This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2002.

Events

March 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York. * 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse to recant are burnt to death after the Fall of Montségur. * 1355 – Amidst the Red Turban Rebellions, Han Lin'er, ...

– Authorities in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

arrest and jail the poet Abdul Mohsen Musalam and dismiss a newspaper editor following the publication of Musalam's poem "The Corrupt on Earth", which criticizes the state's Islamic judiciary, accusing some judges of being corrupt and issuing unfair rulings for personal benefit. *

March 31 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. * 1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging ...

– '' American Writers: A Journey Through History'' resumes its run on

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...

, having been interrupted by the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

and their aftermath. *May – The results of a poll of 100 authors conducted in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

are announced, leading to the

Bokklubben World Library Bokklubben World Library () is a series of classical books, mostly novels, published by the since 2002. It is based on a list of the hundred best books, as proposed by one hundred writers from fifty-four countries, compiled and organized in 2002 b ...

beginning publication. *

October 16 Events Pre-1600 * 456 – Ricimer defeats Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the Western Roman Empire. * 690 – Empress Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire. * ...

–

Bibliotheca Alexandrina The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Latin, 'Library of Alexandria'; , ) (BA) is a major library and cultural center on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt. It is a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria, once one of the larg ...

(designed by

Snøhetta Snøhetta is the highest mountain in the Dovrefjell mountain range in Norway. At , it is the highest mountain in Norway outside the Jotunheimen range, making it the 24th highest peak in Norway, based on a topographic prominence cutoff. At , i ...

) is inaugurated in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Egypt. *November –

Raymond Benson Raymond Benson (born 1955) is an American writer known for his James Bond novels published between 1997 and 2003. Early life and education Benson was born in Midland, Texas and graduated from Permian High School in Odessa in 1973. In primary sc ...

releases his final

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

novel, based on the film '' Die Another Day'', bringing to a close an uninterrupted series of novels featuring

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

's character that started in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. * Randell Cottage Writers' Residency established in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

for New Zealand and French authors.

New books

Fiction

* Alaa Al Aswany – '' The Yacoubian Building'' (عمارة يعقوبيان, ''ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān'') *

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, sev ...

– '' Enemy Lines: Rebel Dream'' and '' Enemy Lines: Rebel Stand'' * Jean M. Auel – '' The Shelters of Stone'' *

Paul Auster Paul Benjamin Auster (February 3, 1947 – April 30, 2024) was an American writer, novelist, memoirist, poet, and filmmaker. His notable works include '' The New York Trilogy'' (1987), '' Moon Palace'' (1989), '' The Music of Chance'' (1990), ' ...

– '' The Book of Illusions'' *

Iain Banks Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of '' The Wasp Fact ...

– ''

Dead Air Dead air, also known as unmodulated carrier, is an unintended period of silence that interrupts a broadcast during which no audio or video program material is transmitted. Radio and television Dead air occurs in radio broadcasting when no audio ...

'' *

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

– '' Vitals'' *

– '' Die Another Day'' and '' The Man with the Red Tattoo'' * Viken Berberian – ''The Cyclist'' * Nelson Bond – '' The Far Side of Nowhere'' * William Boyd – '' Any Human Heart'' *

Mircea Cărtărescu Mircea Cărtărescu (; born 1 June 1956) is a Romanian novelist, poet, short-story writer, literary critic, and essayist. Biography Born in Bucharest in 1956, he attended Cantemir Vodă National College during the early 1970s. During his sc ...

– '' The Encyclopedia of Dragons'' (''Enciclopedia zmeilor'') * Stephen L. Carter – ''

The Emperor of Ocean Park ''The Emperor of Ocean Park'' is a 2002 novel by American author and law professor Stephen L. Carter. It is the first part of Carter's ''Elm Harbor'' series; two more novels in the series were published in 2007 and 2008. The book was Carter's ...

'' *

Ted Chiang Ted Chiang (; pinyin: ''Jiāng Fēngnán''; born 1967) is an American science fiction writer. His work has won four Nebula Award, Nebula awards, four Hugo Award, Hugo awards, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and six Locus Award, ...

– ''

Stories of Your Life and Others ''Stories of Your Life and Others'' is a collection of short stories by American writer Ted Chiang published in 2002 by Tor Books. It collects Chiang's first eight stories. All of the stories except " Liking What You See: A Documentary" were pre ...

'' *

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

– '' Sharpe's Prey'', '' Sharpe's Skirmish'' and ''Vagabond'' *

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...

– ''

Prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...

'' * Elaine Cunningham – '' Dark Journey'' *

Jeffery Deaver Jeffery Deaver (born May 6, 1950) is an American mystery and crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a J.D. degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He lat ...

– '' The Stone Monkey'' * Dan Doboș – '' The Abbey'' *

L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American author of science fiction, Fantasy literature, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of ...

– '' Aristotle and the Gun and Other Stories'' *

Dave Eggers Dave Eggers (born March 12, 1970) is an American writer, editor, and publisher. His 2000 memoir, '' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius'', became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is a ...

– '' You Shall Know Our Velocity'' *

Jeffrey Eugenides Jeffrey Kent Eugenides (born March 8, 1960) is an American author. He has written numerous short stories and essays, as well as three novels: '' The Virgin Suicides'' (1993), ''Middlesex'' (2002), and '' The Marriage Plot'' (2011). ''The Virgin Su ...

– ''

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

'' *

Janet Evanovich Janet Evanovich (née Schneider; April 22, 1943) is an American writer. She began her career writing short contemporary romance novels under the pen name Steffie Hall, but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Stepha ...

– '' Hard Eight'' *

Michel Faber Michel Faber (born 13 April 1960) is a Dutch-born writer of English-language fiction, including his 2002 novel ''The Crimson Petal and the White'', and '' Under the Skin'' (2000) which was adapted for film by Jonathan Glazer, starring Scarlett ...

– ''

The Crimson Petal and the White ''The Crimson Petal and the White'' is a 2002 novel by Michel Faber set in Victorian era, Victorian England. The title is from an 1847 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson entitled "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal", the opening line of which is "Now slee ...

'' *

Giorgio Faletti Giorgio Faletti (; 25 November 1950 – 4 July 2014) was an Italian writer, musician, actor and comedian. Born in Asti, Piedmont, he lived on Elba Island. His books have been translated into 25 languages and published with great success in Europ ...

– ''Io uccido'' *

Mick Farren Michael Anthony Farren (3 September 1943 – 27 July 2013) was an English rock musician, singer, journalist, and author associated with counterculture and the UK underground, who had a significant influence on the development of British proto ...

– '' Underland'' *

Nancy Farmer Nancy Farmer (born 1941) is an American writer of children's literature, children's and young adult books and science fiction. She has written three Newbery Medal, Newbery Honor books and won the U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Liter ...

– '' The House of The Scorpion'' *

Elena Ferrante Elena Ferrante () is a pseudonymous Italian novelist. Ferrante's books, originally published in Italian, have been translated into many languages. Her four-book series of '' Neapolitan Novels'' are her most widely known works. ''Time'' magazine ...

– ''I giorni dell'abbandono'' (The Days of Abandonment) *

Jonathan Safran Foer Jonathan Safran Foer (; born February 21, 1977) is an American novelist. He is known for his novels '' Everything Is Illuminated'' (2002), '' Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' (2005), '' Here I Am'' (2016), and for his non-fiction works '' Eat ...

– ''

Everything Is Illuminated ''Everything Is Illuminated'' is the first novel by the American writer Jonathan Safran Foer, published in 2002. It was adapted into a film of the same name starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hütz in 2005. The book's writing and structure rece ...

'' *

Ken Follett Kenneth Martin Follett (born 5 June 1949) is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 198 million copies of his works. His books have been sold in over 80 countries. Follett's commercial breakthrough came with ...

– '' Hornet Flight'' *

Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts. Career ''Star Wars'' Foster was the ghost ...

– ''

The Approaching Storm ''The Approaching Storm'' is a science fiction novel, set in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe, by American writer Alan Dean Foster. It follows Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker as they are sent to a planet to settle a dispute as growing un ...

'' *

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

– ''

Coraline ''Coraline'' () is a 2002 British dark fantasy horror children's novella by author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing ''Coraline'' in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for ...

'' * Julia Glass – '' Three Junes'' * Horace L. Gold and

– '' None But Lucifer'' * Jean-Christophe Grangé – ''Le Concile de pierre'' *

Niall Griffiths Niall Griffiths (born 1966) is an English author of novels and short stories, set predominantly in Wales. His works include the novels ''Grits'' and ''Sheepshagger'', travel guides to Aberystwyth and Liverpool, and a book of poetry. He has won t ...

– ''Sheepshagger'' *

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the Academy of Achievement, American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 ...

– '' The Summons'' *

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

– ''

Among the Betrayed ''Among the Betrayed'' is a 2002 novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix, about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation. It is the third of seven novels in the '' Shadow Children'' series. Unlike the first, it is no ...

'' *

Peter Handke Peter Handke (; born 6 December 1942) is an Austrians, Austrian novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has ...

– '' Crossing the Sierra de Gredos'' *

Joanne Harris Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris (born 3 July 1964) is a British author, best known for her 1999 novel '' Chocolat'', which was adapted into a film of the same name. Her work has received multiple awards and is published in over 50 countries. ...

– ''Coastliners'' * John D. Harvey – '' The Cleansing'' * Aleksandar Hemon – '' Nowhere Man'' *

Carl Hiaasen Carl Hiaasen (; born March 12, 1953) is an American journalist and novelist. He began his career as a newspaper reporter and by the late 1970s had begun writing novels in his spare time, both for adults and for middle grade readers. Two of his ...

– '' Hoot'' *

Rabee Jaber Rabee Jaber (; born 1972, Beirut) is a Lebanon, Lebanese novelist and journalist. Life Jaber studied Physics at the American University of Beirut (AUB). He is also editor of ''Afaaq'' (in Arabic language, Arabic آفاق meaning ''Horizons'' in ...

– رحلة الغرناطي (''Rahlat al-Gharnati'', "The Journey of the Granadian") *

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

– '' Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales'' and '' From a Buick 8'' * Rachel Klein – '' The Moth Diaries'' *

Dean R. Koontz Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as thriller (genre), suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror fiction, horror, fantasy, science fiction, Mystery fiction, mystery, and sati ...

– '' By the Light of the Moon'' and '' One Door Away from Heaven'' *

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...

– '' The Birthday of the World'' (anthology including '' Paradises Lost'') *Sallie Lowenstein – '' Sender Unknown'' *

Robert Ludlum Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 Thriller (genre), thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original ''Bourne (novel series), The Bourne Trilogy'' series. The number of copi ...

– '' The Sigma Protocol'' *

Jon McGregor Jon McGregor (born 1976) is a British novelist and short story writer. In 2002, his debut novel, first novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize, making him then the youngest-ever contender. His second and fourth novels were longlisted for the ...

– '' If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things'' *

Valerio Massimo Manfredi Valerio Massimo Manfredi (born 8 March 1943) is an Italian historian, writer, essayist, archaeologist and journalist. Biography He was born in Piumazzo di Castelfranco Emilia province of Modena and, after getting a degree in Classical Arts at ...

– ''

The Last Legion ''The Last Legion'' is a 2007 historical action adventure film directed by Doug Lefler and produced by Dino De Laurentiis. It is based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Valerio Massimo Manfredi. It stars Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwary ...

'' *

Javier Marías Javier Marías Franco (20 September 1951 – 11 September 2022) was a Spanish author, translator, and columnist. Marías published fifteen novels, including '' A Heart So White'' (''Corazón tan blanco,'' 1992'')'', '' Tomorrow in the Battle Th ...

– '' Your Face Tomorrow Volume 1: Fever and Spear'' (''Tu rostro mañana 1. Fiebre y lanza'') * Rohinton Mistry – '' Family Matters'' *

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for hi ...

(村上春樹) – ''

Kafka on the Shore is a 2002 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Its 2005 English translation was among "The 10 Best Books of 2005" from ''The New York Times'' and received the World Fantasy Award for 2006. The book tells the stories of the young Kafka Tamu ...

'' (海辺のカフカ, ''Umibe no Kafuka'') * Taslima Nasrin – ''Forashi Premik (French Lover)'' *

Joseph O'Connor Joseph Victor O'Connor (born 20 September 1963) is an Irish novelist. His 2002 historical novel '' Star of the Sea'' was an international number one bestseller. Before success as an author, he was a journalist with the '' Sunday Tribune'' newspa ...

– '' Star of the Sea'' *

Chuck Palahniuk Charles Michael Palahniuk (;, , born February 21, 1962) is an American novelist of Ukrainian and French ancestry who describes his work as transgressional fiction. He has published 19 novels, three nonfiction books, two graphic novels, and two ad ...

– ''

Lullaby A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...

'' *

Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952; ) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, he has sold over 13 million books in 63 languages, making him ...

– ''

Snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

'' *

Ann Patchett Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel ''Bel Canto (novel), Bel Canto''. Patchett's othe ...

– ''

Bel Canto , )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...

'' *

James Patterson James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author. Among his works are the '' Alex Cross'', '' Michael Bennett'', '' Women's Murder Club'', '' Maximum Ride'', '' Daniel X'', '' NYPD Red'', '' Witch & Wizard'', '' Private'' and ...

– ''

Beach House Beach House is an American indie music, indie band formed in Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals, drum programming). Their work is char ...

'' *

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...

– '' Night Watch'' *

Libby Purves Elizabeth Mary Purves, (born 2 February 1950) is a British radio presenter, journalist and author. Early life and career Born in London, a diplomat's daughter, Purves was raised in her mother's Catholic faith and educated at convent school ...

– '' Mother Country'' * Pascal Quignard – '' Les Ombres errantes'' *

Kathy Reichs Dr. Kathleen Joan Reichs (PhD) (née Toelle, born July 7, 1948) is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She is a professor emerita of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is well known ...

– '' Grave Secrets'' *

Nora Roberts Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of over 225 novels, known for romance novel, romance published under her own name. She also writes police procedurals which have elements of science fiction ...

– ''Face the Fire'' * Joel C. Rosenberg – '' The Last Jihad'' * R. A. Salvatore – '' Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones'' * Andrzej Sapkowski – The Tower of Fools * Samanta Schweblin – ''El núcleo del disturbio'' *

Alice Sebold Alice Sebold (born September 6, 1963) is an American author. She is known for her novels '' The Lovely Bones'' and '' The Almost Moon'', and a memoir, '' Lucky''. ''The Lovely Bones'' was on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list and was adapt ...

– '' The Lovely Bones'' *

Carol Shields Carol Ann Shields (née Warner; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel ''The Stone Diaries'', which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as t ...

– '' Unless'' *

Vladimir Sorokin Vladimir Georgiyevich Sorokin (; born 7 August 1955) is a postmodern Russian writer of novels, short stories, and plays. He has been described as one of the leading and most popular writers in contemporary Russian literature. Sorokin became k ...

– ''

Ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

'' *

Danielle Steel Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel (born August 14, 1947) is an American writer, best known for her romance novels. She is the bestselling living author and one of the best-selling fiction authors of all time, with over 800 milli ...

– ''The Cottage'' *

David Storey David Malcolm Storey (13 July 1933 – 27 March 2017) was an English playwright, screenwriter, award-winning novelist and a professional rugby league player. He won the Booker Prize in 1976 for his novel '' Saville''. He also won the MacMillan F ...

– '' As It Happened'' *

Matthew Stover Matthew Woodring Stover (born January 29, 1962) is an American fantasy and List of science fiction authors, science fiction novelist. He is most well known for his four ''Star Wars'' novels, including the novelization of ''Star Wars: Episode III ...

– ''

Traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

'' * Thomas Sullivan – ''Born Burning'' * Donna Tartt – '' The Little Friend'' * Hồ Anh Thái – ''Cõi người rung chuông tận thế'' (The Apocalypse Bell Tolls in the Human World) *

William Trevor William Trevor Cox (24 May 1928 – 20 November 2016) was an Irish novelist, playwright, and short story writer. One of the elder statesmen of the Irish literary world, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest contemporary writers of sho ...

– '' The Story of Lucy Gault'' *

Andrew Vachss Andrew Henry Vachss ( ; October 19, 1942 – November 23, 2021) was an American crime fiction author, child protection consultant, and attorney exclusively representing children and youths. Early life and career Vachss grew up in Manhattan on ...

– ''Only Child'' *

Guy Vanderhaeghe Guy Clarence Vanderhaeghe (born April 5, 1951) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his Western novel trilogy, '' The Englishman's Boy'', '' The Last Crossing'', and ''A Good Man'' set in the 19th-century American and Ca ...

– '' The Last Crossing'' * Barbara Vine – '' The Blood Doctor'' *

Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sara ...

– '' Fingersmith'' * Darren Williams – '' Angel Rock'' *

Walter Jon Williams Walter Jon Williams (born October 28, 1953) is an American writer, primarily of science fiction. Previously he wrote nautical adventure fiction under the name Jon Williams, in particular, ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' (1981–1984), a series of hi ...

– '' Destiny's Way'' *

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

– '' The Last Defender of Camelot''

Children and young people

Chris Van Allsburg Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for ''Jumanji'' (1981) and '' The Polar Express'' (1985), both of which he al ...

– ''

Zathura ''Zathura'' is a 2002 science fiction children's picture book written and illustrated by American author Chris Van Allsburg. In the story, implied to be set in the 1950s, two brothers; Danny and Walter Budwing are drawn into an intergalactic ...

'' *

– ''

'' *

Bob Graham Daniel Robert Graham (November 9, 1936 – April 16, 2024) was an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 38th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senate, United States senat ...

– ''Jethro Byrd, Fairy Child'' * Kathleen Hague (with Michael Hague) – ''Good Night, Fairies'' *Isabel Hoving – '' The Dream Merchant'' * Tony Johnston (with Barry Moser) – ''That Summer'' * Ulrich Karger – ''Geisterstunde im Kindergarten'' (Ghost Times in Kindergarten, translated as '' The Scary Sleepover'') *

Jenny Nimmo Jenny Nimmo (born 15 January 1944) is a British author of children's books, including fantasy and adventure novels, chapter books, and picture books. Born in England, she has lived mostly in Wales for 40 years. She is probably best known for tw ...

– '' Midnight for Charlie Bone'' * Margie Palatini (with Barry Moser) – ''Earthquack!'' *

Christopher Paolini Christopher James Paolini (born November 17, 1983) is an American and Italian author. He is best known for ''The Inheritance Cycle'', which consists of the books '' Eragon'' (2002), '' Eldest'' (2005), '' Brisingr'' (2008), ''Inheritance'' (2011 ...

(with

John Jude Palencar John Jude Palencar (born February 26, 1957) is an American illustrator and fine artist who specializes in works of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. In 2010, he was given the Hamilton King Award. Early life Palencar was born February 26, ...

) – ''

Eragon ''Eragon'' is the first book in ''The Inheritance Cycle'' by American fantasy writer Christopher Paolini. Paolini, born in 1983, began writing the novel after graduating from home school at the age of fifteen. After writing the first draft for ...

'' (first in ''

The Inheritance Cycle ''The Inheritance Cycle'' is a tetralogy of young adult high fantasy novels written by American author Christopher Paolini. Set in the fictional world of Alagaësia (), the novels focus on the adventures of a teenage boy named Eragon and ...

'' of four books) * Jerry Pinkney ** '' The Nightingale'' ** '' Noah's Ark'' *

Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler and a fictional character of his creation. Handler has published various children's books under the name, including ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 millio ...

– '' The Carnivorous Carnival'' * Leander Watts – ''Stonecutter'' *

Jacqueline Wilson Dame Jacqueline Wilson (' Aitken; born 17 December 1945) is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for tackling realistic topics such as adoption and divorce. Since her debut novel in 1969, ...

– ''Girls in Tears'' (fourth in the ''Girls'' series of four books)

Drama

*Edward Albee – ''The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?'' *Caryl Churchill – ''A Number'' *Nilo Cruz – ''Anna in the Tropics'' *Zlatko Topčić – ''Time Out (drama), Time Out'' *Peter Verhelst – ''Blush''

Poetry

*Neil Astley (ed.) – ''Staying Alive: real poems for unreal times'' (anthology) *Jim Dodge – ''Rain on the River'' *Linton Kwesi Johnson – ''Mi Revalueshanary Fren'' *Grazyna Miller – ''Alibi of a butterfly''

Non-fiction

*Peter Ackroyd – ''Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination'' *Andrew Alpern – ''The New York Apartment Houses of Rosario Candela and James Carpenter'' *Jeffrey Archer (as FF 8282) – ''A Prison Diary: Volume 1: Belmarsh: Hell'' *T. J. Binyon – ''Pushkin: A Biography'' *John Brockman (literary agent), John Brockman (editor) – ''The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-First Century'' *Howard Cannon (author), Howard Cannon and Brian Tarcy – ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Restaurant'' *Stuart Christie – ''Granny Made me an Anarchist'' *Alphonse Daudet (died 1897), translated by Julian Barnes – ''In the Land of Pain'' (first English translation of ''La Doulou'') *Gerina Dunwich – ''A Witch's Guide to Ghosts and the Supernatural'' *Lindy Edwards – ''How to Argue with an Economist: Reopening Political Debate in Australia'' *Koenraad Elst – ''Ayodhya dispute, Ayodhya – The Case Against the Temple'' *Tye R. Farrell and Jeffrey Morrow – ''University of Psychogenic Fugue'' *Aminatta Forna – ''The Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest'' *Pim Fortuyn – ''De puinhopen van acht jaar Paars'' *Michael J. Fox – ''Lucky Man: A Memoir'' *Stephen J. Gould – ''I Have Landed'' *Peter Jennings – ''In Search of America'' *B. B. Lal (archaeologist), B. B. Lal – ''The Sarasvatī Flows On: The Continuity of Indian Culture'' *Judith Levine – ''Harmful to Minors'' *Gabriel García Márquez – ''Vivir para contarla'' (autobiography) *Anthea Paul – ''Girlosophy'' *Jeremy Paxman – ''The Political Animal'' *Neil Peart – ''Ghost Rider (book), Ghost Rider'' *Åsne Seierstad – ''The Bookseller of Kabul'' *Arun Shourie – ''Worshipping False Gods'' *Rachel Simon – ''Riding the Bus with My Sister'' *Bob Smith – ''Hamlet's Dresser'' *Daniel Snowman – ''The Hitler Émigrés: The Cultural Impact on Britain of Refugees from Nazism'' *David Southwell – ''Dirty Cash'' *James B. Stewart – ''Heart of a Soldier'' *Paul Theroux – ''Dark Star Safari'' *Rick Warren – ''The Purpose Driven Life'' *Alison Watt (writer), Alison Watt – ''The Last Island''

Films

*''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' *''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers''

Deaths

*January 12 – Lady Violet Powell, British critic and biographer (born 1912 in literature, 1912) * January 17 – Camilo José Cela, Nobel-winningSpanish writer (born 1916 in literature, 1916) *January 28 – Astrid Lindgren, Swedish children's author (born 1907 in literature, 1907) *February 8 – Joachim Hoffmann, German historian (born 1930 in literature, 1930) *February 21 – A. L. Barker, English novelist (born 1918 in literature, 1918) *February 27 – Spike Milligan, Indian-born British-Irish comedian, screenwriter and poet (born 1918 in literature, 1918) *March 21 – Thomas Flanagan (writer), Thomas Flanagan, American historical novelist (born 1923 in literature, 1923) *April 6 – Martin Sperr, German dramatist (born 1944 in literature, 1944) *April 24 – Ismith Khan, Trinidad-born novelist (born 1925 in literature, 1925) * April 27 – George Alec Effinger, American science fiction author (born 1947 in literature, 1947) *May 6 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch political columnist and writer (born 1948 in literature, 1948) *May 17 – Dave Berg (cartoonist), Dave Berg, American cartoonist (born 1920 in literature, 1920) *May 20 – Stephen J. Gould, American paleontologist, biologist and writer (born 1941 in literature, 1941) *June 2 – Flora Lewis, American journalist (born 1922 in literature, 1922) *June 13 – R. W. B. Lewis, American critic (born 1917 in literature, 1917) *June 20 **Timothy Findley, Canadian novelist and playwright (born 1930 in literature, 1930) **Kenneth Kantzer, American theologian (born 1917 in literature, 1917) *June 24 – Ian Niall, John Kincaid McNeillie (also Ian Niall), Scottish novelist and non-fiction writer (born 1916 in literature, 1916) *July 23 – Chaim Potok, American writer (born 1929 in literature, 1929) *August 25 – Dorothy Hewett, Australian poet and playwright (born 1923 in literature, 1923) *September 17 – Eileen Colwell, English children's librarian (born 1904 in literature, 1904) *September 20 – Joan Littlewood, English theatre director and biographer (born 1914 in literature, 1914) *October 13 – Stephen E. Ambrose, American historian and biographer (born 1936 in literature, 1936) *October 21 – Harbhajan Singh (poet), Harbhajan Singh, Indian Punjabi poet and critic (born 1920 in literature, 1920) *October 27 – Sesto Pals, Romanian Israeli poet and philosopher (cancer, born ca. 1912 in literature, 1912) *October 28 – Sugathapala de Silva, Sri Lankan dramatist, novelist and translator writing in Sinhalese (born 1928 in literature, 1928) *November 8 – Jon Elia, Pakistani poet and philosopher writing in Urdu (born 1931 in literature, 1931) *December 12 – Dee Brown (writer), Dee Brown, American novelist and historian (born 1908 in literature, 1908) *December 24 – Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author, poet and artist (born 1920 in literature, 1920)

Awards

*Nobel Prize for Literature: Imre Kertész

Australia

*The Australian/Vogel Literary Award: Danielle Wood (writer), Danielle Wood, ''The Alphabet of Light and Dark'' *C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry: Robert Gray (poet), Robert Gray, ''Afterimages'' *Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Alan Wearne, ''The Lovemakers'' *Mary Gilmore Prize: Geraldine McKenzie, ''Duty'' *Miles Franklin Award: Tim Winton, ''Dirt Music''

Canada

*Giller Prize: Austin Clarke (novelist), Austin Clarke, ''The Polished Hoe'' *See 2002 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards. *Griffin Poetry Prize: Christian Bök, ''Eunoia (book), Eunoia'' and Alice Notley, ''Disobedience'' *Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction: Tom Allen (broadcaster), Tom Allen, ''Rolling Home: A Cross Canada Railroad Memoir, Rolling Home''

France

*Prix Décembre: Pierre Michon, ''Abbés'' and ''Corps du Roi'' *Prix Femina: Chantal Thomas, ''Les adieux à la reine'' *Prix Femina (non-fiction): Michael Barry (author), Michael Barry, ''Massoud'' *Prix Goncourt: Pascal Quignard, ''Les Ombres errantes'' *Prix Médicis French: Daniel Desmarquet, ''Kafka et les jeunes filles'' *Prix Médicis Non-Fiction: Anne F. Garréta, ''Pas un jour'' *Prix Médicis International: Philip Roth, ''The Human Stain''

United Kingdom

*Booker Prize: Yann Martel, ''Life of Pi'' *Caine Prize for African Writing: Binyavanga Wainaina, "Discovering Home" *Carnegie Medal (literary award), Carnegie Medal for children's literature: Sharon Creech, ''Ruby Holler'' *James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction: Jonathan Franzen, ''The Corrections'' *James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography: Jenny Uglow, ''The Lunar Men: The Friends Who Made the Future 1730–1810'' *Cholmondeley Award: Moniza Alvi, David Constantine, Liz Lochhead, Brian Patten *Eric Gregory Award: Caroline Bird, Christopher James (poet), Christopher James, Jacob Polley, Luke Heeley, Judith Lal, David Leonard Briggs, Eleanor Rees, Kathryn Simmonds *Samuel Johnson Prize: Margaret MacMillan, ''Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War'' *2002 Whitbread Book Awards, Whitbread Best Book Award: Philip Pullman, ''The Amber Spyglass'' *Orange Prize for Fiction:

, ''

'' *Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry: Peter Porter (poet), Peter Porter

United States

*Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Shao Wei (American poet), Shao Wei, ''Pulling a Dragon's Teeth'' *Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry: Grace Schulman *Arthur Rense Prize for poetry: B.H. Fairchild *Bernard F. Connors Prize for Poetry: Timothy Donnelly, “His Long Imprison'd Thought” *Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry: Alice Fulton, ''Felt'' *Brittingham Prize in Poetry: Anna George Meek, ''Acts of Contortion'' *Compton Crook Award: Wen Spencer, ''Alien Taste'' *Frost Medal: Galway Kinnell *Hugo Award:

, ''American Gods'' *National Book Award for Fiction: Julia Glass, '' Three Junes'' *National Book Critics Circle Award: Ian McEwan, ''Atonement (novel), Atonement'' *Newbery Medal for children's literature: Linda Sue Park, ''A Single Shard''Hahn 2015, p. 658 *PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction:

, ''

'' *Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Suzan-Lori Parks, ''Topdog/Underdog'' *Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Richard Russo, ''Empire Falls'' *Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Carl Dennis, ''Practical Gods'' *Wallace Stevens Award: Ruth Stone *Whiting Awards: :Fiction: Jeffery Renard Allen, Justin Cronin, Kim Edwards, Michelle Huneven, Danzy Senna :Plays: Melissa James Gibson, Evan Smith (playwright), Evan Smith :Poetry: Elizabeth Arnold (poet), Elizabeth Arnold, David Gewanter, Joshua Weiner

Other

*Camões Prize: Maria Velho da Costa *Finlandia Prize: Kari Hotakainen ''Trench Street'' *International Dublin Literary Award: Michel Houellebecq, ''Les Particules Élémentaires'' *Macmillan Writers' Prize for Africa Adult Fiction: Yvonne Vera, ''Stone Virgins'' *Premio Nadal: Ángela Vallvey, ''Los estados carenciales'' *SAARC Literary Award: Laxmi Chand Gupta

Notes

References

{{Year in literature article categories 2002-related lists