Famous Writers - List of Famous Writers

Writers are the people who produce written material to communicate ideas. Writing encompasses several genres and writers may write for occupational purposes or as an outlet for their creativity. Professional writers include screenwriters, content writers, journalists, etc. whose job entails writing scripts, web content and news reports. Others like short story writers and novelists often begin writing as hobby before converting it to a full time profession. James Howell, a 17th century historian cum writer was the first writer to earn his living from writing alone in the English language; other writers of those times pursued writing as a hobby, not a profession as writing alone never paid enough. The famous American writer Edgar Allan Poe tried to earn a living solely from writing but that resulted in a life of poverty and misery. Times have changed now with writers being paid well for their jobs, encouraging more and more people to try their hands at this art. Writers create written works in a wide range of literary genres with many writers working across genres. Writers can be broadly classified as poets, novelists, journalists, critics, editors, lyricists, playwrights, historians, and biographers. Browse this section to learn about the life and works of famous writers from across the world.