This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2009.

Events

Herta Müller

• April 21 – UNESCO launches the World Digital Library.^[1]
• May 1 – Carol Ann Duffy is appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, the first woman in the position;^[2] she is also the first Scot and the first openly gay occupant of the post.^[3]
• May 5 – J. R. R. Tolkien's narrative poem The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún in alliterative verse, based on the 13th century Poetic Edda and probably written in the 1930s, is published posthumously.
• May 16–25 – Ruth Padel becomes the first woman ever elected Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford^[4] but resigns nine days later after it is alleged she was involved in what some sources call as a smear campaign against Derek Walcott, a rival for the post.^[5][6]
• August 10 – Standard orthography for the Silesian language is adopted in Cieszyn, at a meeting of the Standardization Committee of the Silesian Language.^[7]
• October 8 – Romanian-born German novelist Herta Müller wins the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature.
• October 12 – Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm-Zentrum Library opens at Humboldt University of Berlin.^[8]
• November 10 – Linden MacIntyre wins the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel The Bishop's Man.
• unknown date – Australian publisher Allen & Unwin suspends its annual Iremonger Award, stating that no manuscript of sufficient merit has been submitted.^[9]

New books

Deaths

• January 1 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian novelist and screenwriter (born 1924)^[15]
• January 7 – Valerie Flint, English medieval historian (born 1936)^[16]
• January 20 – Sheila Walsh, English novelist (born 1928)^[17]
• January 27 – John Updike, American novelist (born 1932)^[18]
• February 18 – Tayeb Salih, Sudanese fiction writer and cultural commentator (born 1929)^[19]
• February 20 – Christopher Nolan, Irish poet and author (choking; born 1965)^[20]
• February 25 – Philip José Farmer, American science fiction writer (born 1918)^[21]
• March 13 – James Purdy, American novelist, poet and playwright (born 1914)^[22]
• March 21 – Winifred Foley, English memoirist (born 1914)^[23]
• March 31 – Michael Cox, English novelist and biographer (hemangiopericytoma, born 1948)

Maurice Druon

• April 14 – Maurice Druon, French historical novelist (born 1918)^[24]
• April 15 – Clement Freud, German-born English writer and broadcaster (born 1924)^[25]
• April 19 – J. G. Ballard, English novelist (born 1930)^[26]
• May 6 – Lev Losev, Russian American poet (born 1937)
• May 17 – Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan writer (born 1920)
• June 2 – David Eddings, American novelist (born 1931)
• June 27 – Frank Barlow, English historian (born 1911)^[27]
• July 6 – Vasily Aksyonov, Russian novelist (born 1932)
• July 14 – Phyllis Gotlieb, Canadian novelist (born 1926)^[28]
• July 19 – Frank McCourt, American memoirist and Pulitzer Prize winner (born 1930)^[29]

Frank McCourt

• July 23 – E. Lynn Harris, African American novelist (heart disease; born 1955)
• July 25 – Stanley Middleton, English novelist (cancer; born 1919)
• July 27
  • Aeronwy Thomas, English-born Welsh translator and writer (born 1943)^[30]

Aeronwy Thomas

• • Michaël Zeeman, Dutch critic, poet and writer (born 1958)
• July 31 – Tim Guest, English writer (drug overdose; born 1975)
• August 2 – Adolf Endler, German writer (born 1930)
• August 4 – Blake Snyder, American screenwriter and author (born 1957)
• August 5 – Budd Schulberg, American screenwriter and novelist (born 1914)
• August 6
  • Jack T. Kirby, American historian (born 1938)
  • Willibrordus S. Rendra, Indonesian poet (born 1935)
• August 7 – Danko Popović, Serbian writer (born 1928)
• August 8 – Alfonso Calderón, Chilean writer and poet (born 1930)^[31]
• August 9 – Thierry Jonquet, French writer (born 1954)
• August 10
  • Josef Burg, Ukrainian writing in Yiddish (born 1912)
  • Merlyn Mantle, American author (born 1932)
• August 16 – Alistair Campbell, New Zealand poet (born 1925)
• August 18
  • Dic Jones, Welsh poet writing in Welsh (born 1934)^[32]
  • Hugo Loetscher, Swiss author writing in German (born 1929)
  • Fernanda Pivano, Italian writer (born 1917)
• August 20 – Karla Kuskin, American children's author (born 1932)
• August 22 – Elmer Kelton, American Western novelist (born 1926)

Elmer Kelton

• August 25
  • Bob Carroll, American historian and author (born 1936)
  • Sergey Mikhalkov, Russian writer and poet (born 1913)
• September 3 – Christine D'Haen, Belgian poet writing in Flemish (born 1923)

Christine D'Haen

• September 4 – Keith Waterhouse, English author and playwright (born 1929)^[33]
• September 6
  • Catherine Gaskin, Irish-born Australian romantic novelist (born 1929)
  • Nada Iveljić, Croatian children's writer (born 1931)
• September 10 – Lyn Hamilton, Canadian author (born 1944)
• September 11 – Jim Carroll, American writer and poet (born 1949)
• September 12
  • William Hoffman, American novelist (born 1925)
  • Antônio Olinto, Brazilian writer (born 1919)
• September 13 – Sarah E. Wright, American novelist (born 1928)
• September 15 – Trevor Rhone, Jamaican playwright (born 1940)
• September 19 – Milton Meltzer, American historian and author (born 1915)
• September 21 – Junzo Shono (庄野 潤三), Japanese author (born 1921)
• September 22 – Kole Čašule, Macedonian essayist, dramatist and short story writer (born 1921)
• September 24 – Nelly Arcan, Canadian novelist writing in French (suicide; born 1973)
• September 25 – Willy Breinholst, Danish author (born 1918)
• September 27 – William Safire, American columnist (born 1929)
• October 1
  • Otar Chiladze, Georgian writer (born 1933)
  • Cintio Vitier, Cuban poet (born 1921)^[34]
• October 4 – Veikko Huovinen, Finnish writer (born 1927)
• November 1 – Esther Hautzig, Polish-born American autobiographer (born 1930)
• November 20 – Naomi Frankel, German-born Israeli novelist (born 1918)^[35]
• November 29 – Robert Holdstock, English fantasy novelist (born 1949)

Veikko Huovinen

• November 30 – Milorad Pavić, Serbian writer (born 1929)
• December 2 –Elizabeth Berridge, British novelist (born 1919)^[36]
• December 5 – William Lederer, American author (born 1912)^[37]
• December 7
  • Carlene Hatcher Polite, American novelist (born 1932)
  • Pyotr Vail, Latvian-born Russian essayist and journalist (born 1949)
• December 13 – Julian Fane, British author (born 1927)^[38]
• December 15 – C. D. B. Bryan, American author (born 1936)
• December 19 – Loren Singer, American novelist (born 1923)
• December 20 – Vera Rich, English poet and journalist (born 1936)

Vera Rich

• December 23 – Grigory Baklanov, Russian novelist (born 1923)^[39]
• December 25
  • Vrindavanam Venugopalan, Indian journalist (born 1935)
  • (or 24th) Rachel Wetzsteon, American poet (suicide; born 1967)^[40]
• December 26
  • Dennis Brutus, South African poet (born 1924)^[41]
  • Norval White, American author (born 1926)^[42]
• December 30 – Jacqueline Sturm, New Zealand poet and writer (born 1927)^[43]

Awards

• Nobel Prize in Literature: Herta Müller

See also

• 2009 in Australian literature
• 2009 in comics
• List of literary awards
• List of poetry awards

Notes

• Hahn, Daniel (2015). The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Second ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198715542.

References