Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375)

Author. The illegitimate son of a French noblewoman and a merchant from Florence, he became one of the most prolific writers of the late Middle Ages, best-known today for “The Decameron”, which consists of 100 stories told over ten days, by seven young women and three young men who have taken a short respite from […]

Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra (1824 - 1861)

Poet.  He was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In 1827, the González family moved to the port of Cádiz, Spain.  In 1836, they returned to San Luis Potosí, Mexico where Francisco spent time working at his father’s commerce business.  In 1846 he moved to Mexico City, began publishing his first poems and became a […]

Albert “Al” Boasberg (1891 - 1937)

Motion Picture Screenwriter. Born in Buffalo, New York, he wrote scripts for both dramatic and comedy films, although comedy was his primary field. Films with his screenplays included “Freaks” and “A Night at the Opera”. He also wrote jokes for live comedy acts. Comedians who used his material include George Burns, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, […]

Nellie Bly (1864 - 1922)

Journalist. She was a pioneer of investigative journalism. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, her career with the Pittsburgh “Dispatch” was the first of many papers and magazines which gave her employment in her lifetime. Taking a pen name from composer Stephen Foster’s song “Nelly Bly”, she exposed abuses in politics, employment and dereliction of duty in […]

Edmund Blunden (1896 - 1974)

Author. He was born in London, England. He served in the First World War, winning the Military Cross. His life was powerfully dominated by his wartime experience, which he reflected in one of his most renowned works, “Undertones of War” (1928). Also he was a close friend of the poet Siegfried Sassoon. His works include […]

Simon Blumenfeld (1907 - 2005)

Author and Dramatist. Throughout his 20’s and 30’s Blumenfeld wrote plays, and published four novels, of which the best known was “Jew Boy”, about the East End; it originally came out in the US as The Iron Garden in 1932, was published in Britain in 1935 and was republished over 50 years later. Simon’s famed […]

Rhoda Blumberg (1917 - 2016)

Author. A writer of both fiction and nonfiction children’s books, she received a 1986 Newbery Honor for her work “Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun” (1985). Born into a Jewish family, she was raised in Brooklyn and received her Bachelor of Arts from Adelphi University. She began her career as a freelance writer […]

Alexander Alexandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)

Poet,  Playwright.  Considered by many the greatest figure of Russia’s Symbolist Movement.  His experiments in rhythm and prosody broke new ground in his country’s literature. Blok’s masterpiece, the long poem “The Twelve” (1918), reflected his initial enthusiasm for the Russian Revolution. It depicts twelve Bolshevik soldiers on a winter night, raping, looting, and killing their […]

Albert W. Bloemker (1906 - 1996)

Journalist. Popular sportswriter for the “Indianapolis Star” who subsequently served the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 to 1987. At the height of his career, he served as the Speedway’s Director of Publicity. His premier works include “500 Miles to Go,” a history of the Indianapolis 500-mile classic. The Albert W. Bloemker Media Center at the […]

Robert Bloch (1917 - 1994)

Author. Best known for his book “Psycho.”  Family links:  Spouse:  Eleanor Alexander Bloch (1915 – 2007)* *Calculated relationship

Pedro Bloch (1914 - 2004)

Author, Playwright. Author of 100 books. He was the first Brazilian of his generation with a play on Broadway, with the production of “Conscience.” He also wrote 20 other plays, one of them was “The Hands of Eurydice.” (bio by: Laurie)

James Blish (1921 - 1975)

Author. He was born in East Orange, New Jersey. He is fondly remembered for his science fiction stories. In fact, he was the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death. Among his works “Cities […]

Robert Blees (1918 - 2015)

American Writer and Producer. Blees, who produced for television and film, wrote the screenplays for Douglas Sirk’s 1954 classic ‘Magnificent Obsession’, which starred Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, and 1956’s ‘Autumn Leaves’, with Joan Crawford and Cliff Robertson. Blees attended Dartmouth College and worked for Time and Life magazines before turning to screenwriting and producing. […]

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867 - 1928)

Author,  Politician.  He was sometimes called “The Spanish Zola” because his early,  realistic novels dealt with the poor and oppressed in his native Valencia.  Later he turned to writing best sellers that brought him international fame,  though at the expense of his literary reputation.  Most popular were the bullfighting story “Blood and Sand” (1909) and […]

José María Blanco White (1775 - 1841)

Spanish theologian, priest, poet, journalist and literary critic. His full name was José María Blanco Crespo. White fled Spain for Britain during the War of Independence, and ran the periodical El Español (1810-1814) from London. He is best known for his work “Letters from Spain” (1822). He also wrote “Practical and Internal Evidence against Catholicism” […]

Rufino Blanco Fombona (1874 - 1944)

Venezuelan poet, essayist and novelist, one of the leaders of Modernismo.  Active in Venezuelan political affairs, he lived exiliated many years in Europe and contributed to spread the knowledge of Spanish American literature abroad.  His poems, as the collection “Cantos de la Prisión y del Destierro” are better than his novels.  Among his novels are […]

Andrés Eloy Blanco (1897 - 1955)

Poet, Lawyer and Politician.  Co-founder of the Acción Democrática party.  Among his poems are:  “A un Año de tu Luz,” “Canto a España,” “Poda,” “Abigaìl,” “Las Uvas del Tiempo” and many others. (bio by: 380W)

August Blanche (1811 - 1868)

Author, journalist, publicist, politician. Cause of death: Heart attack in the front line of a public parade

Michael Blake (1945 - 2015)

Author, Motion Picture Screenwriter. He will be remembered for penning the bestselling novel “Dances with Wolves” (1988). The work was made into a motion picture adaptation in 1990, which starred and was directed by Kevin Costner. Blake earned both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his writing of the script. Born Michael […]

Eugene Carson Blake (1906 - 1985)

Religious figure, Author. Presbyterian Church leader and author of several books relating to the church and the changing world. (bio by: Chuck Kearns)

Clay Drewry Blair, Jr (1925 - 1998)

Author,  Journalist.  Considered an outstanding authority on submarine warfare,  which he called “silent service”.  Clay Drewry Blair, Jr. was born in Lexington,  Virginia.  During World War II he served as a Quarter Master second class aboard the submarine USS Guardfish on two war patrols. After the war ended he attended Tulane and Colombia Universities. In […]

Charles Francis Blair, Jr (1909 - 1978)

United States Army Officer, Author. He served first in the the United States Army Air Corps, then the United States Air Force, rising to the rank of Brigadier General. His long career in military and commerical aviation was highlighted by his making the first solo crossing of the North Pole in a single engine plane. […]

Richard Doddridge Blackmore (1825 - 1900)

British Author. He is best remembered for his novel “Lorna Doone” (1869), a recreation of his native Exmoor during the 17th century, which established him in the front rank of British novelists of that time. He was born at Longworth in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), England where his father was Curate-in-Charge of the local parish. His […]

George Blackburn (1916 - 2006)

Author, Canadian World War II Veteran. Born in Wales, Ontario, Canada, he wrote the acclaimed three-part memoir “The Guns of Normandy: A Soldier’s Eye View, France 1944”, “The Guns of Victory” and “Where the Hell are the Guns?” which reflected on his experiences serving as a forward artillery observer during World War II. Blackburn received […]

Richard Bissell (1913 - 1977)

American novelist and playwright. He wrote the novel, “7 And A Half Cents” (1953). In 1954 his novel was turned into a Broadway musical play and film in called, “The Pajama Game.”  Family links:  Parents:  Frederick Ezekiel Bissell (1878 – 1958)  Edith Mary Pike Bissell (1879 – 1976)  Spouse:  Marian Van Patten Grilk Bissell (1918 […]

Thomas Brigham Bishop (1835 - 1905)

Songwriter. He produced the melody and lyrics for the song “John Brown’s Body” in 1859. Published in 1861, it gained popularity during the Union troops in the Civil War, and the melody was used as the basis for Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. During the Civil War he played as a clarinetist […]

James Alonzo “Jim” Bishop (1907 - 1987)

Writer, Author. He was a newspaper columnist and author whose works include “The Day Christ Died,” “The Days of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” and “The Day Kennedy Was Shot.” (bio by: Ron Moody)  Family links:  Spouse:  Elizabeth Bishop (1929 – 2012)* *Calculated relationshipCause of death: Respiratory Failure

Elizabeth Bishop (1911 - 1979)

Poet; “North and South: A Cold Spring”, won Pulitzer Prize for poetry, 1955; elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1976.  Family links:  Parents:  William Thomas Bishop (1872 – 1911)  Gertrude May Bulmer Bishop (1879 – 1934)  Spouses:  Maria Carlota Costallat de Macedo Soares (1910 – 1967)*  Louise Crane (1913 – 1997)* […]

Curtis Kent Bishop (1912 - 1967)

Author. He was a widely recognized writer penning books about sports and life in the old west. Born in Bolivar, Tennessee he moved to Texas as a boy where at the age of sixteen he began his professional writing career working for an Austin newspaper. During World War II he worked for the Foreign Broadcast […]

Furman Bisher (1918 - 2012)

Sports Journalist, Author. An esteemed and celebrated sports writer who made a lasting impression on the landscape of American sports journalism, he was known nationally for his association with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (in addition to Sports Illustrated and the Saturday Evening Post) from 1950 until his retirement in 2009. Born James Furman Bisher, his father […]