March is my birthday month, so I thought I’d list and discuss famous March-born authors I’ve read at least one book by.
March 1: Ralph Ellison (1913-1994). He of course wrote Invisible Man, which says more about racism and other aspects of United States life than most other novels have ever done.
March 2: John Irving (1942-). I’ve read four of his novels, with The Cider House Rules my favorite. He’s really skilled at combining the quirky and the profound, with social commentary also a big part of the mix.
March 2: Peter Straub (1943-2022). His intricate Ghost Story was quite good but could have been somewhat shorter.
March 4: Khaled Hosseini (1965-). His debut novel The Kite Runner is very compelling, although one loses a lot of sympathy for protagonist Amir after his nasty act of betrayal.
March 6: Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1927-2014). I’ve read five of his novels — One Hundred Years of Solitude is obviously his best — and he was masterful at mixing magic realism, political elements, pathos, romance, and more.
March 8: Jeffrey Eugenides (1960-). His Middlesex novel memorably depicts an intersex character while also having plenty to say about family dynamics, the immigrant experience, etc.
March 11: Douglas Adams (1952-2001). His The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is an enjoyable read, though I think somewhat overrated.
March 12: Jack Kerouac (1922-1969). I also think On the Road is overrated, but it does say a lot about wanderlust, The Beat Generation, and the culture of its time.
March 13: Viet Thanh Nguyen (1971-). His novel The Sympathizer and its sequel The Committed — both starring an unnamed part-Vietnamese spy — offer an impressive page-turning amalgam of war commentary, multiculturalism, humor, and more.
March 13: Tad Williams (1957-). His Tailchaser’s Song is an epic fantasy novel starring…cats.
March 18: John Updike (1932-2009). The only novel of his I’ve read is Rabbit, Run, and, while I admired the writing, I was not a big fan of the book’s brew of white-male angst and misogyny.
March 19: Philip Roth (1933-2018). This author can also be annoying amid the great writing chops, but the neurotic Portnoy’s Complaint is funny as hell.
March 20: Lois Lowry (1937-). Her young-adult dystopian novel The Giver is quite good, and its sequels aren’t bad, either.
March 20: Louis Sachar (1954-). His eccentric Holes is one of the better YA novels I’ve read, including its feminist and antiracist aspects.
March 22: Louis L’Amour (1908-1988). He’s best known for western novels, but his Soviet Union-set Last of the Breed is pretty exciting, too.
March 22: James Patterson (1947-). Tried just one of his novels; wasn’t a fan. Also not a fan of his “factory” approach of using a team of co-authors to churn out book after book.
March 23: Julia Glass (1956-). I’ve read her very good Three Junes, which, as the title implies, has an interesting/interrelated three-part format.
March 25: Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964). She’s best-known for chilling short stories such as “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” but also wrote the intriguing novel Wise Blood.
March 27: Julia Alvarez (1950-). Her novel In the Time of the Butterflies is a gripping piece of historical fiction about sisters bravely opposing the former Dominican Republic dictatorship.
March 28: Russell Banks (1940-2023). I’ve only read his Rule of the Bone, a gritty look at characters living in the underbelly of the U.S. and Jamaica.
March 28: Maria Vargas Llosa (1936-2025): His offbeat Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter definitely held my interest.
March 31: Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). His novel Dead Souls is an eye-opener, and his short story “The Overcoat” is a classic tale that influenced great Russian writers later in the 19th century. (Some sources say Gogol was born on April 1.)
March 31: Marge Piercy (1936-). Her Woman on the Edge of Time is an original combination of social justice and science fiction writing.
March 31: Judith Rossner (1935-2005). Her Looking for Mr. Goodbar was quite a sensation in its 1970s time.
Notable March-born writers I’ve read who are known for work other than novels include children’s book author Dr. Seuss, playwright Tennessee Williams, and poets Robert Frost and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, among others.
Any thoughts on this post, or examples of other March-born writers you’ve read?
As he runs in the direction of NYC, Misty asks: “How can cats live in ‘the city that never sleeps’?”
My comedic 2024 book — the part-factual/part-fictional/not-a-children’s-work Misty the Cat…Unleashed — is described and can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It’s feline-narrated! (And Amazon reviews are welcome. 🙂 )
This 90-second promo video for the book features a talking cat: 🙂
I’m also the author of a 2017 literary-trivia book…
…and a 2012 memoir that focuses on cartooning and more, including many encounters with celebrities.
In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — containing commentary on a big snowstorm and all kinds of controversial news in my town — is here.
Dave Astor on Literature 
Dave, what a wonderful way to celebrate your birthday month🎂!!! This is an incredible post that honours the writers who have accompanied you along the way. gesture. Your words are like a reading autobiography in miniature. It’s a reminder that March has gifted the literary world with writers unafraid of complexity, writers who press into identity, exile, belief, power, longing, and human contradiction.
I appreciate that you don’t simply praise. You evaluate honestly. Sometimes the books we “admire” are not the ones we “love,” and there’s wisdom in making that distinction.
If I were to add one March-born (March 6) writer who has stayed with me, it would be Elizabeth Barrett Browning. As Robert Frost (another March baby) once wrote: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” Happiest birthday month, Dave! Wishing you a month filled not only with reflection, but with fresh pages yet to be turned.
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Happy birthday month, Dave! My birthday is also in March! I’d like to read Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, as I’m a fan of this genre. I think March is a great time to celebrate a birthday, as it’s the start of spring! 🌷
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Thank you, Ada! Happy birthday month to you, too! I agree that March is a good month to have a birthday. 🙂
As for Flannery O’Connor, reading her short stories is quite an experience! She definitely “goes there” with some pretty intense content.
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I’ll name some of the Italian writers born in March whose works I’ve read: Torquato Tasso (1544): Poet, famous for Jerusalem Delivered. – Alessandro Manzoni (1785): Author of The Betrothed. – Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863): Writer, poet, and playwright. – Umberto Saba (1883): poet – Carlo Cassola (1917): Novelist. – Alda Merini (1931): Poet.
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy birthday, dear Dave.
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Thank you, Luisa, for all those mentions of Italian authors born in March! Very sorry I haven’t read any of them (yet). And I appreciate the birthday wishes. 🙂
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You’re more than welcome 🩵✨
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🙂
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Ive read only a small handful of these authors, including Mr. Astor. Like Laura, I did not appreciate Marquez. Maybe I don’t have the right gene, given how many readers love One Hundred Years of Solitude.
I’m a March-born author myself. 😊
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Thank you, Audrey! Marquez definitely evokes mixed feelings. From what I’ve read of him, he wrote one masterpiece and then several very good but not extraordinary novels. Happy Birthday on whichever March date you were born!
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Looks like you were born in a good month, Dave.
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Thank you, Dan! Definitely more high-profile authors than I expected!
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First of all I would like to wish you all the best for your March birthday, Dave! As I do not know any writer’s birthday, I just would like to say that I really loved “Invisible Man” when I read it a very long time ago, and I could truely feel that the main character finally needed to become invisible. Many thanks for all your book proposals!
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Thank you, Martina! I was born on the 29th, so another four weeks. 🙂 “Invisible Man” IS a powerful novel, and, yes, the unnamed narrator certainly was metaphorically invisible in the 1930s/1940s USA — and needed to be.
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I’ll try to not forget it and many thanks for your words!:)
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You’re very welcome, Martina! 🙂
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It seems March is a good month to be born if you aspire to be a successful author 😉 Congratulations, Dave!!
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Thank you, Thérèse! There does seem to be a number of quite notable authors born this month!
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I found thru the Internet search Robert Frost who I like a lot . His poetry is timeless.
As for Nikolay Gogol he was one of those Ukrainians who belongs to the great Russian writers. I have a copy of his book with illustrations. The genre is magical realism, horror and / or fairy tale. Absolutely brilliant and unique writing, I’m still a big fan of Gogol.
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Thank you, Milena! I agree that Robert Frost’s poetry is timeless and very appealing.
I also agree that Gogol’s work is memorable! Sounds like you have quite a good copy of his book. “Dead Souls” is a unique work of satire and more.
As you might know, Gogol’s name plays a big part in Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel “The Namesake.”
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So many books there, Dave, most of which I haven’t read. ‘Looking for Mr Goodbar’ I remember reading, as well as ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide’ and some Marquez, although I wasn’t too keen on the latter. As to any others, I have no clue. I’m not great at checking authors’ birthdays. I did read a book by a certain Dave Astor though, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Happy birthday for when it comes. 🙂
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Thank you, Laura, for the comment and the kind words about Misty’s “meownum o’puss”! 🙂 I also have no idea about most authors’ birth dates; I needed a lot of online help for this post.
I must admit that I wasn’t totally bowled over by the other Gabriel Garcia Marquez novels I read in addition to “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” although they (most notably “Love in the Time of Cholera”) definitely held my interest.
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Thanks, Dave. Good to know it’s not just me that has issues with Marquez. Personal taste; what can you do? Have a good week. 🙂
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Yes, Laura, we like what we like. 🙂 Have a good week, too!
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