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It is 152 years today since Bertrand Russell was born.
The British philosopher and author Bertrand Arthur William Russel was born in Trelleck, Monmouthshire, Wales, to an aristocratic family that included the former Prime Minister Lord John Russell. His parents were liberal and advocated, among other things, the emancipation of women. Although his godfather was John Stuart Mill, the boy was brought up by his Presbyterian grandmother after he was...
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It is 80 years today since W.G. Sebald was born.
Winfried Georg (W.G.) Sebald was born near the end of the Second World War in the Bavarian mountain village of Wertach where his mother had moved to get away from the bombing of the town of Bamberg. His parents, Rosa and Georg, had three children. His father, an officer of the Wehrmacht who had participated in the invasion of Poland, was a prisoner of war until 1947, but mentioning the war was...
Sample of Authors
Mahfouz, Naguib
1911 - 2006
Naguib Mahfouz was born in Cairo as the youngest child of five boys and two girls. His family was of Muslim middle-class...
Further reading
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
1749 - 1832
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt am Main. His father, Johann Kaspar Goethe, who had left public service...
Further reading
Du Maurier, Daphne
1907 - 1989
The British novelist and playwright Daphne du Maurier was born in London to parents who were both prominent actors; her...
Further reading
Sartre, Jean-Paul
1905 - 1980
The French author and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre was born in Paris. His father, who was a naval officer, died when Sartre...
Further reading