10 Famous Poets Who Left an Indelible Mark on Literature
Influential poets Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost ... greatest poet of the 20th century in any language.” From Chile ...
writers
Despite these uncertainties, the two epics about the fall of Troy and subsequent events have influenced <anchor>writers</anchor> throughout history like J.R.R. Tolkien and James Joyce. The use of vivid similes and metaphors as well as the in media res narrative structure—beginning in the middle of the plot and flashing back to past events—are characteristics of Homer’s writings.
Famous Authors & Writers
Famous Authors & Writers

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# Famous Authors & Writers

## Famous Black Writers

[![black and white photo of langston hughes smiling past the foreground](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/1bbf7738-5ef4-417f-bb66-e44371e97826.jpg?crop=0.564xw:1.00xh;0.304xw,0&resize=480:*)\
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**10 Langston Hughes Poems That Capture the Heart of America** By Adrienne Donica](/authors-writers/langston-hughes-poems)

[![james baldwin](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/james-baldwin-photo-by-ted-thaithe-life-picture-collectiongetty-images.jpg?crop=0.655xw:0.965xh;0.120xw,0.0354xh&resize=270:*)\
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**10 Black Authors Who Shaped Literary History**](/authors-writers/a44075988/best-selling-black-authors) [![maya angelou gestures while speaking in a chair during an interview at her home in 1978](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-3205976.jpg?crop=0.607xw:0.883xh;0.313xw,0&resize=270:*)\
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**5 Crowning Achievements of Maya Angelou** By Biography.com Editors](/authors-writers/maya-angelou-achievements) [![writer and playwright lorraine hansberry poses for a portrait in her apartment at 337 bleecker street](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/lorraine-hansberry-gettyimages-1145085681.jpg?crop=0.564xw:1.00xh;0.163xw,0&resize=270:*)\
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**The Black Activism in Lorraine Hansberry's Plays**](/authors-writers/lorraine-hansberry-raisin-in-the-sun-summary-black-history) [![audre lorde lectures students at the atlantic center for the arts in new smyrna beach, florida next to a chalkboard that says women are powerful and dangerous](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/audre-lorde-gettyimages-129594565.jpg?crop=0.423xw:0.752xh;0.0433xw,0.0769xh&resize=270:*)\
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**15 Inspiring Audre Lorde Quotes**](/authors-writers/audre-lorde-quotes)

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[![cartoonist scott adams standing with cutout of dilbert comic strip character](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/scott-adams-cartoonist-and-author-and-creator-of-dilbert-news-photo-1677528446.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.332xh;0,0.0468xh&resize=980:*)\
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**What You Need to Know About “Dilbert” Cartoonist Scott Adams and His Latest Rant** \
\
The future of Scott Adams’ popular comic is cloudy after his racist remarks during a YouTube livestream caused widespread outrage.\
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By Tyler Piccotti](/authors-writers/a43100353/scott-adams-racist-rant)

## Novelists

[![Entertainment Weekly's PopFest LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Author Anne Rice signs books during Entertainment Weekly's PopFest at The Reef on October 29, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly)](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/anne-rice-gettyimages-619114616.jpg?crop=1xw:0.9994728518713759xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Anne Rice**](/authors-writers/anne-rice) [![Margaret Atwood Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor Margaret Atwood, Alba, Cuneo, Italy, October 2021. (Photo by Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images)](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/margaret-atwood-gettyimages-1344454517.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Margaret Atwood**](/authors-writers/margaret-atwood) [![octavia butler](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-81629740-copy.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**Octavia E. Butler**](/authors-writers/octavia-e-butler) [![John Grisham photo via Getty Images](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/john--grisham-GettyImages-185468826_1600.jpg?crop=1xw:0.9993753903810119xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**John Grisham**](/authors-writers/john-grisham)

## Poets

[![Robert Frost](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-82587359.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Robert Frost**](/authors-writers/robert-frost) [![Emily Dickinson](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-183950203.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Emily Dickinson**](/authors-writers/emily-dickinson) [![Lord Byron Photo](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/lord-byron-21124525-1-402.png?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Lord Byron**](/authors-writers/lord-byron) [![Joy Harjo, writer during 2005 Sundance Film Festival - "A Thousand Roads" Portraits at HP Portrait Studio in Park City, Utah, United States. (Photo by J. Vespa/WireImage)](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-109576729.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Joy Harjo**](/writer/joy-harjo)

## Playwrights

[![painting of william shakespeare](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/william-shakespeare-194895-1-402.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**William Shakespeare**](/authors-writers/william-shakespeare) [![Lin-Manuel Miranda Photo va Wikicommons](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/lin-manuel-miranda-macarthur-via-wikicommons_1000.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Lin-Manuel Miranda**](/actors/lin-manuel-miranda) [![arthur miller](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/arthur_miller_1975_alfred-eisenstaedtthe-life-picture-collectiongetty-images-72403296_resized.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**Arthur Miller**](/authors-writers/arthur-miller) [![august wilson](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1294933293.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**August Wilson**](/authors-writers/august-wilson)

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## All About Poe

![Play Icon](/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/play.db7c035.svg?primary=%2523ffffff)![preview for Edgar Allan Poe - Mini Biography](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vidthumb/6b063b6a-7e35-4a23-a456-87b2d3fc07fb/thumb_640x360_00002_1673369255_31822.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=1200:*)

[**Edgar Allan Poe - Mini Biography**](/authors-writers/edgar-allan-poe-mini-biography)

[![Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/closeups-of-very-old-book-by-edgar-a-poe-photo-by-herbert-gehrthe-life-picture-collectiongetty-images.jpg?crop=0.8078895463510848xw:1xh;center,top&resize=270:*)\
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**Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" in Popular Culture**](/authors-writers/edgar-allan-poe-the-raven-in-pop-culture-examples) [![Edgar Allan Poe](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/poeportrait-croppedjpg.jpg?crop=0.5625xw:1xh;center,top&resize=270:*)\
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**12 True Stories Behind Edgar Allan Poe’s Terror Tales**](/authors-writers/edgar-allan-poe-horror-stories-facts) [![a large headstone engraved with edgar allan poe and busts of the man](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-51697301.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.856xh;0,0&resize=270:*)\
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**Why Edgar Allan Poe’s Death Remains a Mystery** By Tyler Piccotti](/authors-writers/edgar-allan-poe-death) [![edgar allan poe](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/edgar-allen-poe_1920x1080_gettyimages-515381394.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=270:*)\
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**Edgar Allan Poe** By Biography.com Editors](/authors-writers/edgar-allan-poe)

[![Golden State Killer](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-953306094.jpg?crop=0.6666666666666666xw:1xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Inside Michelle McNamara's Obsessive Hunt for the Golden State Killer**](/crime/michelle-mcnamara-golden-state-killer) [![mark twain](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-517320104.jpg?crop=0.564xw:1.00xh;0.144xw,0&resize=360:*)\
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**How Mark Twain’s Childhood Influenced His Writing**](/authors-writers/mark-twain-early-life-facts) [![dr seuss drawing at his desk](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-526740680.jpg?crop=0.529xw:0.778xh;0.391xw,0.00236xh&resize=360:*)\
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**Dr. Seuss Wrote 'Green Eggs and Ham' on a Bet**](/authors-writers/dr-seuss-green-eggs-and-ham-bet) [![little women](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/little-women-g5x8t1.jpg?crop=0.514xw:0.915xh;0.240xw,0.0712xh&resize=360:*)\
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**Louisa May Alcott's Inspiration for 'Little Women'**](/movies-tv/meet-the-real-life-family-behind-little-women)

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## More Writers

[![charles dickens](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/charles-dickens.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**Charles Dickens**](/authors-writers/charles-dickens) [![Harper Lee](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-50358657.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Harper Lee**](/authors-writers/harper-lee) [![mary shelley](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/mary-shelley.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**Mary Shelley**](/authors-writers/mary-shelley) [![john steinbeck looks past the camera with a neutral expression on his face, he is wearing a light jacket and a dark shirt](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-613513778.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**John Steinbeck**](/authors-writers/john-steinbeck)

[![george orwell](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/george-orwell.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**George Orwell**](/authors-writers/george-orwell) [![William Golding](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-515175198.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**William Golding**](/writer/william-golding) [![Roald Dahl Photo By Tony Evans/Getty Images](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/roald_dahl_getty_images_tony_evans:getty_images_108874289_cropped.jpg?crop=1xw:0.9252483010977522xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Roald Dahl**](/authors-writers/roald-dahl) [![F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/f-scott-fitzgerald-9296261-1-402.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**F. Scott Fitzgerald**](/authors-writers/f-scott-fitzgerald)

[![Mark Twain](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/mark-twain-and-ulysses-s-grant.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Mark Twain**](/authors-writers/mark-twain) [![Ida Tarbell](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-530840612.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Ida Tarbell**](/authors-writers/ida-tarbell) [![J.K. Rowling](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1061157246.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**J.K. Rowling**](/authors-writers/jk-rowling) [![Ida B. Wells](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/ida-b-wells-2-sized.jpg?crop=1xw:1.0xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Ida B. Wells**](/authors-writers/ida-b-wells)

[![an engraving of william shakespeare in a green and red suit and looking ahead for a portrait](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/shakespeare-william-english-writer-engraving-by-william-news-photo-1712593026.jpg?crop=0.799xw:0.620xh;0.0556xw,0.141xh&resize=360:*)\
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**A Huge Shakespeare Mystery, Solved**](/authors-writers/a60430510/william-shakespeare-family-document-discovered-mystery) [![painting showing william shakespeare sitting at a desk with his head resting on his left hand and holding a quill pen](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/portrait-of-william-shakespeare-by-an-unknown-artist-news-photo-1711745312.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.729xh;0,0.0701xh&resize=360:*)\
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**How Did Shakespeare Die?**](/authors-writers/a60343606/how-did-shakespeare-die) [![William Shakespeare](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/shakespeare-gettyimages-51246880.jpg?crop=0.5625xw:1xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Shakespeare Wrote 3 Tragedies in Turbulent Times**](/authors-writers/shakespeare-tragedies-macbeth-king-lear-antony-cleopatra-plague) [![William Shakespeare](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/william-shakespeare-1564---1616-at-work-in-his-study-original-artist-by-a-h-payne-photo-by-edward-gooch-collection_getty-images.jpg?crop=0.5625xw:1xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**The Mystery of Shakespeare's Life and Death**](/authors-writers/william-shakespeare-life-mystery)

[![Shakespeare reading Hamlet to his family](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-51243612.jpg?crop=0.6457157516675218xw:1xh;center,top&resize=360:*)\
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**Was Shakespeare the Real Author of His Plays?**](/authors-writers/shakespeare-real-author-theories) [![a book opened to its title page that includes a drawn portrait of william shakespeare on the left side and additional details about the book, including its name, on the right side](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/antique-dealers-fair-a-copy-of-the-third-folio-edition-of-shakespeare-printed-in-1664-photo-by--hulton-deutsch-collection_corbis_corbis-via-getty-images.jpg?crop=0.465xw:0.980xh;0.101xw,0.0169xh&resize=360:*)\
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**20 Shakespeare Quotes**](/authors-writers/shakespeares-most-famous-quotes) [![william shakespeare study guide](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/shakespeare-study-guide-66c4f6bbb305c.png?crop=0.606xw:0.949xh;0.140xw,0.0510xh&resize=360:*)\
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**The Ultimate William Shakespeare Study Guide**](/authors-writers/a61623299/william-shakespeare-study-guide) [![author suzanne collins smiling](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/suzanne-collins-arrives-at-the-the-hunger-games-the-ballad-news-photo-1717697944.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.728xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**Suzanne Collins**](/authors-writers/suzanne-collins)

[![alice munro smiles at the camera, she wears a black headband and a striped suit jacket](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-183933062.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**Alice Munro**](/authors-writers/alice-munro) [![anne frank looks at the camera, she wears a dark sweater over a light colored collared shirt](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/anne-frank---photo-by-adn-bildarchivullstein-bild-via-getty-images.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**Anne Frank**](/authors-writers/anne-frank) [![agatha christie looks at the camera as she leans her head against on hand, she wears a dark top and rings on her fingers](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-517399194.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*)\
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**Agatha Christie**](/authors-writers/agatha-christie) [![truman capote sits in a highbacked wicked chair and looks at the camera as he rests his head on one hand, he wears a sweater over a collared shirt and slacks](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/pensive-portrait-of-author-and-playwright-truman-capote-new-news-photo-1710174120.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.829xh;0,0.0820xh&resize=360:*)\
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**9 Surprising Facts About Truman Capote**](/authors-writers/g60164193/truman-capote-fun-facts)

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