Swift Publishes Gulliver's Travels
On October 28, 1726, Jonathan Swift published Gulliver's Travels, a satire that mocked the age.
Melville's Moby-Dick Is First Published
Herman Melville's Moby-Dick was published in London on October 18, 1851, and only found its fame after the author's death.
Winnie-the-Pooh Is Published
A. A. Milne published Winnie-the-Pooh on October 14, 1926, with drawings by E. H. Shepard, for his son Christopher Robin.
The Writer Lu Xun Dies in Shanghai
On October 19, 1936, the Chinese writer Lu Xun, author of The Diary of a Madman and The True Story of Ah Q, died in Shanghai aged 55.
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit Is Published
On September 21, 1937, Tolkien's The Hobbit was published in London, with a print run of 1,500 copies that sold out within months.
Pasternak Wins the Nobel Prize
Boris Pasternak won the Nobel Prize on October 23, 1958 for Doctor Zhivago. Soviet pressure forced him to decline it.
Sartre Declines the Nobel Prize
Jean-Paul Sartre refused the Nobel Prize in Literature on October 22, 1964. He was the first person to decline the award voluntarily.
Yasunari Kawabata Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
Yasunari Kawabata won the Nobel Prize in Literature on October 17, 1968, the first Japanese writer to do so.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Is Published
Douglas Adams published The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on October 12, 1979, following his 1978 BBC radio series.
The Writer Ba Jin Dies in Shanghai
On October 17, 2005, the Chinese novelist Ba Jin, author of the Torrent trilogy, died in Shanghai at the age of 100.