People who write or wrote books, though not necessarily for a living.[softreturn]Remember, ThereIsNoSuchThingAsNotability.[softreturn]The preponderance of recent authors probably reflects the biases of the tropers updating the index.[softreturn]The nearly exclusive emphasis on authors of fiction reflects the basic purpose of the wiki.[softreturn]When adding examples, please put them in the correct chronological section.

!Before 500 CE. (Classical)

Regrettably, many of the oldest classics such as {{The Epic of Gilgamesh}} and TheBible are essentially anonymous works. For the purposes of this page, "Classical" refers to all writers before the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century AD. These authors are arranged chronologically, divided by place of origin.

!!Chinese
* Laozi (Lao Tse, Lao-Tsu): (traditionally, he is said to have lived from 600 BCE to 470 BCE); Early Chinese philosopher; author of ''Daodejing'' (Tao Te Ching)
* Kong Qiu ({{Confucius}}): (traditionally September 28, 551 BCE – 479 BCE); The most influential philosopher in the history of China; author of ''Analects''
* Sunzi (Sun Tzu): (believed to have lived sometime between 476 BCE and 221 BCE) Author of ''The Art of War''
* Zhuangzi (Chuang Tsu, Master Chuang): (Believed to have lived c. 370 BCE - c.301 BCE); Another founding figure of Taoism along with Laozi; author of ''Zhuangzi''. Probably best known in the West for this:
-->Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi.

!!Greek
* {{Homer}}: (born c.800 [=BCE=], died c.750 [=BCE=]) Author/collector of ''TheIliad'' and ''TheOdyssey'', the oldest written examples of many tropes. Homer himself was blind and illiterate, so his works were transmitted by oral tradition.
* Hesiod: Rough contemporary of Homer whose ''Theogony'' set down the relationships between the gods and other beings of ClassicalMythology.
* {{Aeschylus}} (c.525 [=BCE=] to c.456 [=BCE=]) was a Greek playwright who adapted many myths and legends.
* {{Sophocles}} (c.496 [=BCE=] to c.406 [=BCE=]) was a Greek playwright who adapted many myths and legends.
* {{Euripides}} (c.480 [=BCE=] to c.406 [=BCE=]) was a Greek playwright who adapted many myths and legends.
* {{Aristophanes}}: Comic playwright, contemporary with Euripides and Sophocles, as well as Socrates. The ModernMajorGeneral knows his "Croaking ''Frogs''".
* Herodotus: The Father of History, he compiled a history of the known world (Greeks, Persians, and Egyptians, mostly, with Scythians and barbarians around the edges) that sought to explain the causes of the Persian Wars.
* Thucydides: What Herodotus did for the Persian Wars, Thucydides did for the Peloponnesian War (but with less digressions, more analysis and some awesome speeches).
* {{Socrates}}: Greek philosopher. Left no writings, but was of great influence because of his effect on
* {{Plato}}: The first Greek philosopher from whom we have complete works with great influence on later thought;
* {{Aristotle}}: one of Plato's student, also a Greek philosopher; author of ''Poetics'', oldest existing work of literary criticism, in which he identified quite a few tropes.
* {{Sappho}}: The only surviving female poet from antiquity, she was a native of Lesbos and the [[TropeNamer reason modern-day lesbians are called lesbians]].
* Aesop: The author -- or at least attributed author of AesopsFables. May never have existed.

!!Indian
* Valmiki (c. 400 BCE) author of ''Ramayana'', and attributed with establishing the form for Sanskrit poetry.

!!Roman
* Plautus: Roman comic playwright, the author of ''MilesGloriosus''.
* Cicero: Roman politician, contemporary of Julius Caesar, whose ''Cataline Orations,'' other speeches, letters, and philosophical and rhetorical treatises are still widely read.
* {{Virgil}}: Roman poet, contemporary of Augustus, who composed ''{{The Aeneid}}'', setting out how Trojan refugees founded the greatest city in the world. Or, rather, founded the tribe that would later give birth to the founders.
* Horace: Another poet active around the time of Augustus, wrote a variety of material, including satire and odes. Coined several phrases still in current use, including ''Carpe diem.''
* {{Ovid}}: Poet, contemporary of Virgil, who wrote the ''{{Metamorphoses}},'' a large collection of myths dealing with love and transformations, and much other material, including a makeup manual.
* Livy: Roman historian who wrote an acccount of the city's history from its founding by Romulus and Remus on down to his own time (Augustus's reign).
* {{Juvenal}}: Roman satirist writing in the early second century AD. Treated greed, sexual immorality, and the generally terrible quality of urban life.
* Martial: The epigrammist who wrote pithy little verses about the life of the upper class around the time Juvenal was active.
* Suetonius and Tacitus: Contemporaries of Juvenal and Martial who went into history. Tacitus recorded events from the death of Augustus up to the assassination of Domitian; most of his work has been lost. Suetonius wrote biographies of the Emperors from Julius Caesar to Domitian. These two authors' work forms most of the basis for ''IClaudius''.
* Vegetius: Late Roman writer, mostly known for his treatise on military matters.

!500CE to 1400CE (Mediaeval)

These are the writers between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance, loosely dated as between the fifth and fourteenth centuries AD. A number of pieces from this period are also anonymous, including ''{{Beowulf}}'' and ''{{The Song of Roland}}''. These are listed in chronological order and divided by geographic area.

!! British Isles
* Geoffrey of Monmouth: (c. 1100 – c. 1155)) Author of the ''Historia Regum Britanniae,'' which includes one of the earliest accounts of KingArthur, as well as much of {{Shakespeare}}'s source material. Mixed fiction/legend with history quite freely.

!! France
* Chretien de Troyes: (Dates of birh and death uncertain; mid- to late-1100's) French troubadour who made great contributions to the Arthurian canon, including the quest for the Holy Grail and possibly Sir Launcelot.

!! Iceland
* Snorri Sturluson: (1178 – September 23, 1241)) Icelandic poet, lawyer, and lawspeaker who composed the ''Prose Edda'', setting out many of the elements of NorseMythology. Tolkien used names from Sturluson's work for the Dwarves in ''TheHobbit'' and for Gandalf. He also wrote the ''Heimskringla'', a history; and ''may'' be the author of ''Egil's Saga''

!! Italy
* DanteAlighieri: (c.1265 – September 14, 1321) Poet best known for his ''DivineComedy''. TropeNamer for WordOfDante. He did for Italian what Chaucer did for vernacular English, to the point that the French sometimes call Italian ''la langue de Dante''

!!Japanese
* MurasakiShikibu: (c. 973–c. 1014 or 1025): Author of ''{{The Tale of Genji}}'', Japanese noblewoman, novelist and poet. Her real name is unknown.
* Sei Shonagon: (c.966 - 1017) Author of ''ThePillowBook''. A Lady-in-waiting of Empress Sadako, her real name is not known for certain, but most scholars believe it is Kiyohara Nagiko.

!1300-1700 CE (Renaissance)

These writers wrote between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries--a very broad span of time, which includes the Reformation and the beginnings of modern thought. The Renaissance began in Italy, but its influence spread slowly to the rest of Europe. These authors are listed in chronological order, divided by area.

!!Italian
* {{Boccaccio}}: (1313 – 21 December 1375); Influenced such greats as {{Shakespeare}} and GeoffreyChaucer. And by "influenced", I mean, "They just rewrote his stories". He, like Dante before him, wrote in Italian, rather than Latin.
* NiccoloMachiavelli: (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527); Italian. Author of another ''Art of War'', ''ThePrince'', and ''The Discourses;'' Italian political thinker whose influence is still felt.

!!Chinese
* Shi Nai'an: (c. 1296 - c. 1372); ''The WaterMargin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature. Some believe him to be Luo Guanzhong or one of his teachers.
* Luo Guanzhong: (c. 1330-1400); ''TheRomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature.
* Wu Cheng'en: (c. 1500 - c. 1582); ''JourneyToTheWest'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature. Unlike most serious literature in China at the time, it was written in the vernacular.

!!British Isles
* GeoffreyChaucer (c. 1343 – 25 October 1400); English. Author and poet. Best known for ''The Canterbury Tales'', even though it's an unfinished work. Credited with being the first to regularly use vernacular English rather than Latin or French.
* Sir ThomasMallory: (c. 1405 – March 14, 1471); English. Compiler or author of ''Le Morte d'Arthur,'' generally regarded as the foundation of modern Arthurian tales.
* Sir Thomas More: (February 7, 1478 – July 6, 1535); English. Author of ''{{Utopia}}''
* ChristopherMarlowe: (baptised February 26, 1564 – May 30, 1593); English. Poet, dramatist, and translator, he is probably best known for ''The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus'', ''The Jew Of Malta'', and ''Tamburlaine''. He was one of the first to write English drama in blank verse.
* WilliamShakespeare: (baptised April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616) English. 38 plays, 154 sonnets and other works. He is the inventor or best-known source of many tropes, phrases and words.
* JohnMilton: (December 9, 1608 - November 8, 1674); English. Poet and pamphleteer, his most seminal works are Areopagitica and ParadiseLost.

!!Spain
* {{Miguel de Cervantes}}: (September 29, 1547 – April 23, 1616)) Author of ''DonQuixote'' and a pile of plays. ''Don Quixote'' is often considered the first Western novel.

!!France
* CharlesPerrault: (January 12, 1628 – May 16, 1703); French. Credited creating the genre of ''Fairy Tale'' when he published ''Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals (Histoires ou Contes du Temps passé)'' in 1697, with the subtitle: ''Tales of Mother Goose (Les Contes de ma Mère l'Oie)''

!18th Century

!!American
* ThomasJefferson: The Declaration of Independence (principal author)
* "Publius" (Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison): ''The Federalist Papers,'' American political philosophy.
* ThomasPaine: ''Common Sense,'' ''The Rights of Man,'' and ''The Age of Reason,'' among other works. Famous for involvement in American Revolution

!!British Isles:
* JonathanSwift:(1667 – 1745) Irish; GulliversTravels, A Modest Proposal, and other works; lived on the cusp of the 17th and 18th centuries.
* ColleyCibber: (1671-1757) English; Poet Laureate from 1730. Playwright, adapter of Shakespeare, and object of Pope's heroic-couplet satire ''The Dunciad''.
* Edmund Burke: (1729 - 1797) AngloIrish; ''Reflections on the Revolution in France'' and many others. Considered by many as the father of modern political conservatism.

!!France
* Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) (January 15, 1622 – February 17, 1673); Playwright and actor, considered by many to have written some of the most brilliant comedies in the Western theatre. Best known for ''{{Tartuffe, or The Hypocrite}}'', ''The Misanthrope'', ''The School for Wives'', and ''The Imaginary Invalid''. ''Les Fourberies de Scapin'' (literally, "Scapin's Deceits") was adapted for the Broadway stage as ''Scapino!''.
* Voltaire (FrancoisMarieArouet): (1694 – 1778); Hugely prolific the author of over 20,000 works ranging from pamphlets to treatises to novels. Best known for ''Candide'' and the short story ''Micromegas'' (one of the earliest works depicting aliens visiting Earth).

!!Chinese
* Cao Xueqin: (c.1715 - c. 1764); ''DreamOfTheRedChamber'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It is believed by many to be the greatest novel written in the Chinese language


!19th Century
* HansChristianAndersen known mostly for his fairytales such as "Little Mermaid" and the "The Ugly Duckling"
* JaneAusten, most famously known for "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility"
* AmbroseBierce, author of ''TheDevilsDictionary'' and contributor to the CthulhuMythos
* LordByron (see also ByronicHero)
* LewisCarroll
* JosephConrad (early Modernist author whose works extend into the early twentieth century, though best known for {{Heart of Darkness}})
* CharlesDickens, known for "Tale of Two Cities"
* BenjaminDisraeli (also known in his other career as a [[TheMenOfDowningStreet Prime Minister]])
* FyodorDostoevsky, wrote "Crime and Punishment" and "The Brother Karamazov"
* Sir ArthurConanDoyle: Creator of SherlockHolmes and ''The Lost World.''
* AlexandreDumas, ''père et fils'': The father wrote ''TheThreeMusketeers'', ''TheCountOfMonteCristo'' and a pile of other stuff; the son wrote ''La Dame aux Camelias''
* TheBrothersGrimm: while best known for publishing collections of fairy tales and folk stories, the Brothers Grimm were also prominent in linguistics.
* HenrikIbsen: Norwegian playwright of the 19th century
* GeorgeMacDonald
* FriedrichNietzsche, prolific philosopher and writer who wrote "Thus Spoke Zarusthra" and Tropenamer for ''EternalRecurrence'', ''GodIsDead'', ''HeWhoFightsMonsters'', ''NietzscheWannabe'' and ''Ubermensch''.
. Quoted too many times to count.
* EdgarAllanPoe: Pretty much ''the'' horror story writer. Also wrote the first detective story.
* WalterScott: Author of ''Ivanhoe'', ''{{Rob Roy}}'' and a pile of 'Scottish novels'. He was the first to write historical novels in Europe.
* BramStoker: Author of ''{{Literature/Dracula}}''
* HenryDavidThoreau
* MarkTwain: American author and humorist. Best known for ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and for being endlessly quotable due to his rather... direct outlook on life.
* AntonChekhov: Tropers will know this man best for his concept of [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Gun]].
* [[MaryShelley Mary Shelley]]: Author of ''{{Frankenstein}}'' and mother of science fiction
* JulesVerne: Father of Science Fiction.
* [[HGWells H.G. Wells]]: British science fiction writer, who, along with Jules Verne, practically invented the genre.
* OscarWilde: Author of "A Picture of Dorian Gray." Known for his wit as well as his life's downer ending.
* HoratioAlgerJr: Author of ''Ragged Dick'' and many other similar stories, the TropeMaker for RagsToRiches.

!20th and 21st Centuries

* DanAbnett: Abnett is a comic book writer for 2000AD and Marvel (along with a few DC pieces), who is also known for writing a number of Warhammer 40,000 novels, particularly the GauntsGhosts series.
* DouglasAdams: author of ''[=~The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy~=]'' in its many, many mediums.
* LloydAlexander
* AaronAllston
* PoulAnderson
* VCAndrews: You can tell the books are popular when they keep writing them ''after the author's death''.
* PiersAnthony: creator of ''{{Xanth}}'' and the IncarnationsofImmortality.
* K.A. Applegate: Creator of ''{{Animorphs}}'', ''{{Everworld}}'', and ''{{Remnants}}''.
* IsaacAsimov: Prolific founder of modern ScienceFiction.
* CliveBarker
* DaveBarry
* PeterSBeagle
* HilariBell
* JudyBlume
* EnidBlyton
* JorgeLuisBorges
* RayBradbury: prolific in a wide number of mediums, but best known for his speculative fiction like ''{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' and ''The Martian Chronicles''.
* MarionZimmerBradley
* RaymondBriggs
* DavidBrin
* ChristopherBrookmyre
* DaleBrown
* DanBrown
* {{Lois McMaster Bujold}}
* EdgarRiceBurroughs
* JimButcher
* OrsonScottCard
* {{John le Carre}}
* JackChalker
* RaymondChandler
* BenCounter
* CJCherryh
* GKChesterton: English writer who is The Christian author, after C. S. Lewis. Known primarily for his witty essays.
* AgathaChristie: Epitomises the classic age of mystery fiction.
* TomClancy: While not the first to write techno-thrillers (that was Craig Thomas), Clancy defined the genre.
* ChrisClaremont
* ArthurCClarke
* BeverlyCleary
* ChrisComerford
* SusanCooper
* AleisterCrowley: Known for his Satanic and Occult writings.
* MichaelCrichton: Remember ''JurassicPark''? He wrote the book it was based on. Like TomClancy above, he's a famous author of various techno-thrillers.
* CliveCussler: best-known (relatively) for writing several action-suspense series collectively known as [[NUMASeries the NUMA Series]]. In real life he also uses his book profits to fund searches for notable and as-yet-undiscovered shipwrecks, most famously and successfully the Confederate submarine ''Hunley''.
* RoaldDahl: A highly influential children's author, known for his macabre sense of humour. After all, "Violence accompanied by wit is much loved."
* PeterDavid: Writer of Stuff
* RichardDawkins: Author of several scientific books, and the well-known ''The God Delusion''.
* LenDeighton: British spy writer and historian
* PeterDeVries
* [[PhilipKDick Philip K. Dick]]
* GordonRDickson
* DavidDrake: Scifi and fantasy author. Known for his realistic portrayal of combat.
* DianeDuane: Fantasy author most well-known for her ''YoungWizards'' series and several of StarTrek's best (and best-loved) novels, including ''Spock's World'', ''The Wounded Sky'', ''Doctor's Orders'', and the ''Rihannsu'' series.
* LordDunsany
* RogerEbert: extremely well-known film critic; also a screenwriter, and has written several books besides about being a film critic. Best known as the partner of Gene Siskel.
* [[{{Belgariad}} David Eddings]]: Took most HighFantasy tropes, smushed them together, and wrote four rather excellent quintets with them. They're so good mostly because he ''knows'' he's using them, so he doesn't take himself very seriously. AirportFantasy at its finest.
* TeresaEdgerton
* GregEgan
* TSEliot
* WarrenEllis: Vitriolic British comic book writer best-known for writing the ''{{Transmetropolitan}}'' series.
* HarlanEllison: Once posted a dead gopher to a New York publisher because said publisher placed cigarette ads in a collection of short stories, in violation of contract.
* BenElton
* GarthEnnis: co-created the ''{{Preacher}}'' comic book series and revived the ''{{Punisher}}'' line.
* [[{{ptitleaa1va94n11pz}} Raymond E. Feist]], author of TheRiftwarCycle
* JasperFforde
* IanFleming: Creator of JamesBond and ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''.
* VinceFlynn
* PhilFoglio
* [[{{ptitlenlftwvna}} John M. Ford]]
* FrederickForsyth
* AlanDeanFoster: Sci-fi author, and responsible for some truly awesome novelisations.
* {{George MacDonald Fraser}}: Creator of {{Flashman}}
* RobertFrost: Poet, probably best known for "two roads diverged in a yellow wood."
* StephenFry (amongst other things)
* JosteinGaarder
* NeilGaiman: Creator of ''TheSandman'' as well as accomplished novelist and screenplay writer.
* GabrielGarciaMarquez
* DavidGemmell
* WilliamGibson (Grandfather of {{Cyberpunk}})
* WilliamGoldman: Not even slightly dead.
* TerryGoodkind
* Maxim Gorky (overlapped with the 19th century).
* JohnGrisham
* BarbaraHambly
* Peter F. Hamilton: Author of the Night's Dawn Trilogy, the Commonwealth Saga and the Void Trilogy.
* DashiellHammett
* RobertAHeinlein: Dean of Science Fiction: the man who perfected the young adult SF novel, assuming you believe he didn't invent it. Defined time loop/time paradox stories with "'—All You Zombies—'".
* HermannHesse: German NobelPrize winning author of books like Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, Demian, and TheGlassBeadGame.
* GeorgetteHeyer: Does Regency Romance. Heavily inspired by JaneAusten.
* TracyHickman: co-creator of the ''{{Dragonlance}}'' setting and co-author of a number of books in that setting. Also author of several other fantasy novels.
* RobinHobb: author of the LowFantasy trilogy-of-trilogies the Realm of the Elderlings
* AnthonyHorowitz
* TomHolt
* Stephen Hunter
* TanyaHuff
* DavidIcke: Conspiracy theorist
* [[{{SKJAM}} Scott Jamison]]
* RobinJarvis
* PaulJennings
* CleolindaJones
* DianaWynneJones
* FranzKafka: considered a rather influential writer despite completing and publishing very little. Best known for the short novel "The Metamorphosis".
* {{Guy Gavriel Kay}}
* StephenKing: Hugely successful author of modern horror and fantasy.
* RudyardKipling: widely prolific British (though born in India) author and poet, best known for ''TheJungleBook'' and a good deal of poetry.
* DeanKoontz: Not-quite-as, but still successful author of modern horror and fantasy.
* GordonKorman
* KarlKruszelnicki: Popular Australian science author.
* MercedesLackey: Does fantasy (''Heralds of Valdemar'') and Urban Fantasy.
* [[{{ptitletutybczw}} Louis L'Amour]]
* UrsulaKLeGuin
* [[{{ptitle23fr1zp0gsny}} C. S. Lewis]]: best known for writing ''TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' and ''TheScrewtapeLetters''. A good friend of [[JRRTolkien J.R.R. Tolkien]].
* AstridLindgren
* [[{{ptitledpl8vzco2u59}} H. P. Lovecraft]]: "weird fiction" author who had a major impact on the horror genre; created the CosmicHorrorStory, and changed how we see "monsters".
* DavidMamet
* [[{{ptitle4j0avkmu}} George R. R. Martin]]: Famous for ''ASongOfIceAndFire''. He also helped kick-start the ''WildCards'' series.
* JohnMasefield
* RichardMatheson
* {{Anne McCaffrey}}: Author of the ''DragonridersOfPern'' series.
* [[{{ptitlefy2acliy}} Ian McDonald]]
* PatriciaAMcKillip
* GrahamMcNeill
* StephenieMeyer
* SandyMitchell: Pseudonym used by author of the CiaphasCain '''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM''' novels.
* WalterMoers
* ElizabethMoon
* MichaelMoorcock
* AlanMoore: British comic book writer and novelist. Best known for his work on ''SwampThing'' as well as his stories such as the ''LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', ''VForVendetta'', and ''{{Watchmen}}''.
* KimNewman
* LarryNiven: Author of ''{{Ringworld}}'' and the "Known Space" universe.
* GarthNix
* AndreNorton
* PatrickOBrian: Wrote the {{Aubrey-Maturin}} novels, some of the most famous seafaring literature to date.
* GeorgeOrwell: Creator of such depressing works as ''[[NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'' and ''AnimalFarm''.
* ChuckPalahniuk
* {{Christopher Paolini}}: The "genius" who wrote ''Eragon''.
* JamesPatterson: American thriller writer.
* EllisPeters
* JodiPicoult
* TamoraPierce: Fantasy author known for inverting TheSmurfettePrinciple. Really likes writing quartets, although not so much lately.
* DanielPinkwater
* HaroldPinter
* [[HBeamPiper H. Beam Piper]]: Science fiction writer; worked out an extensive future history as well as several AlternateHistory stories. Committed suicide in 1964 because of financial problems. A check was literally in the mail.
* TimPowers
* TerryPratchett: Author of the {{Discworld}} series.
* PhilipPullman
* AynRand: Philosopher and novelist. Inspired TerryGoodkind.
* RobertRankin: Author of FarFetchedFiction.
* AlastairReynolds: Sci-fi/SpaceOpera author, creator of the ''Revelation Space'' universe.
* AnneRice
* JohnRidley
* JohnRingo: Started with MilitaryScienceFiction works (the first book of the PosleenWarSeries was his authorial debut), but has branched out to other genres, including {{fantasy}} (urban and traditional) and adventure stories.
* RichardRogers and OscarHammersteinII.
* PhilipRoth
* JKRowling: The creator of HarryPotter.
* GregRucka: crime novelist, also noted for his work on {{Batman}}, WonderWoman and his own comic book titles, such as {{Whiteout}} and QueenAndCountry.
* RafaelSabatini
* FredSaberhagen
* BrandonSanderson
* [[{{ptitlewo6dni8e}} Dorothy L. Sayers]]
* JohnScalzi
* DrSeuss: The definitive picture-book author.
* RobertSilverberg
* ShelSilverstein
* DanSimmons: Former public-school English teacher turned writer, he is responsible for the sci-fi epic, ''The {{Hyperion}} Cantos'', as well as ''Ilium''. ''Olympos'', ''The Terror'', and most recently ''Drood'' -- among many others.
* ClarkAshtonSmith: Known best for his dark fantasy short stories, but also wrote horror, science fiction, and poetry.
* CordwainerSmith: Classic author of Science Fiction, also wrote the first definitive book on modern psychological warfare. His style is a generally excerpts from the DaysOfFuturePast, and is nearly all set in his TheVerse 'verse: The Instrumentality of Mankind. Philosophically, He fused Christian symbolism with Chinese philosophy. StudioGainax have an affinity for his work and keep naming things after it.
* E.E. "Doc" Smith, inventor of SpaceOpera and the {{Lensman}} series.
* L. J. Smith, author of NightWorld, TheVampireDiaries
* WenSpencer
* JohnSteakley
* NealStephenson: Cyberpunk author, TropeMaker of TheMetaverse
* TomStoppard
* CharlesStross: writer of ''Accelerando'' and other works concerning posthumanism (as well as [[JamesBond Bond]] crossed with the [[HPLovecraft Cthulhu Mythos]]).
* The StrugatskyBrothers: Authors of Soviet sci-fi and satire.
* JamesSwallow
* HunterSThompson: Madcap drug-addled journalist best known for writing ''FearAndLoathingInLasVegas''. One of the main reasons Rolling Stone Magazine took off instead of folding early like many other magazines of the time.
* AmyTan
* JamesThurber
* [[JRRTolkien J.R.R. Tolkien]]: Oxford professor who created the Middle-earth legendarium, ''{{The Lord of the Rings}}''. The father of modern fantasy. Good friends with [[CSLewis C.S. Lewis]].
* HarryTurtledove: Alternative-fiction author probably best-known for his Timeline 191 series.
* JackVance: Creator of VancianMagic
* VernorVinge
* DavidFosterWallace
* JoWalton
* LawrenceWattEvans
* DavidWeber
* CatherineWebb
* MargaretWeis: co-creator of the ''{{Dragonlance}}'' setting and co-author of a number of books in that setting. Also author of numerous other fantasy novels.
* ManlyWadeWellman
* TadWilliams
* ConnieWillis
* FPaulWilson: Medical doctor, author of horror stories and thrillers of every stripe. Best known for the RepairmanJack cycle.
* JacquelineWilson: Popular UK author of children's and teenage fiction.
* RobertAntonWilson: Master of the MindScrew
* PatriciaCWrede
* JohnCWright
* PGWodehouse: Prolific comic writer, helped shape the image of ChristieTime.
* GaryWolf : author of ''WhoCensoredRogerRabbit?'' and ''SpaceVulture''
* GeneWolfe: Author of ''The Book of the New Sun'' and other works
* RogerZelazny
* JinYong: Prolific Chinese author, and one of, if not ''the'' biggest author in the genre of {{Wuxia}}.
* SimonRGreen

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