2009 in Literature - Deaths

Deaths

  • January 1 – Johannes Mario Simmel, 84, Austrian novelist and screenwriter
  • January 27 – John Updike, 76, American novelist (Rabbit series)
  • February 20 – Christopher Nolan, 43, Irish poet and author (choking)
  • February 25 – Philip José Farmer, 91, American science fiction writer
  • March 13 – James Purdy, 94, American novelist, poet and playwright
  • March 31
    • Jarl Alfredius, 66, Swedish journalist
    • Michael Cox, 60, British novelist and biographer
  • April 14 – Maurice Druon, 90, French historical novelist
  • April 19 – J. G. Ballard, 78, British novelist
  • May 6 – Lev Losev, 71, Russian-American poet
  • May 17 – Mario Benedetti, 88, Uruguayan writer
  • June 2 – David Eddings, 77, American novelist
  • July 6 – Vasily Aksyonov, 76, Russian novelist
  • July 19 – Frank McCourt, 78, Irish-American memoirist and Pulitzer Prize winner
  • July 23 – E. Lynn Harris, 54, African-American novelist (heart disease)
  • July 25 – Stanley Middleton, 89, British novelist
  • July 27
    • Aeronwy Thomas, 66, British translator and writer
    • Michaël Zeeman, 50, Dutch literary critic, poet and writer
  • July 31 – Tim Guest, 34, British writer
  • August 2 – Adolf Endler, 78, German writer
  • August 4 – Blake Snyder, 51, American screenwriter and author
  • August 5 – Budd Schulberg, 95, American screenwriter and novelist
  • August 6
    • Jack T. Kirby, 70, American historian
    • Willibrordus S. Rendra, 73, Indonesian poet
  • August 7 – Danko Popović, 81, Serbian writer
  • August 8 – Alfonso Calderón, 78, Chilean writer and poet
  • August 9 – Thierry Jonquet, 55, French writer
  • August 10
    • Josef Burg, 97, Ukrainian Yiddish writer
    • Merlyn Mantle, 77, American author
  • August 16 – Alistair Campbell, 84, New Zealand poet
  • August 18
    • Dic Jones, 75, Welsh poet
    • Hugo Loetscher, 79, Swiss author
    • Fernanda Pivano, 92, Italian writer
  • August 19 – Donald M. Grant, 82, American science fiction publisher
  • August 20 – Karla Kuskin, 77, American children's author
  • August 22 – Elmer Kelton, 83, American Western novelist
  • August 25
    • Bob Carroll, 73, American historian and author
    • Sergey Mikhalkov, 96, Russian writer and poet
  • September 3 – Christine D'Haen, 85, Belgian poet
  • September 4 – Keith Waterhouse, 80, British author and playwright
  • September 6
    • Catherine Gaskin, 80, Irish-born Australian novelist
    • Nada Iveljić, 79, Croatian writer
  • September 10 – Lyn Hamilton, 65, Canadian author
  • September 11 – Jim Carroll, 60, American author
  • September 12
    • William Hoffman, 84, American novelist
    • Antônio Olinto, 90, Brazilian writer
  • September 13 – Sarah E. Wright, 80, American novelist
  • September 15 – Trevor Rhone, 69, Jamaican playwright
  • September 19 – Milton Meltzer, 94, American historian and author
  • September 21 – Junzo Shono, 88, Japanese author
  • September 22 – Kole Čašule, 88, Macedonian essayist, dramatist and short story writer
  • September 24 – Nelly Arcan, 35, Canadian novelist (suicide by hanging)
  • September 25 – Willy Breinholst, 91, Danish author
  • October 1
    • Otar Chiladze, 76, Georgian writer
    • Cintio Vitier, 88, Cuban poet
  • October 4 – Veikko Huovinen, 82, Finnish writer
  • November 29 – Robert Holdstock, 61, British writer
  • November 30 – Milorad Pavić, 80, Serbian writer
  • December 5 – William Lederer, 97, American author
  • December 7
    • Carlene Hatcher Polite, 77, American novelist
    • Pyotr Vail, 60, Russian essayist and journalist
  • December 15 – Courtlandt Bryan, 73, American author
  • December 19 – Loren Singer, 86, American novelist
  • December 20 – Vera Rich, 73, British poet, journalist
  • December 23 – Grigory Baklanov, 86, Russian novelist
  • December 25
    • Vrindavanam Venugopalan, 74, Indian journalist
    • Rachel Wetzsteon, 42, American poet (suicide)
  • December 26
    • Dennis Brutus, 85, South African poet
    • Norval White, 83, American author

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Famous quotes containing the word deaths:

    “On almost the incendiary eve
    Of deaths and entrances ...”
    —Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)

    “There is the guilt all soldiers feel for having broken the taboo against killing, a guilt as old as war itself. Add to this the soldier’s sense of shame for having fought in actions that resulted, indirectly or directly, in the deaths of civilians. Then pile on top of that an attitude of social opprobrium, an attitude that made the fighting man feel personally morally responsible for the war, and you get your proverbial walking time bomb.”
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    “As deaths have accumulated I have begun to think of life and death as a set of balance scales. When one is young, the scale is heavily tipped toward the living. With the first death, the first consciousness of death, the counter scale begins to fall. Death by death, the scales shift weight until what was unthinkable becomes merely a matter of gravity and the fall into death becomes an easy step.”
    —Alison Hawthorne Deming (b. 1946)