Norman Manea (born July 19, 1936) Romanian novelist, essayist
Read about Norman Manea's memoir The Hooligan's Return
Watch Norman Manea talk about the world
here
Garth Nix (born July 19, 1963) Australian fantasy novelist - Mister Monday (2003, Keys to the Kingdom series)
Read more about Garth Nix and his writing here
Watch Garth Nix talk about his fantastic fiction
here
Vladimir Mayakovsky (born July 19, 1893) Russian poet, playwright - The Bedbug (1929 play)
Read more about his art and listen to Mayakovsky's poetry here
AN EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE WHICH HAPPENED TO ME, VLADIMIR MAYAKOVSKY, ONE SUMMER IN THE COUNTRY
A hundred suns the sunset fired,
into July summer shunted,
it was so hot,
even heat perspired-
it happened in the country.
The little hamlet known as Pushkino,
Akula's Mount
made hunchbacked.
Below, the village
seemed pushed-in so --
its crooked roof-crusts cracked.
And beyond that village
yawned a hole,
into that hole- and not just maybe -
the sun for certain always rolled,
slowly, surely, daily.
* * *
And when the sun gets tired,
and night
wants to rest
its sleepy-headed,
why suddenly -
I shine with all my might -
and once more day is trumpeted.
Shine all the time,
for ever shine.
the last days' depths to plumb,
to shine - !
spite every hell combined!
So runs my slogan -
and the sun's!
Watch a 1918 silent film by Vladimir Mayakovsky -
The Lady and the Hooligan (Барышня и хулиган)
A.J. Cronin (born July 19, 1906) - Scottish novelist - The Stars Look Down (1935)
Read more about Cronin's life here