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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
Flaubert, Gustave
1821 - 1880
The French author Gustave Flaubert, the son of a prominent surgeon, grew up in Rouen. Both his parents were atheists, and,...
Further reading
Soyinka, Wole
1934 -
Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka (Wole Soyinka) was born in Abeokuta, West Nigeria, during British colonial rule. His father was...
Further reading
Akhmatova, Anna
1889 - 1966
The Russian poet Anna Akhmatova was born as Anna Andreyevna Gorenko in Odessa, but she spent most of her childhood in...
Further reading
Franzen, Jonathan
1959 -
The American author and essayist Jonathan Franzen was born in Western Springs, Illinois, but grew up in Webster Groves, a...
Further reading