Famous Essayists - List of Famous Essayists - page 6

Essayists are the writers who produce essays. Essays are the literary pieces of work in which the author presents their own arguments and reflections. Since essays convey the author’s individual views, they make for compelling and interesting reading. Essayists may write on a number of topics like politics, education, social issues, literary criticisms, environment, human rights, etc. Even though essays are primarily written in prose, essayists like Alexander Pope have taken the liberty to compose their essays in verse. Essayists, like writers of other genres, do not always believe in conforming to traditions. John Locke was one such essayist who chose to ignore the brevity element in composing his voluminous essays like ‘An Essay Concerning Human Understanding’. The French author Michel de Montaigne who lived during the 16 th century is often hailed as the first essayist, though he himself claimed to have been influenced by the writings of Plutarch and Seneca. Essayists like Joseph Addison, Richard Steele and Samuel Johnson flourished during the Age of Enlightenment when essays became the preferred literary form for convincing people of their position. Scroll down further for more information on famous essayists from all over the world who enriched literature with their writings.

The Most Famous Essayists

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Ruskin BondMay 19, 1934IndianRuskin Bond is an award winning Indian author of British descent
Lisa Brennan-JobsMay 17, 1978AmericanCheck out all that you wanted to know about Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Steve Jobs’ daughter; her birthday, her family and personal life, fun trivia facts and more.
D. H. LawrenceSeptember 11, 1885BritishD
Sandra CisnerosDecember 20, 1954AmericanSandra Cisneros is an American writer known for audaciously penning the realities and expectations from females in US and Mexico
Aldous HuxleyJuly 26, 1894British, AmericanAldous Leonard Huxley was a prominent English writer
Samuel BeckettApril 13, 1906IrishSamuel Beckett was an Irish playwright, novelist, theatre director and poet
Alain de BottonDecember 20, 1969Swiss, BritishAlain de Botton is a famous novelist and is hailed as one of the most recognized philosophers in Europe
Simone de BeauvoirJanuary 9, 1908FrenchSimone de Beauvoir was an eminent French writer, intellectual, activist, and philosopher
Robert HaydenAugust 4, 1913AmericanRobert Hayden was an American poet who wrote the famous poem, “Those Winter Sundays”
Amiri BarakaOctober 7, 1934AmericanPoet and political activist, Amiri Baraka was one of the most influential African-American writers
Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett was an Irish playwright, novelist, theatre director and poet

IrishApril 13, 1906267 views

Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold was an English poet and literary critic of great repute

BritishDecember 24, 182278 views

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson was a famous Scottish poet, novelist and travel writer

ScottishNovember 13, 1850201 views

Aldous Huxley

Aldous Leonard Huxley was a prominent English writer

BritishJuly 26, 1894268 views

George Santayana

George Santayana was a noted Spanish American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist

ItalianDecember 16, 1863115 views

Anais Nin

Anais Nin was a French-Cuban essayist and memoirist

AmericanFebruary 21, 1903161 views

Plutarch

Plutarch was a famous Greek biographer and essayist

Greek45214 views

Joseph Brodsky

Joseph Brodsky was an acclaimed Russian and American essayist and poet

RussianMay 24, 1940181 views

Robert Hayden

Robert Hayden was an American poet who wrote the famous poem, “Those Winter Sundays”

AmericanAugust 4, 1913259 views

Joseph Addison

Joseph Addison was an 18th century English poet, writer and politician

BritishMay 1, 1672155 views