This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1908.

Events

* February 15 – The weekly boys' story paper ''

The Magnet ''The Magnet'' was a British weekly boys' story paper published by Amalgamated Press. It ran from 1908 to 1940, publishing a total of 1,683 issues. Each issue cost a halfpenny and contained a long school story about the boys of Greyfriars S ...

'' is first published in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, containing "The Making of Harry Wharton", the first serial story of the fictional

Greyfriars School Greyfriars School is a fictional English public school used as a setting in the long-running series of stories by the writer Charles Hamilton, who wrote under the pen-name of Frank Richards. Although the stories are focused on the Remove (or l ...

written by Charles Hamilton as Frank Richards and introducing the character of

Billy Bunter William George Bunter is a fictional schoolboy created by Charles Hamilton using the pen name Frank Richards. He features in stories set at Greyfriars School, a fictional English public school in Kent, originally published in the boys' weekly ...

. *March – Ezra Pound leaves America for Europe. In April, he moves to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, where in July he publishes himself his first collection of poems, '' A Lume Spento'' (dedicated to his friend Philadelphia artist

William Brooke Smith William Brooke Smith (died 1908) was an American painter and friend of Ezra Pound. His death from tuberculosis greatly affected Pound, who dedicated his first poetry collection, '' A Lume Spento'', to Smith. Life William Brooke Smith was living i ...

, who has just died of tuberculosis). In August he settles in London, where he will remain until 1920 and in December publish ''A Quinzaine for this Yule''. *

June 18 Events Pre-1600 * 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China. * 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. * 860 – Byzantine–Rus' War: A fleet of about ...

– Mark Twain buys a house in

Redding, Connecticut Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,765 at the 2020 census. History Early settlement and establishment At the time colonials began receiving grants for land within the boundaries of present- ...

. *Summer –

The Marlowe Society The Marlowe Society is a Cambridge University theatre club for Cambridge students. It is dedicated to achieving a high standard of student drama at Cambridge. The society celebrated its centenary over three years (2007–2009) and in 2008 there wa ...

stages a production at the New Theatre,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

(England), of Milton's masque ''

Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...

'', directed by Rupert Brooke. *July –

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebra ...

moves to London; she will never return to her native

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. *

September 30 Events Pre-1600 * 489 – The Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Great defeat the forces of Odoacer for the second time. * 737 – The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, follow them south of the Oxus, and capture their b ...

–

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

's '' The Blue Bird (L'Oiseau bleu)'' is premièred, at

Konstantin Stanislavsky Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet Russian ...

's Moscow Art Theatre. *

October 3 Events Pre-1600 * 2457 BC – Gaecheonjeol, Hwanung (환웅) purportedly descended from heaven. South Korea's National Foundation Day. * 52 BC – Gallic Wars: Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrenders to the Romans under Juliu ...

– The Avenida Theatre opens on

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

' Avenida de Mayo with a production of Lope de Vega's ''El castigo sin venganza'' (Justice Without Revenge,

1631 Events January–March * January 23 – Thirty Years' War: Sweden and France sign the Treaty of Bärwalde, a military alliance in which France provides funds for the Swedish army invading northern Germany. * February 5 &ndash ...

) directed by María Guerrero. *

November 10 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Emperor Leo II dies after a reign of ten months. He is succeeded by his father Zeno, who becomes sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire. * 937 – Ten Kingdoms: Li Bian usurps the throne and deposes Emperor Yang ...

– Opening of a production of

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...

' ''

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...

'' directed by

William Poel William Poel (1852-1934) was an English actor, theatrical manager and dramatist best known for his presentations of Shakespeare. Life and career A son of William Pole, he grew up among Pre-raphaelite painters and reportedly sat for William Holm ...

Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece ...

's verse translation at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

in London under the management of

Harley Granville-Barker Harley Granville-Barker (25 November 1877 – 31 August 1946) was an English actor, director, playwright, manager, critic, and theorist. After early success as an actor in the plays of George Bernard Shaw, he increasingly turned to directi ...

with his wife

Lillah McCarthy Lillah Emma McCarthy, Lady Keeble CBE (22 September 1875 – 15 April 1960) was an English actress and theatrical manager. Biography Lila Emma McCarty was born in Cheltenham on 22 September 1875, the seventh of eight children of Jonadab McCar ...

in the role of

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Roma ...

. *

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 ...

– The release in France of '' La Mort du duc de Guise'' marks the first film with a screenplay by an eminent man of letters, the playwright

Henri Lavedan Henri Léon Emile Lavedan (9 April 1859 – 4 September 1940), French dramatist and man of letters, was born at Orléans, the son of , a well-known Catholic and liberal journalist. Lavedan contributed to various Parisian papers a series of witt ...

; it is also directed by two men of the theatre, Charles Le Bargy and

André Calmettes André Calmettes (1861-1942) was a French actor and film director. Biography After being a theatre actor for twenty years, he joined the society ', founded in 1908 by the novelist and editor, at the urging of the Sociétaires of the Comédie-Fr ...

, and features actors of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

. *December – Ford Madox Hueffer begins publication of the literary magazine ''

The English Review ''The English Review'' was an English-language literary magazine published in London from 1908 to 1937. At its peak, the journal published some of the leading writers of its day. History The magazine was started by 1908 by Ford Madox Hueffer (la ...

'' in London. The first issue contains original work by Thomas Hardy,

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

, Joseph Conrad, John Galsworthy and W. H. Hudson, and begins serialization of

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

Tono-Bungay ''Tono-Bungay'' is a realist semiautobiographical novel written by H. G. Wells and first published in book form in 1909. It has been called "arguably his most artistic book". It had been serialised before book publication, both in the United ...

''. *December 1 –

Cuala Press The Cuala Press was an Irish private press set up in 1908 by Elizabeth Yeats with support from her brother William Butler Yeats that played an important role in the Celtic Revival of the early 20th century. Originally Dun Emer Press, from 1908 u ...

, set up at

Churchtown, Dublin Churchtown () is a largely residential suburb on the southside of Dublin, between Rathfarnham and Dundrum. Landmarks Ely's Arch Braemor Road is still marked by a triumphal arch from the 18th century, which originally led to Rathfarnham Cas ...

, as a

private press Private press publishing, with respect to books, is an endeavor performed by craft-based expert or aspiring artisans, either amateur or professional, who, among other things, print and build books, typically by hand, with emphasis on design, gra ...

independent of the former Dun Emer Press in connection with the

Irish Literary Revival The Irish Literary Revival (also called the Irish Literary Renaissance, nicknamed the Celtic Twilight) was a flowering of Irish literary talent in the late 19th and early 20th century. It includes works of poetry, music, art, and literature. O ...

and Arts and Crafts movement by Elizabeth "Lolly" Yeats with editorial support from her brother

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

, produces its first publication, ''Poetry and Ireland: Essays by W. B. Yeats and

Lionel Johnson Lionel Pigot Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic (although he claimed Irish descent and wrote on Celtic themes). Life Johnson was born in Broadstairs, Kent, England in 1867 and educated at Win ...

'' (died 1902). *''unknown dates'' **

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

n linguist

Afevork Ghevre Jesus Afäwarq Gäbrä Iyäsus ( am, አፈወርቅ ገብረ ኢየሱስ, āfewerik’i gebire īyesusi; spelled in it, Afevork Ghevre Jesus or Āfeworq Gebre Īyesūs; spelled in English Afewark Gebre Iyasus; 10 July 1868 – 25 September 1947) w ...

's ልብ ፡ ወለድ ፡ ታሪክ ። (''Libb Wolled Tārīk'', "A Heart-Born Story"), the first novel in Amharic, is published in Rome. **The Malay tale ''

Hikayat Hang Tuah ''Hikayat Hang Tuah'' ( Jawi: حکاية هڠ تواه) is a Malay work of literature that tells the tale of the legendary Malay fiction warrior, Hang Tuah and his four warrior friends - Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu - w ...

'' (c. 1700) is first published, edited by Sulaiman bin Muhammed Nur and

William Shellabear William Girdlestone Shellabear (1862–1947) was a "pioneer" scholar and missionary in British Malaya (today, part of Malaysia). He was known for both his appreciation of Muslim society and also his translation of the Bible into the Malay langu ...

. **The

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

n writer Urmuz is known to be working on his manuscript stories, the ''Bizarre Pages'', printed only after

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

New books

Fiction

– ''Libb Wolled Tārīk'' (A Heart-Born Story) *

Leonid Andreyev Leonid Nikolaievich Andreyev (russian: Леони́д Никола́евич Андре́ев, – 12 September 1919) was a Russian playwright, novelist and short-story writer, who is considered to be a father of Expressionism in Russian liter ...

– ''

The Seven Who Were Hanged ''The Seven Who Were Hanged'' (russian: Рассказ о семи повешенных) is a 1908 novella by Russian author Leonid Andreyev. The book is believed to have influenced the assassins of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Plot A mini ...

'' *

Francis Aveling Francis Arthur Powell Aveling MC ComC (25 December 1875 – 6 March 1941) was a Canadian psychologist and Catholic priest. He married Ethel Dancy of Steyning, Sussex in 1925. Life Francis Aveling was born at St. Catharines, Ontario 2 ...

– ''Arnoul the Englishman'' *

Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist. He wrote prolifically: between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboratio ...

**''

Buried Alive Premature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive. Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally on the mistaken assumption that they are dead, or intentionally as a form of t ...

'' **''

The Old Wives' Tale ''The Old Wives' Tale'' is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. It deals with the lives of two very different sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, following their stories from their youth, working in their mother's draper's sho ...

'' * E.F. Benson – '' The Blotting Book'' *Bigehuan zhuren (碧荷館主人) – '' New Era'' (新紀元, ''Xīn Jìyuán'') *

Algernon Blackwood Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary cri ...

– ''John Silence, Physician Extraordinary'' * Alexander Bogdanov – '' Red Star'' *

Mary Elizabeth Braddon Mary Elizabeth Braddon (4 October 1835 – 4 February 1915) was an English popular novelist of the Victorian era. She is best known for her 1862 sensation novel ''Lady Audley's Secret'', which has also been dramatised and filmed several times. ...

– ''During Her Majesty's Pleasure'' * Rhoda Broughton – ''Mamma'' * G. K. Chesterton – ''

The Man Who Was Thursday ''The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare'' is a 1908 novel by G. K. Chesterton. The book has been described as a metaphysical thriller. Plot summary Chesterton prefixed the novel with a poem written to Edmund Clerihew Bentley, revisiting the p ...

'' *

Marie Corelli Mary Mackay (1 May 185521 April 1924), also called Minnie Mackey, and known by her pseudonym Marie Corelli (, also , ), was an English novelist. From the appearance of her first novel ''A Romance of Two Worlds'' in 1886, she became the bestsel ...

– ''Holy Orders'' *

James Oliver Curwood James Oliver Curwood (June 12, 1878 – August 13, 1927) was an American action-adventure writer and conservationist. His books were often based on adventures set in the Hudson Bay area, the Yukon or Alaska and ranked among the top-ten best selle ...

– ''The Courage of Captain Plum'' and ''The Gold Hunters'' *

Machado de Assis Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short sto ...

– ''Memorial de Aires'' *

Grazia Deledda Grazia Maria Cosima Damiana Deledda (; 27 September 1871 – 15 August 1936), also known in Sardinian language as Gràssia or Gràtzia Deledda (), was an Italian writer who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926 "for her idealistically ...

– '' L'edera'' (The Ivy, first Italian publication) *

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and Jane Findlater – ''Crossriggs'' *

Anatole France (; born , ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Académie França ...

– '' Penguin Island'' *

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

– ''

A Room with a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society a ...

'' *

John Fox, Jr. John Fox Jr. (December 16, 1862 – July 8, 1919) was an American journalist, novelist, and short story writer. Biography Born in Stony Point, Kentucky, to John William Fox Sr. and Minerva Worth Carr, Fox studied English at Harvard University ...

– '' The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' * Mary E. Wilkins Freeman – ''The Shoulders of Atlas'' *

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...

**''

The Life of a Useless Man ''The Life of a Useless Man'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform russian: Жизнь ненужного человека, translit=Zhizn' nenuzhnogo cheloveka, also translated as ''The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man'') is a 1908 novel by Max ...

'' **''

A Confession ''A Confession'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Исповедь, Íspovedʹ), or ''My Confession'', is a short work on the subject of melancholia, philosophy and religion by the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. It was written in 1879 to ...

'' *

Jeannie Gunn Jeannie Gunn (pen name, Mrs Aeneas Gunn) (5 June 18709 June 1961) was an Australian novelist, teacher and Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) volunteer. Life Jeannie Taylor was born in Carlton, Melbourne, the last of five childre ...

– '' We of the Never Never'' * Robert Hichens – '' A Spirit in Prison'' *

William Hope Hodgson William Hope Hodgson (15 November 1877 – 19 April 1918) was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction, and scie ...

– '' The House on the Borderland'' *

Alfred Kubin Alfred Leopold Isidor Kubin (10 April 1877 – 20 August 1959) was an Austrian printmaker, illustrator, and occasional writer. Kubin is considered an important representative of Symbolism and Expressionism. Biography Kubin was born in Bohemia ...

– ''Die andere Seite'' (The Other Side) *

Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, ...

– ''

The Perfume of the Lady in Black ''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' ( it, Il profumo della signora in nero) is a 1974 giallo-horror film directed by Francesco Barilli. The film had nothing to do with the similarly-titled novel by Gaston Leroux. Plot Silvia ( Mimsy Farmer) is ...

'' *

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

– ''

The Iron Heel ''The Iron Heel'' is a political novel in the form of science fiction by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908.Kershaw, Alex. ''Jack London: A Life''. London: HarperCollins, 1997: 164. Background The main premise of the book i ...

'' *

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

– '' The Magician'' *

José Toribio Medina José Toribio Medina Zavala (; October 21, 1852 - December 11, 1930) was a Chilean bibliographer, prolific writer, and historian. He is renowned for his study of colonial literature in Chile, printing in Spanish America and large bibliographies su ...

– ''

Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu ''Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu'' (''The Indigenous Remains of Pichilemu'') was a 1908 book published by Chilean historian José Toribio Medina José Toribio Medina Zavala (; October 21, 1852 - December 11, 1930) was a Chilean bibliographer ...

'' *

Natsume Sōseki , born , was a Japanese novelist. He is best known around the world for his novels ''Kokoro'', ''Botchan'', ''I Am a Cat'', '' Kusamakura'' and his unfinished work '' Light and Darkness''. He was also a scholar of British literature and writer ...

(夏目漱石) **''

The Miner is a 1908 novel by Japanese writer Natsume Sōseki. The novel recounts the story of a young man who begins working in a mine following a failed relationship, with extensive attention paid to his perceptions, both at the time of events and in re ...

'' (''Kōfu'', 坑夫) **''Sanshirō'' (三四郎) **''

Ten Nights of Dreams or ''Ten Nights' Dreams'' is a series of short pieces by Natsume Sōseki. It was serialized in the ''Asahi Shimbun'' from July 25 to August 5, 1908. Sōseki writes of ten dreams set in various time periods, including his own time (the Meiji peri ...

'' (''Yume Jū-ya'', 夢十夜, short stories) *

Baroness Orczy Baroness Emma Orczy (full name: Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci) (; 23 September 1865 – 12 November 1947), usually known as Baroness Orczy (the name under which she was published) or to her family and friends as Em ...

– '' The Elusive Pimpernel'' *

Gertrude Page Gertrude Eliza Page (1872 – 1 April 1922) was an Anglo-Rhodesian novelist. Biography Educated at Bedford High School, Page wrote for ''The Girl's Own Paper'' as a teenager. Marrying George Alexander "Alec" Dobbin in 1902, she moved with him t ...

**'' The Edge O' Beyond'' **'' Paddy the Next Best Thing'' *

Mary Roberts Rinehart Mary Roberts Rinehart (August 12, 1876September 22, 1958) was an American writer, often called the American Agatha Christie.Keating, H.R.F., ''The Bedside Companion to Crime''. New York: Mysterious Press, 1989, p. 170. Rinehart published her fir ...

– ''The Circular Staircase'' *

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

– ''

Der Weg ins Freie ''Der Weg ins Freie'' (translated as "The Way into the Open" and most often "The Road into the Open") was published by Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography ...

'' *

Georges Sorel Georges Eugène Sorel (; ; 2 November 1847 – 29 August 1922) was a French social thinker, political theorist, historian, and later journalist. He has inspired theories and movements grouped under the name of Sorelianism. His social and ...

– '' Reflections on Violence'' * H. De Vere Stacpoole – '' The Blue Lagoon'' *

Hermann Sudermann Hermann Sudermann (30 September 1857 – 21 November 1928) was a German dramatist and novelist. Life Early career Sudermann was born at Matzicken, a village to the east of Heydekrug in the Province of Prussia (now Macikai and Šilutė, i ...

– '' The Song of Songs'' *

Caton Theodorian Caton Theodorian, or Teodorian (May 14, 1871 – January 8, 1939), was a Romanian playwright, poet, short story writer and novelist. A maternal nephew of the politician Eugeniu Carada, he was, through his Oltenian father, a scion of the boyar no ...

– ''Sângele Solovenilor'' *

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

** '' Angel Esquire'' ** '' The Council of Justice'' * Robert Walser – ''Der Gehülfe'' (The Assistant) *

Mary Augusta Ward Mary Augusta Ward (''née'' Arnold; 11 June 1851 – 24 March 1920) was a British novelist who wrote under her married name as Mrs Humphry Ward. She worked to improve education for the poor and she became the founding President of the Women' ...

– ''The Testing of Diana Mallory'' *

Jakob Wassermann __NOTOC__ Jakob Wassermann (10 March 1873 – 1 January 1934) was a German writer and novelist. Life Born in Fürth, Wassermann was the son of a shopkeeper and lost his mother at an early age. He showed literary interest early and published v ...

– ''Caspar Hauser oder Die Trägheit des Herzens'' ( Caspar Hauser or the Inertia of the Heart) *

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

The War in the Air ''The War in the Air: And Particularly How Mr. Bert Smallways Fared While It Lasted'' is a military science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells. The novel was written in four months in 1907, and was serialized and published in 1908 in ''Th ...

Children and young people

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

**''

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz ''Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz'' is the fourth book set in the Land of Oz written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill. It was published on June 18, 1908 and reunites Dorothy Gale with the humbug Wizard from ''The Wonderful Wizard ...

'' **'' Aunt Jane's Nieces at Millville'' (as Edith Van Dyne) *''

The Children's Encyclopædia ''The Children's Encyclopædia'' was an encyclopaedia originated by Arthur Mee, and published by the Educational Book Company, a subsidiary of Northcliffe's Amalgamated Press, London. It was published from 1908 to 1964. Walter M. Jackson's c ...

'' (begins publication) *

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as '' The Reluctant Dragon''. Both books w ...

– ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

'' *

Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, '' Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she wa ...

– '' The Girl from the Marsh Croft'' *

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with ''Anne of Green Gables''. She ...

– '' Anne of Green Gables'' *

Ferenc Móra Ferenc Móra (19 July 1879 – 8 February 1934) was a Hungarian novelist, journalist, and museologist. Life Ferenc Móra was born in Kiskunfélegyháza, into a financially poor family. His father Márton Móra was a tailor, and his mothe ...

– ''Rab ember fiai'' (Sons of a Captive) *

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

– ''The House of Arden'' *Beatrix Potter **''The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck'' **''The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding'' *Percy F. Westerman – ''A Lad of Grit''

Drama

*J. M. Barrie – ''What Every Woman Knows (play), What Every Woman Knows'' *Jacinto Benavente – '':es:Señora ama, Señora ama'' (The Lady Loves) *Tristan Bernard – ''The Brighton Twins (play), The Brighton Twins (Les Jumeaux de Brighton)'' *Alexandre Bisson – ''Madame X (La Femme X)'' *Hall Caine – ''Pete'' (new version of ''The Manxman'') *

– ''The Last Ones (Poslednje) *

– '' The Blue Bird (L'Oiseau bleu)'' *Octave Mirbeau – ''Home (Mirbeau), Home (Le Foyer)'' *Emma Orczy – ''Beau Brocade'' *Alicia Ramsey – ''Byron (play), Byron'' *W. Graham Robertson – ''Pinkie and the Fairies'' *Edward Sheldon – ''Salvation Nell'' *J. M. Synge – ''The Tinker's Wedding'' *Israel Zangwill – ''The Melting Pot (play), The Melting Pot''

Poetry

*Edward Carpenter – ''Iolaus: Anthology of Friendship'' *W. H. Davies – ''Nature Poems'' *Maria Konopnicka – ''Rota (poem), Rota'' (Oath)

Non-fiction

*Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Robert Baden-Powell – ''Scouting for Boys'' *Sarah Bernhardt – ''My Double Life'' *Annie Besant, C. W. Leadbeater – ''Occult Chemistry'' *Edward Carpenter – ''The Intermediate Sex, The Intermediate Sex: A Study of Some Transitional Types of Men and Women'' * G. K. Chesterton – ''All Things Considered'' *W. H. Davies – ''The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp'' *Levi H. Dowling – ''The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ'' *Gertrude Jekyll – ''Colour in the Flower Garden'' *

– ''War of the Classes'' *Francisco I. Madero – ''La sucesión presidencial en 1910'' *Titu Maiorescu – ''Critice'' (Critical Essays) *Friedrich Nietzsche (died 1900) – ''Ecce Homo (book), Ecce homo: Wie man wird, was man ist'' (written 1888 in literature, 1888) *Moisey Ostrogorsky, M. Ostrogorski – ''Democracy and the Organization of Political Parties'' (''La Démocratie et l'organisation des partis politiques'', 1903) *George Panu – ''Amintiri de la Junimea din Iași'' (Recollections from ''Junimea'' of Iași; first volume) *Charlotte Carmichael Stopes – ''The Sphere of 'Man' in Relation to that of 'Woman' in the Constitution'' *Alfred R. Tucker – ''Eighteen Years in Uganda and East Africa''

Births

*January 9 – Simone de Beauvoir, French feminist philosopher (died 1986 in literature, 1986) *January 16 – Pavel Nilin, Soviet novelist and playwright (died 1981 in literature, 1981) *January 18 – Jacob Bronowski, Polish-born scientist and poet (died 1974 in literature, 1974) *January 20 **Fleur Cowles, American journalist, editor and illustrator (died 2009 in literature, 2009) **Jean S. MacLeod, Scottish-English romantic novelist (died 2011 in literature, 2011) *February 4 – Julian Bell, English poet (killed 1937 in literature, 1937) *February 11 – Philip Dunne (writer), Philip Dunne, American screenwriter, director, and producer (died 1992 in literature, 1992) *February 29 – Dee Brown (writer), Dee Brown, American novelist and historian (died 2002 in literature, 2002) *March 5 – Irving Fiske, American playwright, WPA writer, and speaker; co-founder of Quarry Hill Creative Center (died 1990 in literature, 1990), *March 6 – Dame Felicitas Corrigan, English writer and Benedictine nun (died 2003 in literature, 2003) *March 8 – Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, Indian-born Bahraini poet (died 2002 in literature, 2002) *March 22 – Louis L'Amour, American author (died 1988 in literature, 1988) *April 12 – Ida Pollock, British romantic novelist (died 2013 in literature, 2013) *May 17 – Frederic Prokosch, American novelist and poet (died 1989 in literature, 1989) *May 20 – Aleksei Arbuzov, Soviet playwright (died 1986 in literature, 1986) *May 25 – Theodore Roethke, American poet (died 1963 in literature, 1963) *May 27 – Peggy Ramsay, born Margaret Venniker, Australian-born British theatrical agent (died 1991 in literature, 1991) *May 28 – Ian Fleming, English espionage novelist (died 1964 in literature, 1964) *June 1 – Julie Campbell Tatham, American children's writer (died 1999 in literature, 1999) *June 14 – Kathleen Raine, English poet, scholar, and translator (died 2003 in literature, 2003) *June 27 – João Guimarães Rosa, Brazilian novelist (died 1967 in literature, 1967) *June 30 ** Winston Graham, English novelist (died 2003 in literature, 2003) ** Rob Nieuwenhuys, Dutch writer (died 1999 in literature, 1999) *July 7 – Laurie Fitzhardinge, Australian historian and librarian (died 1993 in literature, 1993) *July 10 – Carl Richard Jacobi, American journalist and author (died 1997 in literature, 1997) *July 23 – Elio Vittorini, Italian author (died 1966 in literature, 1966) *August 21 – M. M. Kaye, Indian-born English novelist and autobiographer (died 2004 in literature, 2004) *August 23 – Arthur Adamov, French Absurdist playwright (died 1970 in literature, 1970) *August 28 **Robert Merle, French novelist (died 2004 in literature, 2004) **Marguerite Young, American novelist, poet and biographer (died 1995 in literature, 1995) *August 31 – William Saroyan, American writer (d. 1981) *September 4 – Richard Wright (author), Richard Wright, African-American novelist and poet (died 1960 in literature, 1960) *September 9 – Cesare Pavese, Italian poet and novelist (died 1950 in literature, 1950) *September 15 – Miško Kranjec, Slovenian writer (died 1983 in literature, 1983) *September 17 – John Creasey, English crime writer (died 1973 in literature, 1973) *October 5 – Joshua Logan, American stage and film writer and director (died 1988 in literature, 1988) *October 13 – Robert Liddell, English biographer, novelist and poet (died 1992 in literature, 1992) *October 17 – Leon Kalustian, Romanian journalist, essayist and memoirist (died 1990 in literature, 1990) *October 23 – Abdurakhman Avtorkhanov, Chechen historian (died 1997 in literature, 1997) *October 24 – Phyllis Shand Allfrey (Phyllis Byam Shand), Dominican writer (died 1986 in literature, 1986) *October 25 – Edmond Pidoux, Swiss writer (died 2004 in literature, 2004) *November 8 – Zhou Yang (literary theorist), Zhou Yang, Chinese literary theorist (died 1989 in literature, 1989) *November 8 – Martha Gellhorn, American journalist (suicide 1998 in literature, 1998) *November 9 – Lucian Boz, Romanian and Australian literary critic (died 2003 in literature, 2003) *November 20 – Alistair Cooke, English-born American journalist (died 2004 in literature, 2004) *November 21 – Elizabeth George Speare, American children's writer (died 1994 in literature, 1994) *November 23 – Nelson S. Bond, American author, playwright and scriptwriter (died 2006 in literature, 2006) *November 28 **Claude Lévi-Strauss, Belgian-born French anthropologist (died 2009 in literature, 2009) **Mary Oppen, American poet, activist and photographer (died 1990 in literature, 1990) *November 30 – Buddhadeb Bosu, Bengali poet and writer (died 1974 in literature, 1974) *December 14 – Mária Szepes, Hungarian novelist and screenwriter (died 2007 in literature, 2007) *December 22 – Giovanni Luigi Bonelli, Italian comic book author and writer (died 2001 in literature, 2001) *December 25 – Quentin Crisp, English gay icon, author and raconteur (died 1999 in literature, 1999)

Deaths

*January 9 – Wilhelm Busch, German humorist and poet (born 1832 in literature, 1832) *January 14 – Holger Drachmann, Danish poet and dramatist (born 1846 in literature, 1846) *January 18 – Edmund Clarence Stedman, American poet and critic (born 1833 in literature, 1833) *January 25 – Ouida (Maria Louise Ramé), English novelist (born 1839 in literature, 1839) *February 7 **Alexander Ertel, Russian novelist and short story writer (born 1855 in literature, 1855) **Manuel Curros Enríquez, Spanish Galician writer (born 1851 in literature, 1851) *February 17 – Annie Ryder Gracey , American author and missionary (born 1836 in literature, 1836) *March 4 – Mrs. Henry Clarke (Amy Key), English historical novelist and children's writer (born 1853 in literature, 1853) *March 11 – Edmondo De Amicis, Italian novelist (born 1846 in literature, 1846) *March 12 – Susan Marr Spalding, American poet (born 1841 in literature, 1841) *March 19 – Eduard Zeller, German philosopher (born 1814 in literature, 1814) *March 25 – Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov, Russian poet, dramatist and critic (born 1821 in literature, 1821) *March 29 **Eliza Trask Hill, American journalist and activist (born 1840 in literature, 1840) **Esther Pugh, American editor and publisher (born 1834 in literature, 1834) *April 20 – Henry Chadwick (writer), Henry Chadwick, English-born American baseball writer and historian (born 1824 in literature, 1824) *May 7 – Ludovic Halévy, French playwright and author (born 1834 in literature, 1834) *May 23 – François Coppée, French author, ''le poète des humbles'' (born 1842 in literature, 1842) *June 5 – Jonas Lie (writer), Jonas Lie, Norwegian writer (born 1844 in literature, 1944) *June 16 – Mary Elizabeth Hawker, Scottish-born English fiction writer (born 1848 in literature, 1848) *June 20 – Eleanor Kirk, American author, publisher (born 1831 in literature, 1831) *July 3 – Joel Chandler Harris, American journalist and author (born 1848 in literature, 1848) *July 28 – Otto Pfleiderer, German theologian (born 1839 in literature, 1839) *July 29 – Estelle M. H. Merrill, American journalist and editor (born 1858 in literature, 1858) *August 4 – Bronson Howard, American dramatist (born 1842 in literature, 1842) *August 10 – Louise Chandler Moulton, American author and critic (born 1835 in literature, 1835) *August 14 – Anton Giulio Barrili, Italian novelist (born 1836 in literature, 1836) *September 29 –

, Brazilian writer (born 1839 in literature, 1839) *November 1 – Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney, American educator, poet, author, and editor (born 1823 in literature, 1823) *November 8 :*Josephine E. Keating, American literary critic and musician (born 1838 in literature, 1838) :*Victorien Sardou, French dramatist (born 1831 in literature, 1831) *December 5 – Mary H. Graves, American minister, literary editor, writer (born 1839 in literature, 1839)

Awards

*Nobel Prize for Literature: Rudolf Christoph Eucken *Newdigate Prize: Julian Huxley, "Holyrood"

References

1908 books, Years of the 20th century in literature {{DEFAULTSORT:1908 In Literature