Writers with August Birthdays

            James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924. The author of over twenty works of fiction and non-fiction, Baldwin received numerous accolades, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Grant. He was one of the most widely read African American authors in the twentieth century. He died in 1987. Some of his best known works include Another Country; Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone, and Go Tell It on the Mountain.

            P.D. James was born on August 3, 1920. A British mystery writer whose works are in the classic style with modern elements, focusing on psychological and social issues. Her most famous character is Adam Dalgliesh. Her most recent books were The Private Patient, the final Dalgliesh novel, and Death Comes to Pemberley, a murder mystery featuring the characters from Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. James died in 2014.

            Suzanne Collins was born on August 10, 1962. She began her career by writing for children’s television shows, including several on the Nickelodeon network. Her first effort at writing children’s books was the creation of The Underland Chronicles, a five-part fantasy/war series. This was followed by The Hunger Game Trilogy, a young adult series whose three novels The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay have been published in several formats including film.

            Steve Martin was born on August 14, 1945. This actor/comedian began his writing career with a play and pieces for The New Yorker Magazine, followed by novellas Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company, and the novel An Object of Beauty.

            Danielle Steel was born on August 14, 1947. She is well-known for generating over ninety works of fiction on a regular basis, many of them best sellers, since the early 1980s. Several of her books have been adapted for television and motion pictures. Her most recent books include Country, Prodigal Son, and Pegasus.