "spear". The name is that of a character in William Shakespeare's ''As You Like It''. It is also used as a famil ...

and

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...

's Moving Theatre. *October **The death of the

Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom The British Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently on the advice of the prime minister. The role does not entail any specific duties, but there is an expectation that the holder will writ ...

Ted Hughes Edward James "Ted" Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest wri ...

leaves a gap of several months before a successor,

Andrew Motion Sir Andrew Motion (born 26 October 1952) is an English poet, novelist, and biographer, who was Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009. During the period of his laureateship, Motion founded the Poetry Archive, an online resource of poems and audio reco ...

, is designated the following spring. **

Kinoko Nasu is a Japanese author, best known for writing the light novel ''The Garden of Sinners'' and visual novels ''Tsukihime'' and ''Fate/stay night'', and a co-founder of Type-Moon. He graduated from Hosei University with a major in human science. ...

(奈須きのこ) launches the ''

Kara no Kyōkai ''The Garden of Sinners'', known in Japan as sometimes referred to as , is a Japanese light novel series, written by Kinoko Nasu and illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi. Originally released as a series of chapters released independently onl ...

'' series, with five chapters released online. *

November 18 Events Pre-1600 * 326 – The old St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated by Pope Sylvester I. * 401 – The Visigoths, led by king Alaric I, cross the Alps and invade northern Italy. * 1095 – The Council of Clermont begins: called ...

–

Alice McDermott Alice McDermott (born June 27, 1953) is an American writer and university professor. For her 1998 novel ''Charming Billy'' she won an American Book Award and the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. McDermott is Johns Hopkins University's Rich ...

wins the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

with her novel ''

Charming Billy ''Charming Billy'', a novel by American author Alice McDermott, tells the story of Billy Lynch and his lifelong struggle with alcohol after the death of his first love. It won the National Book Award for fiction as well as the American Book Award ...

''. *December – ''

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

'' title is revived in the United States.

New books

Fiction

Turki al-Hamad Turki al-Hamad ( ar, تركي الحمد, ) is a Saudi Arabian political analyst, journalist, and novelist, best known for his trilogy about the coming-of-age of Hisham al-Abir, a Saudi Arabian teenager, the first installment of which, ''Adama'', ...

– ''Adama'' (first volume in ''Atyaf al-Aziqah al-Mahjurah'' (Phantoms of the Deserted Alley) trilogy) *

Tariq Ali Tariq Ali (; born 21 October 1943) is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is a member of the editorial committee of the ''New Left Review'' and ''Sin Permiso'', and con ...

– ''

The Book of Saladin ''The Book of Saladin'' is an historical novel by Pakistani-born British writer Tariq Ali, first published in 1998. The second in Ali’s Islam Quintet, the narrative purports to be the memoir of the 12th-century Muslim leader Saladin, or Salah a ...

'' *

Aaron Allston Aaron Dale Allston (December 8, 1960 – February 27, 2014) was an American game designer and author of many science fiction books, notably ''Star Wars'' novels. His works as a game designer include game supplements for role-playing games, severa ...

**'' Iron Fist'' **''

Wraith Squadron ''Star Wars: X-wing'' is a ten-book series of ''Star Wars'' novels by Michael A. Stackpole (who also co-wrote the similarly named comic book series) and Aaron Allston. Stackpole's contributions cover the adventures of a new Rogue Squadron formed ...

'' *

Hanan al-Shaykh Hanan al-Shaykh ( ar, حنان الشيخ; born 12 November 1945, Beirut) is a Lebanese author of contemporary literature. Biography Hanan al-Shaykh was born Beirut, Lebanon, in 1945, into a strict Shi'a family. Her father and brother exerte ...

– ''I Sweep the Sun off Rooftops'' (أكنس الشمس عن السطوح) *

Martin Amis Martin Louis Amis (born 25 August 1949) is a British novelist, essayist, memoirist, and screenwriter. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and ''London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his memoir '' ...

– ''

Heavy Water and Other Stories ''Heavy Water and Other Stories'' is a collection of nine short stories by Martin Amis. It was first published in 1998 by Jonathan Cape. ''Two Stories'' The collection includes "Denton's Death" and "Let Me Count the Times," which comprised Ami ...

'' (most stories previously published) *

Beryl Bainbridge Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (21 November 1932 – 2 July 2010) was an English writer from Liverpool. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. Bainbridge won the ...

– ''

Master Georgie ''Master Georgie'' is a 1998 historical novel by English novelist Beryl Bainbridge. It deals with the British experience of the Crimean War through the adventures of the eponymous central character George Hardy, who volunteers to work on the ba ...

'' * Iain M. Banks – '' Inversions'' *

Alessandro Barbero Alessandro Barbero (born April 30, 1959) is an Italian historian, novelist and essayist. Barbero was born in Turin. He attended the University of Turin, where he studied literature and Medieval history. He won the 1996 Strega Prize, Italy's mos ...

– ''Romanzo russo. Fiutando i futuri supplizi'' (translated 2010 as ''The Anonymous Novel. Sensing the Future Torments'') *

Julian Barnes Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946) is an English writer. He won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 with ''The Sense of an Ending'', having been shortlisted three times previously with '' Flaubert's Parrot'', ''England, England'', and '' Art ...

– ''

England, England ''England, England'' is a satirical postmodern novel by Julian Barnes, published and shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1998. While researchers have also pointed out the novel's characteristic dystopian and farcical elements, Barnes himself de ...

'' *

Greg Bear Gregory Dale Bear (August 20, 1951 – November 19, 2022) was an American writer and illustrator best known for science fiction. His work covered themes of galactic conflict ('' Forge of God'' books), parallel universes ('' The Way'' series), ...

**'' Dinosaur Summer'' **'' Foundation and Chaos'' * Raymond Benson – ''

The Facts of Death ''The Facts of Death'', first published in 1998, was the third novel by Raymond Benson featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond (including Benson's novelization of '' Tomorrow Never Dies''). Carrying the Glidrose Publications copyright� ...

'' *

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, inclu ...

and

Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for ''The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nomin ...

– '' Psychoshop'' *

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

– ''

Flowers from the Moon and Other Lunacies ''Flowers from the Moon and Other Lunacies'' is a collection of horror and fantasy stories by American writer Robert Bloch. It was released in 1998 and was the author's third book published by Arkham House. It was published in an edition of 2, ...

'' *

Roberto Bolaño Roberto Bolaño Ávalos (; 28 April 1953 – 15 July 2003) was a Chilean novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist. In 1999, Bolaño won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize for his novel ''Los detectives salvajes'' (''The Savage Detectives' ...

– ''

The Savage Detectives ''The Savage Detectives'' (Spanish: ''Los Detectives Salvajes'') is a novel by the Chilean author Roberto Bolaño published in 1998. Natasha Wimmer's English translation was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2007. The novel tells the st ...

(Los Detectives Salvajes)'' * Xurxo Borrazás – ''Contos malvados'' * William Boyd – ''

Armadillo Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along wi ...

'' *

Giannina Braschi Giannina Braschi (born February 5, 1953) is a Puerto Rican poet, novelist, dramatist, and scholar. Her notable works include ''Empire of Dreams'' (1988), ''Yo-Yo Boing!'' (1998) ''and United States of Banana'' (2011). Braschi writes cross-genr ...

– ''

Yo-Yo Boing! ''Yo-Yo Boing!'' (1998) is a postmodern novel in English, Spanish, and Spanglish by Puerto Rican author Giannina Braschi. The cross-genre work is a structural hybrid of poetry, political philosophy, musical, manifesto, treatise, memoir, and dra ...

'' *

Anne Carson Anne Carson (born June 21, 1950) is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator, classicist, and professor. Trained at the University of Toronto, Carson has taught classics, comparative literature, and creative writing at universities across the Unit ...

– ''

Autobiography of Red ''Autobiography of Red'' (1998) is a verse novel by Anne Carson, based loosely on the myth of Geryon and the Tenth Labor of Herakles, especially on surviving fragments of the lyric poet Stesichorus' poem '' Geryoneis''. Summary ''Autobiography ...

'' (verse novel) *

Driss Chraïbi Driss Chraïbi (July 15, 1926 – April 1, 2007) was a Moroccan author whose novels deal with colonialism, culture clashes, generational conflict and the treatment of women and are often perceived as semi-autobiographical. Born in El Jadida an ...

– ''Muhammad'' *

Mary Higgins Clark Mary Higgins Clark (born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins (December 24, 1927 – January 31, 2020) was an American author of suspense novels. Each of her 51 books was a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of he ...

– ''All Through the Night'' *

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...

– ''

Rainbow Six Rainbow Six may refer to: * ''Rainbow Six'' (novel), a 1998 novel by Tom Clancy *''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six'', a video game franchise published by Ubisoft ** ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six'' (video game), a tactical shooter video game *"Rainbow Six", a ...

'' *

Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho de Souza (, ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His novel ''The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller and he has published 28 more books ...

– ''

Veronika Decides to Die ''Veronika Decides to Die'' ( pt, Veronika Decide Morrer) is a novel by Paulo Coelho. It tells the story of Veronika, a 24-year-old Slovenian who appears to have everything in life going for her, but who decides to kill herself. This book is pa ...

'' *

Michael Connelly Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. Connelly is the bes ...

– '' Blood Work'' *

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...

– ''

Sharpe's Triumph ''Sharpe's Triumph'' is the second historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1998. Sharpe is a sergeant in the army who attracts the attention of General Arthur Wellesley at Ahmednagar. Plot summar ...

'' *

Patricia Cornwell Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels; June 9, 1956) is an American crime writer. She is known for her best-selling novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, of which the first was inspired by a series of sensational murders in ...

– '' Point of Origin'' *

Douglas Coupland Douglas Coupland (born 30 December 1961) is a Canadian novelist, designer, and visual artist. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller '' Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture'', popularized the terms ''Generation X'' and ''McJ ...

– '' Girlfriend in a Coma'' * Ann C. Crispin – ''

Rebel Dawn ''The Han Solo Trilogy'' is a trilogy of now non-canon ('Legends') science-fiction novels set in the '' Star Wars'' galaxy. It follows Han Solo's origins and life before the events depicted in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy (1977–1983). T ...

'' *

Michael Cunningham Michael Cunningham (born November 6, 1952) is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for his 1998 novel '' The Hours'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999. Cunningham is a senior lectur ...

– '' The Hours'' *

Nelson DeMille Nelson Richard DeMille (born August 23, 1943) is an American author of action adventure and suspense novels. His novels include '' Plum Island'', '' The Charm School'', and '' The Gold Coast''. DeMille has also written under the pen names Jack ...

– '' Plum Island'' *

August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the ...

**'' The Final Adventures of Solar Pons'' **'' In Lovecraft's Shadow'' *

Peter Dickinson Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL (16 December 1927 – 16 December 2015) was an English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories. Dickinson won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association ...

– ''The Kin'' * Allan W. Eckert – ''Return to Hawk's Hill'' *

Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a w ...

– ''

Glamorama ''Glamorama'' is a 1998 novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis. ''Glamorama'' is set in and satirizes the 1990s specifically celebrity culture and consumerism. ''Time'' describes the novel as "a screed against models and celebrity". Develop ...

'' *

Giles Foden Giles Foden (born 11 January 1967)George Stade and Karen Karbiener (eds), ''Encyclopaedia of British Writers, 1800 to the Present'', 2nd edn, Infobase Publishing, 2010, p. 176. is an English author, best known for his novel ''The Last King of S ...

– ''

The Last King of Scotland ''The Last King of Scotland'' is a novel by journalist Giles Foden, published by Faber and Faber in 1998. Focusing on the rise of Ugandan President Idi Amin and his reign as dictator from 1971 to 1979, the novel, which interweaves fiction and ...

'' *

Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantasy. ...

– '' Hellfire'' *

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

– ''

Smoke and Mirrors Smoke and mirrors is a classic technique in magical illusions that makes an entity appear to hover in empty space. It was documented as early as 1770 and spread widely after its use by the charlatan Johann Georg Schröpfer, who claimed the app ...

'' (mainly reprints) *

Andrew Greeley Andrew M. Greeley (February 5, 1928 – May 29, 2013) was an American Catholic priest, sociologist, journalist and popular novelist. Greeley was a professor of sociology at the University of Arizona and the University of Chicago, and a researc ...

– '' A Midwinter's Tale'' *

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Am ...

– ''

The Street Lawyer ''The Street Lawyer'' is a legal thriller novel by John Grisham. It was Grisham's ninth novel. The book was released in the United States on 1 January 1998, published by Bantam Books, and on 30 March 1998 in the UK, published by Century. Plot A h ...

'' *

Wolf Haas Wolf Haas (born 14 December 1960) is an Austrian writer. He is most widely known for his crime fiction novels featuring detective Simon Brenner, four of which were made into films. He has won several prizes for his works, including the German pri ...

– '' Komm, süßer Tod'' (Come, Sweet Death) *

Margaret Peterson Haddix Margaret Peterson Haddix (born April 9, 1964) is an American writer known best for the two children's series, ''Shadow Children'' (1998–2006) and ''The Missing'' (2008–2015). She also wrote the tenth volume in the multiple-author series '' ...

- ''

Among the Hidden ''Among the Hidden'' by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a young adult novel published on September 1, 1998 and is the first book in the ''Shadow Children'' series. The book tells the story of a fictional future in which drastic measures have been ...

'' *

Ha Jin Jin Xuefei (; born February 21, 1956) is a Chinese-American poet and novelist using the pen name Ha Jin (). ''Ha'' comes from his favorite city, Harbin. His poetry is associated with the Misty Poetry movement. Early life Ha Jin was born in L ...

(哈金) – ''

Waiting Waiting, Waitin, Waitin', or The Waiting may refer to: Film * ''Waiting'' (1991 film), a film by Jackie McKimmie * ''Waiting...'' (film), a 2005 film starring Ryan Reynolds * ''Waiting'' (2007 film), a film by Zarina Bhimji * ''Waiting'' (20 ...

'' *

Tomson Highway Tomson Highway (born 6 December 1951) is an Indigenous Canadian playwright, novelist, and children's author. He is best known for his plays ''The Rez Sisters'' and ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', both of which won the Dora Mavor Moore ...

– '' Kiss of the Fur Queen'' *

Nick Hornby Nicholas Peter John Hornby (born 17 April 1957) is an English writer and lyricist. He is best known for his memoir ''Fever Pitch'' and novels '' High Fidelity'' and '' About a Boy'', all of which were adapted into feature films. Hornby's work f ...

– '' About a Boy'' *

Michel Houellebecq Michel Houellebecq (; born Michel Thomas, 26 February 1956 or 1958) is a French author, known for his novels, poems and essays, as well as an occasional actor, filmmaker and singer. His first book was a biographical essay on the horror writer ...

– ''

Atomised ''Atomised'', also known as ''The Elementary Particles'' (french: Les Particules élémentaires), is a novel by the French author Michel Houellebecq, published in France in 1998. It tells the story of two half-brothers, Michel and Bruno, and ...

(Les Particules élémentaires)'' * Marek S. Huberath – '' Gniazdo światów (Nest of Worlds)'' *

John Irving John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr.; March 2, 1942) is an American-Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of ''The World According to G ...

– ''

A Widow for One Year ''A Widow for One Year'' is a 1998 novel by American writer John Irving, the ninth of his novels to be published. The first third of the novel was adapted into the film ''The Door in the Floor ''The Door in the Floor'' is a 2004 American drama ...

'' *

K. W. Jeter Kevin Wayne Jeter (born March 26, 1950) is an American science fiction and horror author known for his literary writing style, dark themes, and paranoid, unsympathetic characters. He has written novels set in the '' Star Trek'' and '' Star Wa ...

**''

The Mandalorian Armor Boba Fett ( ) is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. First appearing in the ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel ...

'' **''

Slave Ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

'' * Wayne Johnston – ''

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams ''The Colony of Unrequited Dreams'' is a novel by Wayne Johnston, published on September 30, 1998 by Knopf Canada. Johnston's breakthrough work, the novel was a Canadian bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 1998 Giller Prize and the 1998 Gov ...

'' *

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

– ''

Bag of Bones ''Bag of Bones'' is a 1998 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. It focuses on an author who suffers severe writer's block and delusions at an isolated lake house four years after the death of his wife. It won the 1999 Bram Stoker Awar ...

'' *

Barbara Kingsolver Barbara Kingsolver (born April 8, 1955) is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the Univers ...

– ''

The Poisonwood Bible ''The Poisonwood Bible'' (1998), by Barbara Kingsolver, is a best-selling novel about a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from the U.S. state of Georgia to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo, close to the Kwilu River. The ...

'' * Dean R. Koontz – ''

Seize the Night ''Seize the Night'' is a novel written by the best-selling author Dean Koontz, released in 1998. The book is the second in a trilogy of books known as the Moonlight Bay Trilogy, involving Christopher Snow, who suffers from the rare (but real) dis ...

'' * Joe R. Lansdale **'' Rumble Tumble'' **'' The Boar'' *

Alain Mabanckou Alain Mabanckou (born 24 February 1966) is a novelist, journalist, poet, and academic, a French citizen born in the Republic of the Congo, he is currently a Professor of Literature at UCLA. He is best known for his novels and non-fiction writing d ...

– ''Bleu-Blanc-Rouge'' * Patrick McCabe – ''

Breakfast on Pluto ''Breakfast on Pluto'' is a 1998 novel by Patrick McCabe. The book was shortlisted for the 1998 Booker Prize, and was adapted for the screen by McCabe and Neil Jordan; Jordan directed the 2005 film. The author derived the novel's title from t ...

'' *Ian McEwan – ''Amsterdam (novel), Amsterdam'' *Roy MacLaren (politician), Roy MacLaren – ''African Exploits'' *Steve Martin – ''Pure Drivel'' *Carol Matas – ''Greater Than Angels'' *China Miéville – ''King Rat (1998 novel), King Rat'' *Alice Munro – ''The Love of a Good Woman'' *Haruki Murakami (村上春樹) – ''The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (ねじまき鳥クロニクル, Nejimakidori Kuronikuru)'' *Cees Nooteboom – ''All Souls' Day (novel), All Souls' Day (Allerzielen)'' *Sigrid Nunez – ''Mitz: The Marmoset of Bloomsbury'' *Tim O'Brien (author), Tim O'Brien – ''Tomcat in Love'' *Orhan Pamuk – ''My Name Is Red (Benim Adım Kırmızı)'' *Tom Perrotta – ''Election (1998 novel), Election'' *Terry Pratchett **''Carpe Jugulum'' **''The Last Continent'' *Fahmida Riaz – ''Godavari'' *David Adams Richards – ''The Bay of Love and Sorrows'' *José Luis Rodríguez Pittí – ''Crónica de invisibles'' *Philip Roth – ''I Married a Communist'' *Margit Sandemo – ''Ensam i världen'' (Alone in the World) *Michael Slade – ''Shrink (Slade), Shrink'' (also ''Primal Scream'') *Alexander McCall Smith – ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (novel), The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'' *Michael Stackpole – ''I, Jedi'' *Danielle Steel **''The Klone and I'' **''The Long Road Home (novel), The Long Road Home'' **''Mirror Image (novel), Mirror Image'' *Thomas Sullivan (author), Thomas Sullivan – ''The Martyring'' *Andrew Vachss – ''Andrew Vachss#The Burke series, Safe House'' *Connie Willis – ''To Say Nothing of the Dog'' *A. N. Wilson – ''Dream Children'' *Tom Wolfe – ''A Man in Full'' *Timothy Zahn – ''Vision of the Future''

Children and young people

*David Almond – ''Skellig'' *Melvin Burgess – ''Junk (novel), Junk'' *Denise Fleming – ''Mama Cat Has Three Kittens'' *Gayle Greeno (with Michael Gilbert) – ''Sunderlies Seeking'' *Tanya Huff – ''Summon the Keeper'' *Diana Wynne Jones – ''Dark Lord of Derkholm'' *Dick King-Smith – ''The Crowstarver'' *Julius Lester – ''Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: A True Story'' *J. Patrick Lewis (with Gary Kelley) – ''BoshBlobberBosh: Runcible Poems for Edward Lear'' *J. K. Rowling – ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' *Louis Sachar – ''Holes (book), Holes'' *Robert Swindells – ''Abomination (novel), Abomination'' *Judy Waite – ''Mouse, Look Out!'' *Douglas Wood (naturalist), Douglas Wood – ''Rabbit and the Moon''

Drama

*Edward Albee – ''The Play About the Baby'' *Parv Bancil – ''Made in England'' (full-length version) *Marina Carr – ''By the Bog of Cats'' *Michael Frayn – ''Copenhagen (play), Copenhagen'' *David Hare (playwright), David Hare – ''The Blue Room (play), The Blue Room'' *

(translator) – ''Phèdre'' *Elfriede Jelinek – ''Ein Sportstück'' (A Sports Piece) *Sol B River **''The White Witch of Rose Hall'' **''River Plays 1'' (published) *Shelagh Stephenson – ''An Experiment with an Air Pump'' *Marius von Mayenburg – ''Fireface (Feuergesicht)'' *

(died 1983) – ''

'' (first performance; written 1938)

Poetry

*Seamus Heaney **''Beowulf'' (translation) **''Opened Ground: Poems 1966–1996'' *

– ''Birthday Letters'' *Dejan Stojanović (writer), Dejan Stojanović – ''Krugovanje: 1978–1987'' (Circling; 2nd edition)

Non-fiction

*Charlotte Allen – ''The Human Christ, The Human Christ: The Search For The Historical Jesus'' *Andrea Ashworth – ''Once in a House on Fire'' *Antony Beevor – ''Stalingrad (Beevor book), Stalingrad'' *Bill Bryson – ''Notes from a Big Country'' *Peter Cannon (editor) – ''Lovecraft Remembered'' *Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd (gardener), Christopher Lloyd – ''Dear Friend and Gardener'' *Corinne Debaine-Francfort – ''Corinne Debaine-Francfort#La redécouverte de la Chine ancienne, La redécouverte de la Chine ancienne'' *Amanda Foreman (biographer), Amanda Foreman – ''Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire'' *John Fowles – ''Wormholes – Essays and Occasional Writings'' *Jonathan Freedland – ''Bring Home the Revolution'' *Sita Ram Goel – ''Vindicated by Time'' *Simon Heffer – ''Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell'' *Adam Hochschild – ''King Leopold's Ghost, King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa'' *A. P. J. Abdul Kalam – ''India 2020'' *Ryszard Kapuściński – ''Heban'' (Ebony, translated as ''The Shadow of the Sun'') *B. B. Lal – ''India 1947–1997: New Light on the Indus Civilization'' *Eric Liu – ''The Accidental Asian'' *Alan I. Marcus – ''Building Western Civilization: From the Advent of Writing to the Age of Steam'' *Thylias Moss – ''Tale of a Sky-Blue Dress'' *Inga Muscio – ''Cunt: A Declaration of Independence'' *V. S. Naipaul – Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples *Gilles Perrault (ed.) – ''Le Livre noir du capitalisme'' (The Black Book of Capitalism) *John Pilger – ''Hidden Agendas'' *Michael Poole (producer), Michael Poole – ''Romancing Mary Jane'' *Arun Shourie – ''Eminent Historians: Their Technology, Their Line, Their Fraud'' *Marilee Strong – ''A Bright Red Scream'' *University of Arizona – ''Hopi Dictionary: Hopìikwa Lavàytutuveni'' *Adam Zagajewski – ''Another Beauty''

Births

*March 7 – Amanda Gorman, American poet and activist *May 15 – Mohammed El-Kurd, Palestinian writer and poet *December 16 – Chloe Gong, Chinese-born New Zealand author *''unknown dates'' **K-Ming Chang – Taiwanese-American novelist and poet **Moses MacKenzie – British novelist

Deaths

*January 2 – Frank Muir, English comedy writer and broadcaster (born 1920 in literature, 1920) *January 11 – John Wells (satirist), John Wells, English satirist (born 1936 in literature, 1936) *January 18 – Monica Edwards, English children's novelist (born 1912 in literature, 1912) *January 23 – John Forbes (poet), John Forbes, Australian poet (heart attack, born 1950 in literature, 1950) *January 27 – Geoffrey Trease, English children's historical novelist (born 1909 in literature, 1909) *February 7 – Lawrence Sanders, American novelist and short story writer (born 1920 in literature, 1920) *February 15 – Martha Gellhorn, American journalist (suicide, born 1908 in literature, 1908) *February 17 – Ernst Jünger, German novelist and war memoirist (born 1895 in literature, 1895) *March 15 – Dr. Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and writer on child care (born 1903 in literature, 1903) *April 11 – Francis Durbridge, English playwright (born 1912 in literature, 1912) *April 19 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and Nobel Prize laureate (born 1914 in literature, 1914) *April 27 **Anne Desclos (Pauline Réage), French journalist and novelist (born 1907 in literature, 1907) **Carlos Castaneda, Mexican-born American anthropologist and author (born 1925 in literature, 1925) *May 9 – Nat Perrin, American comedy writer (born 1905 in literature, 1905) *May 11 — Willy Corsari, Dutch author of detective fiction (born 1897 in literature, 1897) *June 10 **Joan Adeney Easdale, English poet (born 1913 in literature, 1913) **Hammond Innes, English novelist (born 1913 in literature, 1913) *June 11 – Dame Catherine Cookson, English novelist (born 1906 in literature, 1906) *July 1 – Martin Seymour-Smith, English biographer (born 1928 in literature, 1928) *July 5 – Johnny Speight, English comedy writer (born 1920 in literature, 1920) *July 9 – Ian Wallace (author), Ian Wallace (John Wallace Pritchard), American science fiction author (born 1912 in literature, 1912) *July 14 – Miroslav Holub, Czech poet (born 1923 in literature, 1923) *July 23 **John Hopkins (screenwriter), John Hopkins, English film and television writer (born 1931 in literature, 1931) **Manuel Mejía Vallejo, Colombian novelist (born 1923 in literature, 1923) *August 16 – Dorothy West, American novelist and short story writer (born 1907 in literature, 1907) *August 22 – Grace Paley, American writer (born 1922 in literature, 1922) *September 28 – Eric Malling, Canadian journalist (born 1946 in literature, 1946) *October 15 – Iain Crichton Smith, Scottish writer (born 1928 in literature, 1928) *October 22 – Eric Ambler, English spy novelist (born 1909 in literature, 1909) *October 28 –

, English poet and Poet Laureate (born 1930 in literature, 1930) *November 3 – Bob Kane (Robert Kahn), American comics artist and writer (born 1915 in literature, 1915) *November 8 – Rumer Godden, English novelist (born 1907 in literature, 1907) *December 16 – William Gaddis, American novelist (born 1922 in literature, 1922)

Awards

*Nobel Prize for Literature: José Saramago *Europe Theatre Prize: Luca Ronconi *Camões Prize: Antonio Candido

Australia

*The Australian/Vogel Literary Award: Jennifer Kremmer, ''Pegasus in the Suburbs'' *C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: Coral Hull, ''Broken Land'' *Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: No awards this year *Mary Gilmore Prize: Emma Lew, ''The Wild Reply'' *Miles Franklin Award: Peter Carey (novelist), Peter Carey, ''Jack Maggs''

Canada

*Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award: Talya Rubin *See 1998 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists. *Giller Prize, Giller Prize for Canadian Fiction: Alice Munro: ''The Love of a Good Woman'' *Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction: Charlotte Gray (author), Charlotte Gray: ''Mrs. King''Faculty of Arts, 1998
Edna Staebler Award
, ''Wilfrid Laurier University'', previous winners, Charlotte Gray, Retrieved 11/24/2012

France

*Prix Décembre:

, ''Les Particules élémentaires'' *Prix Goncourt: Paule Constant, ' *Prix Médicis French: ' *Prix Médicis International: ' – Jonathan Coe

United Kingdom

*Booker Prize: Ian McEwan, ''Amsterdam (novel), Amsterdam'' *Carnegie Medal (literary award), Carnegie Medal for children's literature: David Almond, ''Skellig'' *James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction:

, ''

'' *James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography: Peter Ackroyd, ''The Life of Thomas More'' *Cholmondeley Award: Roger McGough, Robert Minhinnick, Anne Ridler, Ken Smith (poet), Ken Smith *Eric Gregory Award: Mark Goodwin (poet), Mark Goodwin, Joanne Limburg, Patrick McGuinness, Kona Macphee, Esther Morgan (poet), Esther Morgan, Christiania Whitehead, Frances Williams (poet), Frances Williams *Orange Prize for Fiction: Carol Shields, ''Larry's Party'' *Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Les Murray (poet), Les Murray *1998 Whitbread Awards, Whitbread Best Book Award:

, ''Birthday Letters''

United States

*Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Shara McCallum, ''The Water Between Us'' *Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry: X.J. Kennedy *American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medals#Drama, American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Drama: Horton Foote *American Book Award Before Columbus Foundation: Angela Davis, ''Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday,'' and (separately) Allison Hedge Coke, ''Dog Road Woman'' *Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: Sherod Santos, "Elegy for My Sister", and (separately) Neil Azevedo, "Caspar Hauser Songs" *Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry: Frank Bidart, ''Desire'' *Compton Crook Award: Katie Waitman, ''The Merro Tree'' *Hugo Award for Best Novel: Joe Haldeman, ''Forever Peace'' *Frost Medal: Stanley Kunitz *Nebula Award: Joe Haldeman, ''Forever Peace'' *Newbery Medal for children's literature: Karen Hesse, ''Out of the Dust'' *PEN American Center's PEN Open Book Award:

, ''

'' *Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Paula Vogel, ''How I Learned to Drive'' *Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Philip Roth, ''American Pastoral'' *Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Charles Wright (poet), Charles Wright, ''Black Zodiac'' *Wallace Stevens Award: A. R. Ammons *Whiting Awards: :Fiction: Michael Byers (American academic), Michael Byers, Ralph Lombreglia (fiction/nonfiction) :Non-fiction: D. J. Waldie, Anthony Walton (poet), Anthony Walton :Plays: W. David Hancock :Poetry: Nancy Eimers, Daniel Hall (poet), Daniel Hall, James Kimbrell, Charles Harper Webb, Greg Williamson (poet), Greg Williamson

Elsewhere

*International Dublin Literary Award: Herta Muller, ''The Land of Green Plums'' *Premio Nadal: Lucía Etxebarria, ''Beatriz y los cuerpos celestes''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1998 In Literature 1998 books, 1998, Literature Years of the 20th century in literature