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See Also
See Again
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
Ernest Hemingway - Ernest Hemingway was one of the most famous and influential writers of the 20th century. His best known work is 'The Old Man and the Sea.'
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
Harper Lee
- The 1960 novel 'To Kill A Mockingbird' was Harper Lee's most famous work. She was inspired to write it based on her experiences witnessing racism while growing up in Alabama.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
Umberto Eco
- The 1980 novel 'The Name of the Rose' was Umberto Eco's best known work. It is a historical mystery, which was made into a film just a few years after its release.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
Ian McEwan - Ian McEwan is a prolific author who has written many very famous books, a huge number of which have been made into films. These include 'Atonement' and 'Enduring Love.'
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Doris Lessing - Doris Lessing was an award-winning author, and the recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. Her works include 'The Grass is Singing' and 'The Golden Notebook.'
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
James Baldwin - James Baldwin was a very influential figure in the Civil Rights movement, and was also openly gay. He wrote many books, including 'If Beale Street Could Talk,' from which the 2018 movie was based off of.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Ian Fleming - Ian Fleming was most famous for writing books featuring the infamous character James Bond, which of course were the initial inspiration for the films.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
Margaret Atwood - Margaret Atwood is a multi award-winning author, who is best known for her book 'The Handmaid's Tale.' The very popular TV show was made based on the book.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Aldous Huxley - Aldous Huxley was best known for his book 'Brave New World.' He has written many others, and was at the forefront of writing about psychedelic and dystopian issues.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
James Joyce - James Joyce was one of the most famous Irish authors of all time. He is best known for his novels 'Ulysses' and 'Dubliners.' He set all his writing in his native country.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Jean Genet - Jean Genet was a French author. Having been jailed in his youth, he went on to write many books such as 'The Thief's Journal' and 'Our Lady of the Flowers.'
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Helen Fielding - Helen Fielding is a British author who is very famous for writing the 'Bridget Jones' books. The highly successful books have also been made into several films.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
John Grisham - John Grisham is most famous for writing legal thrillers. He is also a lawyer, and served in the House of Representatives. Many of his books have been made into films.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
W. B. Yeats - W. B. Yeats was a very famous Irish writer, who is best known for his poetry. He is widely considered to be one of the most significant writers of the 20th century.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
T. S. Eliot - T.S. Eliot was an American who became naturalized in the UK. He was a prolific writer and most famous for his poetry and plays.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
Roald Dahl
- Roald Dahl was one of the most popular and best-loved children's authors of all time. He also wrote adult fiction, but his most famous works are all children's books.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Issac Asimov - Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer, mainly of science fiction. He was also a professor of biochemistry at Boston University and wrote some science books.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Virginia Woolf - From an affluent background, Virginia Woolf has had a strong influence on modern contemporary literature, particularly with regards to feminist writing.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Kurt Vonnegut - Kurt Vonnegut was a highly praised writer of contemporary fiction. Most famous for his novel 'Slaughterhouse-Five,' his work also consisted of short stories and plays.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
William Faulkner - William Faulkner was a celebrated American writer who won the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature. 'A Fable' and 'The Reivers' both won the Pulitzer prize for fiction.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Norman Mailer - Norman Mailer was a very well-known author and essayist. A controversial character, he notoriously stabbed his wife in a drunken rage in 1960.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Agatha Christie - Agatha Christie was an extremely well-known British author of detective stories. She created the characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and wrote the long-running play 'The Mousetrap.'
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
John Steinbeck - John Steinbeck was a famous American author whose books include 'Of Mice and Men,' 'East of Eden,' and 'The Grapes of Wrath,' which is considered his best work.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Kingsley Amis - Kingsley Amis was a British writer who wrote many novels, in addition to poetry, short stories, and scripts. He is widely regarded as being one of the best writers of comedic fiction.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Evelyn Waugh - Evelyn Waugh was a British comedic writer. His most famous work includes 'Brideshead Revisited.' He had a decadent life at university, and then began to follow Catholicism.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
William S. Burroughs - William S. Burroughs was a writer whose most famous work includes 'Naked Lunch' and 'Junky,' which was influenced by his own experiences as a heroin addict.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Anthony Burgess - Anthony Burgess was a British writer, who is best known for the famous book 'A Clockwork Orange,' which was made into a film in 1971.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
F. Scott Fitzgerald - F. Scott Fitzgerald is viewed as one of the best American writers of the 20th century. He is most famous for having written 'The Great Gatsby.'
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
Graham Greene - Graham Greene was a British writer, and the author of many very famous books, including 'Brighton Rock,' 'The End of the Affair,' and 'Our Man in Havana.'
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
J. K. Rowling
- J. K. Rowling went from rags to bountiful riches because of the books she has written. She created the 'Harry Potter' series, which was obviously then made into films. Click here to find out about the actors who almost appeared in Harry Potter films!
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
Ernest Hemingway - Ernest Hemingway was one of the most famous and influential writers of the 20th century. His best known work is 'The Old Man and the Sea.'
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
Harper Lee
- The 1960 novel 'To Kill A Mockingbird' was Harper Lee's most famous work. She was inspired to write it based on her experiences witnessing racism while growing up in Alabama.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
Umberto Eco
- The 1980 novel 'The Name of the Rose' was Umberto Eco's best known work. It is a historical mystery, which was made into a film just a few years after its release.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
Ian McEwan - Ian McEwan is a prolific author who has written many very famous books, a huge number of which have been made into films. These include 'Atonement' and 'Enduring Love.'
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Doris Lessing - Doris Lessing was an award-winning author, and the recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. Her works include 'The Grass is Singing' and 'The Golden Notebook.'
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
James Baldwin - James Baldwin was a very influential figure in the Civil Rights movement, and was also openly gay. He wrote many books, including 'If Beale Street Could Talk,' from which the 2018 movie was based off of.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Ian Fleming - Ian Fleming was most famous for writing books featuring the infamous character James Bond, which of course were the initial inspiration for the films.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
Margaret Atwood - Margaret Atwood is a multi award-winning author, who is best known for her book 'The Handmaid's Tale.' The very popular TV show was made based on the book.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Aldous Huxley - Aldous Huxley was best known for his book 'Brave New World.' He has written many others, and was at the forefront of writing about psychedelic and dystopian issues.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
James Joyce - James Joyce was one of the most famous Irish authors of all time. He is best known for his novels 'Ulysses' and 'Dubliners.' He set all his writing in his native country.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Jean Genet - Jean Genet was a French author. Having been jailed in his youth, he went on to write many books such as 'The Thief's Journal' and 'Our Lady of the Flowers.'
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Helen Fielding - Helen Fielding is a British author who is very famous for writing the 'Bridget Jones' books. The highly successful books have also been made into several films.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
John Grisham - John Grisham is most famous for writing legal thrillers. He is also a lawyer, and served in the House of Representatives. Many of his books have been made into films.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
W. B. Yeats - W. B. Yeats was a very famous Irish writer, who is best known for his poetry. He is widely considered to be one of the most significant writers of the 20th century.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
T. S. Eliot - T.S. Eliot was an American who became naturalized in the UK. He was a prolific writer and most famous for his poetry and plays.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
Roald Dahl
- Roald Dahl was one of the most popular and best-loved children's authors of all time. He also wrote adult fiction, but his most famous works are all children's books.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Issac Asimov - Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer, mainly of science fiction. He was also a professor of biochemistry at Boston University and wrote some science books.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Virginia Woolf - From an affluent background, Virginia Woolf has had a strong influence on modern contemporary literature, particularly with regards to feminist writing.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Kurt Vonnegut - Kurt Vonnegut was a highly praised writer of contemporary fiction. Most famous for his novel 'Slaughterhouse-Five,' his work also consisted of short stories and plays.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
William Faulkner - William Faulkner was a celebrated American writer who won the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature. 'A Fable' and 'The Reivers' both won the Pulitzer prize for fiction.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Norman Mailer - Norman Mailer was a very well-known author and essayist. A controversial character, he notoriously stabbed his wife in a drunken rage in 1960.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Agatha Christie - Agatha Christie was an extremely well-known British author of detective stories. She created the characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and wrote the long-running play 'The Mousetrap.'
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
John Steinbeck - John Steinbeck was a famous American author whose books include 'Of Mice and Men,' 'East of Eden,' and 'The Grapes of Wrath,' which is considered his best work.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Kingsley Amis - Kingsley Amis was a British writer who wrote many novels, in addition to poetry, short stories, and scripts. He is widely regarded as being one of the best writers of comedic fiction.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Evelyn Waugh - Evelyn Waugh was a British comedic writer. His most famous work includes 'Brideshead Revisited.' He had a decadent life at university, and then began to follow Catholicism.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
William S. Burroughs - William S. Burroughs was a writer whose most famous work includes 'Naked Lunch' and 'Junky,' which was influenced by his own experiences as a heroin addict.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Anthony Burgess - Anthony Burgess was a British writer, who is best known for the famous book 'A Clockwork Orange,' which was made into a film in 1971.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
F. Scott Fitzgerald - F. Scott Fitzgerald is viewed as one of the best American writers of the 20th century. He is most famous for having written 'The Great Gatsby.'
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
Graham Greene - Graham Greene was a British writer, and the author of many very famous books, including 'Brighton Rock,' 'The End of the Affair,' and 'Our Man in Havana.'
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
J. K. Rowling
- J. K. Rowling went from rags to bountiful riches because of the books she has written. She created the 'Harry Potter' series, which was obviously then made into films. Click here to find out about the actors who almost appeared in Harry Potter films!
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
The most influential authors of the 20th century
Writers who have gone down in history
© Getty Images
The 20th century contained some of the finest writers who have ever lived. It was a groundbreaking century in so many ways, not least of all in literature.
Many subjects that would have been considered far too controversial for publication became relatively mainstream. There were also numerous authors that began exploring completely new styles of writing, in addition to choosing new subjects to traverse in literature.
The following writers have all been massive influences on the next generations of authors to come. Check them out in this gallery!
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