7 Author Shoutouts | Authors We Love To Recommend

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

Victor Hugo

An Author Shoutout to Victor Hugo, a renowned French writer born in Besançon, France. Known for masterpieces like Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Hugo came into the world during a period of significant political turmoil within his nation and family. His father served as a Napoleon army officer, while his mother strongly backed the Bourbon Monarchy. Initially recognized as a poet, he received royal recognition from King Louis-Philippe in 1841, only to face exile following Napoleon III’s rise to power a decade later.

Upon his return to Paris in 1870, he received a warm welcome as a hero of the nation. He continued to be involved in politics, advocating for social causes, until he passed away at the age of 83 due to pneumonia.

John Steinbeck

An Author Shoutout to John Steinbeck, born in Salinas, California, the acclaimed author behind timeless works like The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men. Raised in a frontier town, he spent his youth on ranches and among migrant workers, experiences that greatly influenced his writing. Despite being a political enigma, Steinbeck supported worker’s rights and defended his friend Arthur Miller during the Un-American Activities Committee trials.

He may have also been employed by the CIA and strongly backed the Vietnam War, viewing it as a brave undertaking (with both his sons serving in the military). He passed away from heart failure in New York in 1968, at 66 years old.

Daniel Handler

An Author Shoutout to Daniel Handler, also known as Lemony Snicket, born in California’s San Francisco. Describing himself as a human secularist and skilled accordionist, he’s involved in social causes and humorously pokes fun at himself. While publicly acting as Lemony Snicket’s spokesperson, he has authored 8 novels under his real name, Daniel Handler.

In an interview, he amusingly shared his personal philosophy as Always accept a breath mint. He continues to reside in San Francisco.

Hermione Lee

An Author Shoutout to British biographer, literary critic, and academic Hermione Lee, born in 1948, who authored various books. These include studies on Virginia Woolf’s novels, Elizabeth Bowen, Philip Roth, Willa Cather, and a significant biography of Virginia Woolf. In 2013, playwright Tom Stoppard commissioned her to write his biography, which was released in 2020. 

In 2003, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), became a Dame Commander (DBE) in 2013, and was elevated to Dame Grand Cross (GBE) in 2023.

Robert Hass

An Author Shoutout to poet Robert Hass, born in San Francisco, California, who was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. He achieved the 2007 National Book Award and co-won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for his collection Time and Materials: Poems 1997–2005. The Academy of American Poets honored him with the Wallace Stevens Award in 2014.

He is recognized as a lyrical virtuoso capable of transforming even cooking instructions into poetic prose. Additionally, he has played a key role in advocating for ecoliteracy, which involves comprehending the natural systems essential for life on earth.

Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

An Author Shoutout to Theodore Geisel, popularly known as Dr. Seuss, born in Springfield, Massachusetts. The author of iconic children’s books like Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Horton Hears a Who! and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! adopted the pen name Seuss (pronounced like voice, not juice) during college, following a ban from writing for the school newspaper due to a drinking incident with friends in his room.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, who never had kids, famously remarked, You bring ’em; I’ll keep ’em busy. He passed away in 1991 from cancer at the age of 87.

James Merrill

An Author Shoutout to poet James Merrill, born in New York, who won all major American poetry awards, including the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for The Divine Comedies. He was the son of the founder of Merrill Lynch. Merrill lived humbly with his partner David Jackson for over 40 years before being with actor Peter Hooten. He dedicated most of his inheritance to philanthropy, such as the Ingram Merrill Foundation that aids young aspiring writers.

In addition to composing poems, he enjoyed exchanging letters and valued friendship above all else. He passed away in 1995 from a heart attack when he was 68 years old.

Other LitStack Resources

Be sure and look at our other LitStack Recs for our recommendations on books you should read, as well as these reviews by Lauren Alwan, and these reviews by Rylie Fong, Allie Coker, and Sharon Browning.

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