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Here are 7 Author Shoutouts for this week. Find your favorite author or discover an author whose works you’ve not yet read.

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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

An Author Shoutout to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, born in Kislovodsk, Russia, who also deserves recognition for his courageous opposition against Communist totalitarianism. Through renowned works like The Gulag Archipelago (1973) and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1962), Solzhenitsyn exposed the harsh realities of Soviet labor camps. Despite his service in the Red Army (having received two decorations), he faced adversity when his critical letters about Stalin were intercepted. In 1945, he was unjustly convicted of founding a hostile organization and incarcerated until 1956 before regaining his freedom.

After an assassination attempt in 1971, he was expelled in 1974. However, he made his way back to Moscow in 1994 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 2008, at the age of 89, he passed away due to heart failure.

Gustave Flaubert

An Author Shoutout to Gustave Flaubert, born in Rouen, France, who deserves recognition as an author. He led a life of sensual indulgence, engaging in relationships with both men and women, and was afflicted by sexually transmitted diseases throughout his life. Despite his extensive body of written works and frequent correspondence, Flaubert’s legacy primarily rests on his renowned masterpiece, Madame Bovary. Published in 1856, this novel caused quite a stir due to its unflinchingly honest depiction of life.

The government accused Flaubert of immorality when Madame Bovary was published, as the protagonist engages in multiple affairs to escape her empty life. However, he was later declared not guilty. Flaubert passed away at the age of 56 in 1880 due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

Emma Bull

An Author Shoutout to American writer Emma Bull, born in Torrance, California, who deserves recognition for her contribution to urban fantasy literature. Notably, her novel Bone Dance, set in a post-apocalyptic Minneapolis, garnered nominations for prestigious literary awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award. Additionally, her urban fantasy masterpiece War for the Oaks, published in 1987, showcases the vibrant cityscape of Minneapolis as its backdrop.

In addition to her writing, Ms. Bull is also skilled in playing the guitar. She has been a part of various musical projects throughout the years, including the Flash Girls, a goth-folk duo, and Cats Laughing, a psychedelic improv folk-jazz band.

Shirley Jackson

An Author Shoutout to Shirley Jackson, a renowned mystery and horror writer, who was born in San Francisco, California. She achieved great acclaim for her famous short story The Lottery and her novel The Haunting of Hill House. Throughout her career, Jackson received numerous prestigious awards, including multiple Best American Short Stories awards in 1944, 1951, 1956, and 1964, as well as Best Fiction awards from the New York Times Book Review in 1959, 1966, and 1968. Additionally, she was honored with the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Short Story in 1961 and 1966.

At the age of 48, she passed away peacefully in her sleep due to heart failure. However, her enduring impact is evident through the establishment of the Shirley Jackson Awards in 2007. These awards honor exceptional accomplishments in the genres of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic.

Betty Smith

An Author Shoutout to Author Betty Smith, who was born in Brooklyn, New York. Despite publishing only four novels, her debut work, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943), holds a special place as a beloved classic in American literature. Betty Smith married early in life but still managed to attend college after her two daughters began school. She pursued a law degree while also studying literature, writing, drama, and journalism.

She made a significant contribution to the musical adaptation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in 1951, gaining recognition as a renowned playwright. She passed away at the age of 75 in 1972 due to pneumonia.

Jane Austen

An Author Shoutout to Jane Austen, born at the Steventon Rectory in Hampshire, England. She owed immense gratitude to her father, who served as the rector of the parish. While not leading a reclusive life, Austen found solace and unwavering support within her family circle. Her sister Cassandra, a lifelong companion who similarly never entered into matrimony, played the role of her closest confidante. For a span of 25 years, Austen resided in the very same residence until her father’s retirement prompted a relocation to Bath. Unfortunately, within a mere five years, Austen’s father passed away, leaving the Austen women in dire financial circumstances and adrift socially.

Despite the popularity and positive reception of her four novels that were published in her lifetime, she did not regain her place among the affluent social class she had been familiar with during her upbringing. In 1817, at the age of 41, she passed away due to a prolonged illness.

John Kennedy Toole

An Author Shoutout to John Kennedy Toole, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, who deserves a special mention. He was raised in a family where his father worked as a car salesman and his mother as a teacher. After completing his education at Tulane University, he pursued further studies in English at Columbia University. Notably, he served in the U.S. Army following his draft, and during his military service, he spent a significant period stationed in Puerto Rico.

The writer of the picaresque book, A Confederacy of Dunces (released in 1980), he took his own life in 1969 but later received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His mother published his two novels, A Confederacy of Dunces and The Neon Bible, which was made into a movie.

Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol”

An Author Shoutout to a book, this time, to Charles Dickens’ holiday masterpiece A Christmas Carol, published by Chapman & Hall. At the young age of 31, Dickens crafted this work, giving life to the unforgettable characters of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Remarkably, he completed the entire tale in a mere six weeks, with the final pages written just two weeks before publication.

The initial release of A Christmas Carol consisted of 6,000 copies, all of which were purchased by Christmas Eve at a price of 5 shillings. The book garnered widespread appeal among readers and even received praise from critics, including those who had previously expressed skepticism towards Dickens’ earlier writings.

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