2010 in literature
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This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2010.


Events

*February – The Wheeler Centre, Australia's "literary hub", is officially opened. * April 3 – The
Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...
iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, ...
electronic book-reading device is released. *
April 12 Events Pre-1600 * 240 – Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I. * 467 – Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 627 – King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to ...
– The little-known U.S. author Paul Harding wins the
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published durin ...
for his
debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
'' Tinkers'' (
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
) published by the tiny Bellevue Literary Press. * June 24
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, gra ...
becomes the first author to win both the Carnegie Medal and the Newbery Medal for the same book — '' The Graveyard Book''. *
July 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. * 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Ste ...
Stieg Larsson Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson (, ; 15 August 1954 – 9 November 2004) was a Swedish writer, journalist, and activist. He is best known for writing the Millennium (novel series), ''Millennium'' trilogy of crime novels, which were published p ...
's ''
Millennium Trilogy ''Millennium'' is a series of best-selling and award-winning Swedish crime novels, created by journalist Stieg Larsson. The two primary characters in the saga are Lisbeth Salander, an asocial computer hacker with a photographic memory, and Mika ...
'' becomes an international sensation, with a total of 27 million copies sold worldwide as of May 2010. On July 27 Amazon says that Larsson is the first author to sell more than 1 million Kindle e-books.Stephen Lowman, "Book World", page 12, December 12, 2010, ''The Washington Post''. *
August 13 Events Pre-1600 * 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. * 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. * 554 &ndas ...
– ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' magazine puts
Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel ''The Corrections'', a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Pri ...
on its cover for his novel ''
Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving one ...
'', the first time an author has appeared there since 2000 with
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 ...
. * October 7 – The 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to
Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...
for "his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat". * October 12Howard Jacobson wins the
Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...
for ''
The Finkler Question ''The Finkler Question'' is a 2010 novel written by British author Howard Jacobson. The novel won the Booker Prize. Plot synopsis Julian Treslove, a professionally unspectacular former BBC radio producer, and Sam Finkler, a popular Jewish philos ...
'' *
November 9 Events Pre-1600 * 694 – At the Seventeenth Council of Toledo, Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims, sentencing all Jews to slavery. * 1277 – The Treaty of Aberconwy, a humiliating settleme ...
Johanna Skibsrud wins the Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel '' The Sentimentalists''. * November 16 – The
2010 Governor General's Awards The shortlisted nominees for the 2010 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 13, and winning titles were announced on November 16.Dianne Warren for English fiction,
Kim Thúy Kim Thúy Ly Thanh, CQ (born 1968 in Saigon, South Vietnam)
for French fiction, Richard Greene for poetry and
Robert Chafe Robert Chafe (born 1971)
''Waterfront Views: Contemporary Writing of Atlantic Canada''.
is a
for drama. *November – '' Mark Twain's Autobiography'' is published (officially) 100 years after the author's death, the delay Twain ordered himself. Unofficial copies have been published several times in the 20th century. * December 31Book censorship in the Republic of Ireland by the state temporarily ends, the 12-year limit on the most recent ban having expired. However, the law remains on the statute book and is later used again. *''unknown date'' – Orlando Figes posts pseudonymous reviews on the UK site of bookseller Amazon.com criticising books by two other British historians of Russia, Robert Service and Rachel Polonsky, whilst praising his own books among others.


New books


Fiction

* Jokha al-Harthi – ''Sayidat al-Qamar'' (Ladies of the Moon, translated as ''Celestial Bodies'') *
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 ' ...
– ''
The Pregnant Widow ''The Pregnant Widow'' is a novel by the English writer Martin Amis, published by Jonathan Cape on 4 February 2010.
'' (February 4) *
Paul Auster Paul Benjamin Auster (born February 3, 1947) is an American writer and film director. His notable works include ''The New York Trilogy'' (1987), '' Moon Palace'' (1989), ''The Music of Chance'' (1990), '' The Book of Illusions'' (2002), '' The B ...
– '' Sunset Park'' (November 9) *
Paolo Bacigalupi Paolo Tadini Bacigalupi (born August 6, 1972) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He has won the Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell, Compton Crook, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael L. Printz awards, and has been nominated for the ...
– '' Ship Breaker'' (May 1) * Brunonia Barry – '' The Map of True Places'' *
Robert Jackson Bennett Robert Jackson Bennett (born 1984) is an American writer of speculative fiction. Early life and education Robert Jackson Bennett was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He graduated from the University of Texas with special honors in English in 2005 ...
– '' Mr. Shivers'' * Xurxo Borrazás – ''Covalladas. Prosa vertical'' * Peter Carey – ''
Parrot and Olivier in America ''Parrot and Olivier in America'' is a novel by Australian writer Peter Carey. It was on the shortlist of six books for the 2010 Man Booker Prize. It was also a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award. The book, according to its publisher, ...
'' (April 20) * Eddie Chuculate – ''Cheyenne Madonna'' (June 20) * Robert Coover – ''Noir'' (March 4) *
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 ...
– ''
By Nightfall ''By Nightfall'' is the sixth novel by Pulitzer Prize winning American author 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 w ...
'' (September 28) * Don DeLillo – ''
Point Omega ''Point Omega'' is a short novel by the American author Don DeLillo that was published in hardcover by Scribner's on February 2, 2010. It is DeLillo's fifteenth novel published under his own name and his first published work of fiction since his ...
'' (February 2) * Jennifer Egan – '' A Visit from the Goon Squad'' (June 15) *
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 ...
– '' Imperial Bedrooms'' (June 15) * Joshua Ferris – '' The Unnamed'' (January 18) * Aminatta Forna – '' The Memory of Love'' *
Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel ''The Corrections'', a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Pri ...
– ''
Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving one ...
'' (August 31) * Cornelia Funke – '' Reckless'' * Matthew Gallaway – '' The Metropolis Case'' (November 8) * Seth Grahame-Smith – '' Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter'' * Sara Gruen – '' Ape House'' (September 7) * Margaret Peterson Haddix – '' Into the Gauntlet'' (August 31) * Michel Houellebecq – '' The Map and the Territory'' (''La Carte et le territoire'', September 4) *
Rabee Jaber Rabee Jaber ( ar, ربيع جابر; born 1972) is a Lebanese novelist and journalist, born in Beirut, Lebanon. Life Jaber studied Physics at the American University of Beirut (AUB). He is also editor of ''Afaaq'' (in Arabic آفاق meaning ...
– دروز بلغراد (''Duruz Bilghrad: Hikayat Hanna Yaqub'', The Druze of Belgrade: the history of Hanna Yaqub) * Howard Jacobson – ''
The Finkler Question ''The Finkler Question'' is a 2010 novel written by British author Howard Jacobson. The novel won the Booker Prize. Plot synopsis Julian Treslove, a professionally unspectacular former BBC radio producer, and Sam Finkler, a popular Jewish philos ...
'' (October 12) * Anjali Joseph – ''
Saraswati Park ''Saraswati Park'' is a 2010 drama novel written by Anjali Joseph. Set in Mumbai, the book follows the story of Mohan Karekar, a pensive letter-writer living in the fictional housing complex of Saraswati Park. When his gay nephew, Ashish, move ...
'' (July 8) *
Stacey Kade Stacey Kade (also known as Stacey Klemstein and S.A. Barnes) is an American author from Chicago, Illinois. Career Kade is the author of '' The Ghost and The Goth'', ''Queen of The Dead'', and ''Body & Soul''. In 2011 her book ''Queen of The Dea ...
– '' The Ghost and The Goth'' (July 6) *
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 ...
**'' Blockade Billy'' (April 20) **''
Full Dark, No Stars ''Full Dark, No Stars'', published in November 2010, is a collection of four novellas by American author Stephen King, all dealing with the theme of retribution. One of the novellas, ''1922'', is set in Hemingford Home, Nebraska, which is the h ...
'' (November 9) *Sca-Ji – Wonderful Everyday (''Subarashiki Hibi'') * Nicole Krauss – '' Great House'' (October 12) *
Stieg Larsson Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson (, ; 15 August 1954 – 9 November 2004) was a Swedish writer, journalist, and activist. He is best known for writing the Millennium (novel series), ''Millennium'' trilogy of crime novels, which were published p ...
– ''
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest ''The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest'' (original title in sv, Luftslottet som sprängdes, lit=The castle in the air that blew up) is the third novel in the best-selling ''Millennium'' series by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson.; It was pub ...
'' (May 10) *
John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British and Irish author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. ...
– '' Our Kind of Traitor'' (October 12) * Dennis Lehane – '' Moonlight Mile'' (November 2) * Tao Lin – '' Richard Yates'' (September 7) *
Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan, (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of th ...
– '' Solar'' (March 30) * Jon McGregor – ''
Even the Dogs ''Even the Dogs'' is British author Jon McGregor's third novel. First published in 2010, the novel focuses on drug addiction, alcoholism, homelessness, and dereliction. ''The Irish Times'' literary critic Eileen Battersby called it a "magnificen ...
'' * Yann Martel – ''
Beatrice and Virgil ''Beatrice and Virgil'' is Canadian writer Yann Martel's third novel. First published in April 2010, it contains an allegorical tale about representations of the Holocaust. It tells the story of Henry, a novelist, who receives the manuscript of ...
'' (April 6) *
Maaza Mengiste Maaza Mengiste (born 1974) is an Ethiopian-American writer. Her novels include ''Beneath the Lion's Gaze'' (2010) and '' The Shadow King'' (2019), which was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Early life Mengiste was born in Addis Ababa, Ethi ...
– ''
Beneath the Lion's Gaze ''Beneath the Lion's Gaze'' is a 2010 novel by Ethiopian-American writer Maaza Mengiste. It describes a family in Addis Ababa in 1974, living through the transition from emperor Haile Selassie to rule by the Derg. Favorably reviewed, ''Beneath ...
'' (January) *Davud Michie - '' The Magician of Lhasa'' * David Mitchell – ''
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet ''The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet'' is an historical fiction novel by British author David Mitchell published by Sceptre in 2010. It is set during the Dutch trading concession with Japan in the late 18th-century, during the period of Jap ...
'' (June 29) *
Martin Mosebach Martin Mosebach (born 31 July 1951, in Frankfurt am Main) is a German writer. Biography He has published novels, stories, and collections of poems, written scripts for several films, opera libretti, theatre and radio plays. His first major non ...
– '' What Was Before'' *Anirban Mukherjee – '' Love, A Rather Bad Idea'' * Ben Myers – '' Richard: A Novel'' (October 1) *
Chuck Palahniuk Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk (; born February 21, 1962) is an American freelance journalist and novelist who describes his work as transgressional fiction. He has published 19 novels, three nonfiction books, two graphic novels, and two adu ...
– '' Tell All'' (May 4) *
Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''T ...
– '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'' (May 20) * Lincoln Peirce – '' Big Nate: In a Class by Himself'' (March 23) *
Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...
– ''
Nemesis In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view. Etymology The ...
'' (October 5) * Amy Sackville – '' The Still Point'' (February 4) * Ashwin Sanghi – '' Chanakya's Chant'' * David Sedaris – '' Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary'' (September 28) * Sarah Selecky – '' This Cake Is for the Party'' * Lola Shoneyin – ''The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives'' (May) * Saumil Shrivastava - '' A Roller Coaster Ride!'' * Gary Shteyngart – '' Super Sad True Love Story'' (July 27) *
Kim Thúy Kim Thúy Ly Thanh, CQ (born 1968 in Saigon, South Vietnam)
– '' Ru'' * Valerie Toranian – ''Pour en Finir avec la Femme'' (To Do Away with the Woman) *
Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...
– '' The Dream of the Celt (El sueño del celta)'' (November 3)


Children and young people

*
David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children and young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and one of three from the UK, to win the bie ...
**''
The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon ''The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon'' is a 2010 children's novel by David Almond, illustrated by Polly Dunbar. It is about a boy, Paul, who wants to touch the sky; he climbs a ladder to the Moon and goes inside. Reception A '' Booktrust'' review ...
'' **'' My Name is Mina'' **'' Slog's Dad'' * Swati Avasthi – '' Split'' *Chelsea M. Campbell – '' The Rise of Renegade X'' * Suzanne Collins – '' Mockingjay'' (August 24) * Diane Duane – '' A Wizard of Mars'' (April 12) * John Flanagan – ''
The Emperor of Nihon-Ja ''The Emperor of Nihon-Ja'' is the tenth installment of the ''Ranger's Apprentice'' book series by Australian author John Flanagan. The book was released in Australia on 1 November 2010, in New Zealand on 5 November 2010, and in the United St ...
'' (November 2010) *
Eva Ibbotson Eva Maria Charlotte Michelle Ibbotson (née Wiesner; born 21 January 1925 – 20 October 2010) was a British novelist born in Austria to a Jewish family who fled the Nazis. She is known for her children's literature. Some of her novels for adul ...
(died October 20) – ''One Dog and his Boy'' * Matthew J. Kirby – '' The Clockwork Three'' (October 1) *Stephen Krensky – '' Mother's Day Surprise'' *
Laura Leiner Laura Leiner (born 22 April 1985) is a Hungarian writer who made her publishing debut in 2005. Her most notable work is the series A Szent Johanna gimi (Joan of Arc High School), that she later clarified is fictitious and not based on her own ...
**''Szent Johanna gimi 1 – Kezdet'' (Start, first in the ''St. Joan High School'' series of seven books) **''Szent Johanna gimi 2 – Együtt'' (Together) **''Szent Johanna gimi 3 – Egyedül'' (Alone) *Pat Miller – '' Squirrel's New Year's Resolution'' * Robert Muchamore – '' Brigands M. C.'' (May 6) * Jim Murphy – '' THE CROSSING: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution'' *
Garth Nix Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the ''Old Kingdom'', '' Seventh Tower'' and '' Keys to the Kingdom'' series. He has frequently been asked if hi ...
– ''
Lord Sunday ''Lord Sunday'' is the seventh book concluding Garth Nix's ''The Keys to the Kingdom ''The Keys to the Kingdom'' is a fantasy–adventure book series written by Garth Nix, comprising seven books published between 2003 and 2010. The se ...
'' (February) * James Patterson – '' Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel'' (March 15) *
Jerry Pinkney Jerry Pinkney (December 22, 1939 – October 20, 2021) was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney illustrated over 100 books since 1964, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. Pinkney's works addresse ...
(adaption) – '' Three Little Kittens'' * Philip Reeve – '' A Web of Air'' (April 5) * Rick Riordan **''
The Lost Hero ''The Lost Hero'' is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was published on October 12, 2010, and is the first book in ''The Heroes of Olympus'' series, a sequel to the ''Percy Jacks ...
'' (October 12) **'' The Red Pyramid'' *
Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and ...
– '' Luka and the Fire of Life'' (November 16) * Clare Vanderpool – '' Moon Over Manifest'' (October 12) * Charlotte Voake – '' Ginger and the Mystery Visitor'' *
Kiersten White Kiersten White is an American author of fiction for children and young adults. Her first book, '' Paranormalcy'', was published by HarperCollins in 2009. Early life White was born in Utah in 1983 and graduated in 2004 from Brigham Young Univer ...
– ''
Paranormalcy ''Paranormalcy'' is a series of young adult urban fantasy novels by American author Kiersten White, beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name. The story focuses on a girl named Evie, a member of a special international police force assi ...
'' (August 31) * N.D. Wilson – '' The Chestnut King''


Drama

* Peter Handke – ''
Storm Still ''Storm Still'' () is a 2010 play by the Austrian writer Peter Handke. The narrator, with traces of Handke himself, looks back at the National Socialist era, when one Slovenian family in Carinthia collaborates with the Germans, while another oppose ...
'' * Sabrina Mahfouz – ''That Boy'' * Shahid Nadeem – ''Dara'' * Bruce Norris – '' Clybourne Park'' * Nina Raine – ''
Tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
'' *
Anya Reiss Anya Reiss (born in 1991) is a British playwright and screenwriter. Career The youngest writer to have a play staged in London, a graduate of the Royal Court's Young Writers Programme, she had her first play ''Spur of the Moment'' staged there ...
– '' Spur of the Moment'' *
Alexis Stamatis Alexis Stamatis (born in Athens, 1960) is a Greek novelist, playwright, and poet. Amongst other work, he has published sixteen novels, six books of poetry, and a number of plays. As of , he teaches creative writing at the Hellenic American Acad ...
– ''Dakrygona'' (Tear Gas) * Zlatko Topčić – '' I Don't Like Mondays'' * Laura Wade – ''
Posh Posh is an informal adjective for " upper class". It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Posh'' (album), a 1980 album by Patrice Rushen *" Posh!", a 1968 song from the musical ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' * ''Posh'' (2006 TV series), a 2006 Phili ...
'' *
David Williamson David Keith Williamson AO (born 24 February 1942) is an Australian dramatist and playwright. He has also written screenplays and teleplays. Early life David Williamson was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 24 February 1942, and was brought ...
– '' Let the Sunshine''


Poetry

*
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
– '' Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981)'' (October 26) ''See also 2010 in poetry.''


Science fiction and fantasy

* Jim Butcher – '' Changes'' (April 6) *
Amish Tripathi Amish Tripathi (born 18 October 1974) is an Indian author. He is known best for hiShiva Trilogyand Ram Chandra Series. Amish's books have sold over 6 million copies in the Indian subcontinent since 2010. Early life and education Amish Trip ...
– ''
The Immortals of Meluha ''The Immortals of Meluha'' is the first book of Amish Tripathi, first book of Amishverse, and also the first book of Shiva Trilogy. The story is set in the land of Meluha and starts with the arrival of the Shiva. The Meluhans believe that Sh ...
(February)


Non-fiction

* Linda Vero Ban – ''What Does It Mean To Be Jewish?'' *
Bill Bryson William McGuire Bryson (; born 8 December 1951) is an American–British journalist and author. Bryson has written a number of nonfiction books on topics including travel, the English language, and science. Born in the United States, he has b ...
– '' At Home: A Short History of Private Life'' (May 27) * George W. Bush – ''
Decision Points ''Decision Points'' is a memoir by former U.S. President George W. Bush. It was released on November 9, 2010, and the release was accompanied by national television appearances and a national tour. The book surpassed sales of two million copies ...
'' (November 9) *
Hans Fredrik Dahl Hans Fredrik Dahl (born 16 October 1939) is a Norwegian historian, journalist and media scholar, best known in the English-speaking world for his biography of Vidkun Quisling, a Nazi collaborationist and Minister President for Norway during the ...
(ed.) – ''
Norsk presses historie 1660–2010 ''Norsk presses historie 1660–2010'' is a four-volume work about the press media history of Norway. It was published in April 2010 by Universitetsforlaget, and was the first book of its kind in Norway. Structure and production Hans Fredrik Dahl ...
'' * Paul Drexler – '' In Search of My Father'' * Sam Harris – '' The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values'' (October 5) * Laura Hillenbrand – '' Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption'' (November 16) * Joel Kotkin – '' The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050'' * David Lipsky – '' Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself'' (April 13) *
Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
– '' The Way of Kazakhstan'' (May 18) *
Sergio Rubin Sergio Rubin is an Argentine journalist and writer. He is the authorized biographer of Pope Francis, and wrote his only biography available at the time of his election, in March 2013. He currently works at Argentine newspaper '' Clarín'' as a co ...
– ''
El jesuita ''Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio: His Life in His Own Words'' is a biography of Jorge Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis in 2013. Written by Sergio Rubin, it is the only biography of him that appeared before his election as Pope. ...
'' * Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman '' Not Without Hope'' (March 2) *Niki Segnit – '' The Flavour Thesaurus: Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook'' *
Jane Smiley Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel ''A Thousand Acres'' (1991). Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a su ...
– ''
The Man Who Invented The Computer ''The Man Who Invented the Computer'' is a 2010 historical biography by author Jane Smiley about American physicist John Vincent Atanasoff John Vincent Atanasoff, , (October 4, 1903 – June 15, 1995) was an American physicist and inventor f ...
'' (December) *
Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted '' The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts '' ...
– '' Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race'' (September 21) *
Darin Strauss Darin Strauss is a best-selling American writer whose work has earned a number of awards, including, among numerous others, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Strauss's 2011 book '' Half a Life,'' won the 2011 ...
– '' Half a Life'' (September 21) *
Edmund de Waal Edmund Arthur Lowndes de Waal, (born 10 September 1964) is a contemporary English artist, master potter and author. He is known for his large-scale installations of porcelain vessels often created in response to collections and archives or th ...
– ''
The Hare with Amber Eyes ''The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance'' (2010) is a family memoir by British ceramicist Edmund de Waal.
. A Hidden Inheritance'' * John Leigh Walters – '' A Very Capable Life''Faculty of Arts, November 10, 2010, Edna Staebler Award
, ''Wilfrid Laurier University'', Headlines (Campus Updates), Retrieved 11/16/2012
*
Alejandro Zambra Alejandro Andrés Zambra Infantas (Santiago, Chile, b. September 24, 1975) is a Chilean poet, short story writer and novelist. He has been recognized for his talent as a young Latin American writer, chosen in 2007 as one of the " Bogotá39" (the b ...
– ''No Leer'' (Not to Read)


Deaths

*
January 1 January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the ye ...
**
Bingo Gazingo Murray Wachs (June 2, 1924 – January 1, 2010), better known as Bingo Gazingo, was a poet from New York City, who was a postal worker for most of his career. Two versions, each also titled ''Bingo Gazingo'', were released of the only single-artist ...
, American performance poet (born
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
) ** Billy Arjan Singh, Indian author (born 1917) *
January 2 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. * 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire ...
Rajendra Keshavlal Shah, Indian poet (born 1913) *
January 3 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. * 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...
** Mary Daly, American feminist philosopher and theologian (born
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
) ** Isak Rogde, Norwegian translator (born
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
) *
January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engl ...
** Knox Burger, American editor, writer and agent (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) **
Hywel Teifi Edwards Hywel Teifi Edwards (15 October 1934 – 4 January 2010) was a Welsh academic and historian, a prominent Welsh nationalist, a broadcaster and an author in the Welsh language. He was the father of the BBC journalist Huw Edwards. ...
, Welsh historian and writer (born 1934) *
January 5 Events Pre-1600 * 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1601–1900 *1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French a ...
Bernard Le Nail, French writer and historian (born
1946 Events January * January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into four occupation zones. * January 10 ** The ...
) *
January 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will ...
George Leonard George Burr Leonard (August 9, 1923 – January 6, 2010) was an American writer, editor, and educator who wrote extensively about education and human potential. He served as President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute, past-president of the ...
, American writer and editor (born 1923) *
January 8 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying. * 871 – Æthelred I and Alfred the Great lead a West Saxon army to repel an inv ...
** Tony Halme, Finnish athlete, politician, writer and entertainer (born 1963) ** Slavka Maneva, Macedonian writer and poet (born 1934) *
January 9 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. *1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin ...
Laura Chapman Hruska, American writer and editor (born
1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
) *
January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muha ...
Miep Gies, Austrian-born Dutch biographer (born 1909) *
January 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. *1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 * 1639 – The " Fundamental Orders", the first written c ...
P. K. Page Patricia Kathleen Page, (23 November 1916 – 14 January 2010) was a British-born Canadian poet,Peter ScowenP.K. Page dies at age 93 '' The Globe and Mail'', 14 January 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010. though the citation as she was inducted as ...
, Canadian poet (born 1916) *
January 16 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. * 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Sp ...
Takumi Shibano (柴野拓美), Japanese novelist (born 1926) *
January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people ...
Erich Segal Erich Wolf Segal (June 16, 1937January 17, 2010) was an American author, screenwriter, educator, and classicist who wrote the bestselling novel ''Love Story'' (1970) and its hit film adaptation. Early life and education Born and raised in a J ...
, American author and academic (born
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into ...
) *
January 18 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later. * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail. *1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chin ...
Robert B. Parker, American detective writer (born
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
) *
January 19 Events Pre-1600 * 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. * 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender a ...
Vladimir Karpov, Soviet Russian writer (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *
January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. * 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom. * 1156 & ...
Abraham Sutzkever Abraham Sutzkever ( yi, אַבֿרהם סוצקעווער, Avrom Sutskever; he, אברהם סוצקבר; July 15, 1913 – January 20, 2010) was an acclaimed Yiddish poet. ''The New York Times'' wrote that Sutzkever was "the greatest poet o ...
, Polish-born Israeli poet (born 1913) *
January 21 Events Pre-1600 * 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. * 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when ...
Paul Quarrington Paul Lewis Quarrington (July 22, 1953 – January 21, 2010) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician and educator. Background Born in Toronto as the middle of three sons in the family of four of Bruce Quarrington,
, Canadian novelist (born
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugosl ...
) *
January 26 Events Pre-1600 * 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. * 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. * 1564 – The Council of T ...
Louis Auchincloss, American novelist (born 1917) *
January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to bec ...
** J. D. Salinger, American novelist (born 1919) **
Howard Zinn Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922January 27, 2010) was an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist thinker and World War II veteran. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a politica ...
, American historian (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *
January 31 Events Pre-1600 * 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades. *1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the ...
** Kage Baker, American science fiction and fantasy author (born 1952) ** Tomás Eloy Martínez, Argentine writer (born 1934) *
February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: ...
** Rosa Lobato de Faria, Portuguese writer (born
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
) **
Eustace Mullins Eustace Clarence Mullins Jr. (March 9, 1923 – February 2, 2010) was an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, propagandist, Holocaust denier, and writer. A disciple of the poet Ezra Pound, * * * * * * * * * * * * ...
, American writer, author and biographer (born 1923) *
February 5 Events Pre-1600 * 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy. * 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion. * 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...
Peter Calvocoressi, Pakistani-born English historian and publisher (born
1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...
) *
February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop. 1601–1900 * 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death ...
Robert Dana Robert Dana (June 2, 1929 – February 6, 2010) was an American poet, who taught writing and English literature at Cornell College and many other schools, revived ''The North American Review'' and served as its editor during the years 1964–196 ...
, American poet (born 1929) *
February 7 Events Pre-1600 * 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor. * 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II. *1301 &nda ...
William Tenn William Tenn was the pseudonym of Philip Klass (May 9, 1920 – February 7, 2010), a British-born American science fiction author, notable for many stories with satirical elements. Biography Born to a Jewish family in London, Phillip Klass ...
(Philip Klass), American science fiction writer (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *
February 8 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. * 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of ...
Wahei Tatematsu (立松和平), Japanese novelist (born
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
) *
February 10 Events Pre-1600 *1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end. * 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, sparki ...
H. V. F. Winstone Harry Victor Frederick Winstone FRGS (3 August 1926 – 10 February 2010), known as "Victor", was an English author and journalist, who specialised in Middle Eastern topics. He wrote biographies of several influential figures in the history of th ...
, English biographer and journalist (born 1926) *
February 11 Events Pre-1600 *660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. * 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
Colin Ward Colin Ward (14 August 1924 – 11 February 2010)
, English anarchist writer (born
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
) *
February 13 Events Pre-1600 * 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome. * 1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th. * 1462 – The ...
Lucille Clifton, American poet (born 1936) *
February 14 Events Pre-1600 * 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt. * 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis t ...
Dick Francis Richard Stanley Francis (31 October 1920 – 14 February 2010) was a British steeplechase jockey and crime writer whose novels centre on horse racing in England. After wartime service in the RAF, Francis became a full-time jump-jockey, winn ...
, Welsh novelist (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *
February 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. * 1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of K ...
Jim Harmon, American science fiction writer (born
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
) *
February 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau. * 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons ...
Arnold Beichman, American writer (born 1913) *
February 23 Events Pre-1600 * 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution. * 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of ...
– Mervyn Jones (writer), Mervyn Jones, English novelist and biographer (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *February 27 – Carlos Montemayor, Mexican writer (born
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
) *March 1 – Barry Hannah, American novelist and short story writer (born 1942 in literature, 1942) *March 3 – Momo Kapor, Serbian writer (born
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into ...
) *March 9 – Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo, São Tome poet (born 1926) *March 10 – Truddi Chase, American autobiographical author (born c. 1935) *March 11 – Matilde Elena López, Salvadoran poet, essayist and playwright (born 1919) *March 12 – Miguel Delibes, Spanish novelist (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *March 14 – Vinda Karandikar, Indian poet and writer in Marathi (born 1918 in literature, 1918) *March 15 **Joseph Galdon, Filipino priest, academic and writer (born
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
) **Patricia Wrightson, Australian children's writer (born 1921 in literature, 1921) *March 16 – Jane Sherman, American writer (born 1908 in literature, 1908) *March 17 – Sid Fleischman, American children's writer (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *March 18 – Amanda Castro, Honduran poet (born 1962 in literature, 1962) *March 20 – Ai (poet), Ai Ogawa, American poet (born
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
) *March 21 – Susana, Lady Walton, Argentine writer (born 1926) *March 24 – William Mayne, English children's novelist (born
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
) *March 28 – Zofia Romanowiczowa, Polish writer and translator (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *April 2 – Carolyn Rodgers, American poet (born 1940 in literature, 1940) *April 9 **Hisashi Inoue (井上 ひさし), Japanese novelist and playwright (born 1934) **Kerstin Thorvall, Swedish author, illustrator and journalist (born 1925 in literature, 1925) *April 14 – Erika Burkart, Swiss German-language author (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *April 16 – Carlos Franqui, Cuban writer and activist (born 1921 in literature, 1921) *April 20 – Myles Wilder, American television comedy writer (born
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
) *April 23 – Peter Porter (poet), Peter Porter, Australian-born British poet (born 1929) *April 25 – Alan Sillitoe, English novelist (born
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
) *April 28 **Evelyn Cunningham, American journalist (born 1916) **Stefania Grodzieńska, Polish writer and actress (born 1914 in literature, 1914) *May 1 – T. M. Aluko, Nigerian writer (born 1918 in literature, 1918) *May 3 **Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, Moroccan philosopher and writer (born
1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
) **Peter O'Donnell, English novelist (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *May 6 – Hoàng Cầm (poet), Hoàng Cầm, Vietnamese poet and playwright (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *May 7 **Rane Arroyo, American poet (cerebral hemorrhage, born 1954 in literature, 1954) **Anders Buraas, Norwegian journalist (born 1915 in literature, 1915) *May 12 – Allan Manings, American television writer (born
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
) *May 18 – Edoardo Sanguineti, Italian poet (born 1930 in literature, 1930) *June 1 – Andrei Voznesensky, Soviet-Russian poet (born
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
) *June 18 – José Saramago, Portuguese writer and Nobel Prize laureate (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *June 19 – Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer, critic and activist (born 1938 in literature, 1938) *July 2 – Beryl Bainbridge, English novelist (born
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
) *July 4 – Robert Neil Butler, American physician and author (born 1927 in literature, 1927) *July 9 – Jessica Anderson (writer), Jessica Anderson, Australian novelist and short story writer (born 1916) *July 12 – Harvey Pekar, American comic book writer (born 1939 in literature, 1939) *July 20 – Iris Gower, Welsh novelist (born 1935 in literature, 1939) *August 6 – Tony Judt, English historian (born 1948 in literature, 1948) *August 9 – Juan Marichal (historian), Juan Marichal, Spanish historian (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *August 10 – Marie de Garis, Guernsey ethnographer and philologist (born 1910 in literature, 1910) *August 12 – Laurence Gardner, English writer (born 1943 in literature, 1943) *
August 13 Events Pre-1600 * 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. * 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. * 554 &ndas ...
– Patrick Cauvin, French novelist (born
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
) *August 14 – Terje Stigen, Norwegian author (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *August 16 – Narayan Gangaram Surve, Indian poet (born 1926) *August 17 **Sir Frank Kermode, Manx people, Manx-born literary critic (born 1919) **Ludvík Kundera, Czech writer and translator (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) **Edwin Morgan (poet), Edwin Morgan, Scottish poet (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *August 18 – Efraim Sevela, Russian writer and screenwriter (born
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
) *August 20 – David J. Weber, American historian and author (born 1940 in literature, 1940) *August 21 – Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill, Argentine writer (born 1941 in literature, 1941) *August 27 **George Hitchcock (poet), George Hitchcock, American poet (born 1914 in literature, 1914) **Ravindra Kelekar, Indian author and poet (born 1925 in literature, 1925) *August 29 – A. C. Baantjer, Dutch author (born 1923) *August 31 – Vance Bourjaily, American novelist, playwright and essayist (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *September 3 – Micky Burn, English writer and poet (born
1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...
) *September 5 **Elizabeth Jenkins (author), Elizabeth Jenkins, English author (born 1905 in literature, 1905) **Lewis Nkosi, South African writer (born 1936) *September 7 – Barbara Holland, American author (born
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
) *September 10 – Edwin Charles Tubb, English science fiction author (born 1919) *September 11 – Fathi Osman, Egyptian author (born
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
) *September 12 – Judith Merkle Riley, American author (born 1942 in literature, 1942) *September 18 – James Bacon (author), James Bacon, American author (born 1914 in literature, 1914) *September 20 – Jennifer Rardin, American author (born 1965 in literature, 1965) *September 24 – Gilda O'Neill, English novelist and historian (born 1951 in literature, 1951) *September 29 – Clifford B. Hicks, American writer and editor (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *October 1 – Mikhail Roshchin, Russian playwright (born
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
) *October 4 – Henrique de Senna Fernandes, Macanese author (born 1923) *October 5 **Alba Bouwer, South African writer in Afrikaans (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) **Bernard Clavel, French writer (born 1923) *October 11 – Claire Rayner, English author (born 1931 in literature, 1931) * October 12 – Belva Plain, American novelist (born 1915 in literature, 1915) *October 13 – Donald H. Tuck, Australian science fiction bibliographer (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *October 20 **
Eva Ibbotson Eva Maria Charlotte Michelle Ibbotson (née Wiesner; born 21 January 1925 – 20 October 2010) was a British novelist born in Austria to a Jewish family who fled the Nazis. She is known for her children's literature. Some of her novels for adul ...
, Austrian-born English novelist (born 1925 in literature, 1925) **Robert Katz, American writer (born
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
) **Julian Roberts, English scholar and librarian (born 1930 in literature, 1930) *October 21 – A. Ayyappan, Indian poet in Malayalam (born 1945 in literature, 1945) *October 22 – Alí Chumacero, Mexican writer and poet (born 1918 in literature, 1918) *October 23 – George Cain, American author (born 1943 in literature, 1943) *October 24 – Joseph Stein, American playwright (born
1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...
) *October 25 – Vesna Parun, Croatian poet (born
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...
) *October 29 – Bärbel Mohr, German author (born 1964 in literature, 1964) *October 30 – Harry Mulisch, Dutch writer (born 1927 in literature, 1927) *November 1 – Monica Johnson, American novelist (born
1946 Events January * January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into four occupation zones. * January 10 ** The ...
) *November 3 – P. Lal, Indian writer (born 1929) *November 4 – Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta, Filipino poet (born
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
) *November 5 – Adrian Păunescu, Romanian author and poet (born 1943 in literature, 1943) *November 8 **Philip Carlo, American crime author (born 1949 in literature, 1949) **George Solomos, American poet and writer (born 1925 in literature, 1925) *
November 9 Events Pre-1600 * 694 – At the Seventeenth Council of Toledo, Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims, sentencing all Jews to slavery. * 1277 – The Treaty of Aberconwy, a humiliating settleme ...
– Ektor Kaknavatos, Greek poet (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *November 11 – Carlos Edmundo de Ory, Spanish poet (born 1923) *November 15 **Edmond Amran El Maleh, Moroccan writer (born 1917) **Hugh Prather, American self-help author (born 1938 in literature, 1938) * November 16 – Ragnhild Magerøy, Norwegian writer (born
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
) *November 21 – Norris Church Mailer, American author (born 1949 in literature, 1949) *November 25 **Alfred Balk, American journalist and author (born 1930 in literature, 1930) **Yaroslav Pavulyak, Ukrainian poet (born 1948 in literature, 1948) *November 29 – Bella Akhmadulina, Russian poet (born
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into ...
) *December 5 **David French (playwright), David French, Canadian playwright (born 1939 in literature, 1939) **Heda Margolius Kovály, Czech author (born 1919) *December 6 – Martin Russ, American author (born 1931 in literature, 1931) *December 7 – Elizabeth Edwards, American author (born 1949 in literature, 1949) *December 9 – Meirion Pennar, Welsh poet and academic, son of Pennar Davies (born 1944 in literature, 1944) *December 14 – Ruth Park, New Zealand children's writer (born 1917) *December 16 – A. T. Q. Stewart, Northern Irish historian and academic (born 1929) *December 20 – Brian Hanrahan, English journalist (born 1949 in literature, 1949) *December 24 – Elisabeth Beresford, French-born English children's writer (born 1926)


Awards

*Nobel Prize in Literature: to
Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...


Australia

*Miles Franklin Award: Peter Temple, ''Truth (novel), Truth''


Canada

*Dayne Ogilvie Prize: Main award, Nancy Jo Cullen; honours of distinction, Lisa Foad, George K. Ilsley. *Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction: John Leigh Walters, '' A Very Capable Life'' *Governor General's Awards: Multiple categories; see
2010 Governor General's Awards The shortlisted nominees for the 2010 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 13, and winning titles were announced on November 16.Scotiabank Giller Prize: Johanna Skibsrud, ''The Sentimentalists'' *Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award: Miriam Toews


Sweden

*Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award: Kitty CrowtherHahn 2015, p. 653


United Kingdom

*Caine Prize for African Writing: Olufemi Terry, "Stickfighting Days" *
Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...
: Howard Jacobson, ''
The Finkler Question ''The Finkler Question'' is a 2010 novel written by British author Howard Jacobson. The novel won the Booker Prize. Plot synopsis Julian Treslove, a professionally unspectacular former BBC radio producer, and Sam Finkler, a popular Jewish philos ...
'' *Orange Prize for Fiction: Barbara Kingsolver, ''The Lacuna'' *Walter Scott Prize (first award): Hilary Mantel, ''Wolf Hall''


United States

*American Academy of Arts and Letters: Steve Erickson *Lambda Literary Awards: Multiple categories; see 2010 Lambda Literary Awards. *National Book Award for Fiction: to ''Lord of Misrule (novel), Lord of Misrule'' by Jaimy Gordon *National Book Critics Circle Award: to A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan *PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: to War Dances by Sherman Alexie *
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published durin ...
: to Tinkers by Paul Harding *Whiting Awards: Fiction: Michael Dahlie, Rattawut Lapcharoensap, Lydia Peelle; Nonfiction: Elif Batuman, Amy Leach (writer), Amy Leach, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh; Plays: David Adjmi; Poetry: Matt Donovan (poet), Matt Donovan, Jane Springer, L.B. Thompson


Other

*Camões Prize: Ferreira Gullar *European Book Prize: Sofi Oksanen, ''Purge (novel), Purge'' and Roberto Saviano, ''Beauty and the Inferno'' *International Dublin Literary Award: Gerbrand Bakker (novelist), Gerbrand Bakker, ''The Twin (novel), The Twin'' *International Prize for Arabic Fiction: Abdo Khal, ''She Throws Sparks'' *Petrarca-Preis: Pierre Michon, ''for his body of work'' *SAARC Literary Award: Abhi Subedi, Hamid Mir, Mark Tully, Ju (writer), Ju


References


See also

*List of literary awards *List of poetry awards *2010 in Australian literature {{Year in literature article categories 2010 in literature, 2010 in literature 2010 books, 2010 books Years of the 21st century in literature