There are 49 authors that start with the letter W. From Waldo Emerson to Wyatt Prunty. Authors are individuals who create written works, spanning a broad range of genres and forms, including novels, short stories, poetry, essays, and plays. The role of an author can vary significantly depending on cultural and historical contexts, but they often serve as observers and commentators on society, weaving together themes of human experience through their narratives. Throughout history, authors have played a pivotal role in shaping cultural identities, influencing public opinion, and fostering literacy through their contributions. Notable authors often leave a lasting legacy, inspiring future generations of writers and readers alike.

An interesting fun fact about authors is that many of the most celebrated works in literature, such as “1984” by George Orwell and “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, were created under pseudonyms. Authors sometimes adopt alternate names to separate their writing identities from their personal lives, to avoid persecution, or to write in different genres without the constraints of their established reputation.

Here’s what each of the columns in the table means:

Column Name: Here, “nationality” refers to the country or countries with which the author is associated, reflecting their cultural background and influence.

Column Name: “Genre” denotes the specific category of literature to which the author’s works belong, such as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama.

Column Name: “Notable works” lists significant titles authored by the individual, often recognized as their most important or influential contributions to literature.

Column Name: “Description” provides a brief summary of the author’s life, career, and contributions to literature, giving context to their significance as a writer.

Authors That Start With W

Authors nationality genre notable works
Waldo Emerson American Philosophy, Essays ‘Self-Reliance’, ‘Nature’
Wallace Stegner American Fiction, Non-fiction ‘Angle of Repose’, ‘The Spectator Bird’
Wallace Stevens American Poetry ‘The Idea of Order at Key West’, ‘Sunday Morning’, ‘The Man with the Blue Guitar’
Wallace West American Science Fiction ‘The Time Trap’, ‘The Man Who Couldn’t Sleep’
Walter Benjamin German Philosophy, Literary Criticism ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’, ‘Illuminations’, ‘The Arcades Project’
Walter Brueggemann American Theology, Bible Scholarship ‘The Prophetic Imagination’, ‘Theology of the Old Testament’, ‘Sabbath as Resistance’
Walter de la Mare English Poetry, Fiction ‘The Listeners’, ‘Collected Poems’, ‘Memoirs of a Midget’
Walter Isaacson American Biography ‘Steve Jobs’, ‘Leonardo da Vinci’
Walter Mosley American Fiction ‘Devil in a Blue Dress’, ‘Little Scarlet’
Walter Tevis American Fiction ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’
Walter White American civil rights ‘Rope and Faggot’, ‘A Man Called White’
Wanuri Kahiu Kenyan Film ‘Rafiki’, ‘From a Whisper’
Warsan Shire Kenyan-British Poetry ‘Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth’, ‘Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head’
Wayland Drew Canadian Fiction ‘The Ramshead Algorithm’, ‘The Peterkin Papers’
Wen Yiduo Chinese poetry ‘Red Candle’, ‘Deadwood’
Wendell Berry American Poetry, Essays, Fiction ‘Jayber Crow’, ‘The Unsettling of America’
Wes Moore American Memoir, Non-Fiction ‘The Other Wes Moore’, ‘The Work’, ‘Five Days’
Whitley Strieber American Fiction, Non-fiction ‘Communion’, ‘Transformation’
Wilbur Smith Zambian-South African Fiction ‘When the Lion Feeds’, ‘The Sunbird’
Wilkie Collins British Fiction ‘The Moonstone’, ‘The Woman in White’
Willa Carroll American Fiction ‘The Poison Givers’, ‘The Darkening Green’
Willa Cather American Fiction ‘O Pioneers!’, ‘My �ntonia’
Willa Gibbs American Fiction ‘The Deliverance’, ‘The Wheel of Life’
Willia Cather American Fiction ‘O Pioneers!’, ‘My �ntonia’
William Dean Howells American Fiction, Literary Criticism ‘The Rise of Silas Lapham’, ‘A Modern Instance’
William Faulkner American Fiction ‘The Sound and the Fury’, ‘As I Lay Dying’
William Gibson Canadian Science Fiction ‘Neuromancer’, ‘Burning Chrome’
William Golding British novels ‘Lord of the Flies’, ‘Rites of Passage’
William Goldman American Fiction, Screenwriting ‘The Princess Bride’, ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’
William Hazlitt British Essays, Literary Criticism ‘On the Pleasure of Hating’, ‘On the Spirit of Obligations’
William Henry Davies British poetry ‘The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp’, ‘Poems’
William Kotzwinkle American Fiction, Screenwriting ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’, ‘The Fan Man’
William Least Heat-Moon American Non-fiction ‘Blue Highways’, ‘PrairyErth’
William Makepeace Thackeray British Fiction ‘Vanity Fair’, ‘The History of Henry Esmond’
William Manchester American biography, history ‘The Death of a President’, ‘American Caesar’
William Maxwell American Fiction ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’, ‘The Folded Leaf’
William Morris British Fiction, Poetry ‘The Earthly Paradise’, ‘News from Nowhere’
William Saroyan American Fiction, Drama ‘The Human Comedy’, ‘The Time of Your Life’
William Shakespeare British Drama, Poetry ‘Hamlet’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’
William Styron American Fiction ‘Sophie’s Choice’, ‘The Confessions of Nat Turner’
William Trevor Irish Fiction ‘The Story of Lucy Gault’, ‘The Old Boys’
Wilma Dykeman American Non-fiction, Fiction ‘The French Broad’, ‘River of the Carolinas’
Winifred Holtby British Fiction, Non-fiction ‘South Riding’, ‘The Crowded Street’
Winona LaDuke American Non-fiction, Activism ‘All Our Relations’, ‘The Militarization of Indian Country’
Woiwode American Fiction ‘Beyond the Bedroom Wall’, ‘What I’m Going to Do, I Think’
Wole Soyinka Nigerian Drama, Poetry, Non-fiction ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’, ‘Ak�: The Years of Childhood’
Wolfgang Borchert German Fiction, Drama ‘The Man Outside’, ‘Drau�en vor der T�r’
Woody Guthrie American Folk Music, Autobiography ‘Bound for Glory’, ‘This Land Is Your Land’
Wyatt Prunty American Poetry ‘The Lover’s Guide to Trenton and Other Poems’, ‘The Mated Osprey’s Hymnal’

Descriptions

Waldo Emerson
American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Known for his influential essays on individualism and self-reliance.
Wallace Stegner
American novelist, historian, and environmentalist. Considered one of the most important writers of the American West in the 20th century.
Wallace Stevens
Modernist poet known for his philosophical approach to poetry and his exploration of the relationship between the imagination and reality.
Wallace West
American science fiction writer, known for his innovative and thought-provoking stories that explore the impact of technology on society.
Walter Benjamin
Influential critical theorist and philosopher, a key figure in the Frankfurt School, known for his groundbreaking work on art, technology, and the nature of experience.
Walter Brueggemann
Renowned Old Testament scholar and theologian who has provided innovative interpretations of the biblical text and its implications for social and political life.
Walter de la Mare
Celebrated English poet and novelist known for his lyrical, atmospheric poems and his subtle, evocative tales of the supernatural and the uncanny.
Walter Isaacson
American writer and biographer, known for his acclaimed biographies of influential figures such as Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein.
Walter Mosley
American novelist, best known for his mystery novels featuring private investigator Easy Rawlins, set in mid-20th century Los Angeles.
Walter Tevis
American novelist and short story writer, best known for his novels ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’ and ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, both of which were adapted into acclaimed films.
Walter White
African American author and NAACP executive secretary who investigated lynchings and advocated for racial justice in the early 20th century.
Wanuri Kahiu
Kenyan film director, screenwriter, and producer. Known for her award-winning films that explore LGBTQ+ themes and Afrofuturism.
Warsan Shire
Kenyan-British poet and writer. Her work explores themes of displacement, trauma, and the immigrant experience.
Wayland Drew
Canadian novelist and short story writer, known for his speculative fiction works that blend science, technology, and philosophy.
Wen Yiduo
Influential Chinese poet and essayist known for his modernist style and political engagement during the Republican era.
Wendell Berry
American novelist, poet, essayist, and environmental activist, known for his writings that explore the interconnectedness of humans, nature, and community.
Wes Moore
Author and social entrepreneur who has written critically acclaimed memoirs and non-fiction works examining the impact of socioeconomic factors on individual and community outcomes.
Whitley Strieber
American author known for his works exploring the paranormal, including his bestselling non-fiction work ‘Communion’ about his alleged alien abduction experiences.
Wilbur Smith
Zambian-born South African author, known for his action-adventure novels set in Africa, exploring themes of history, politics, and human nature.
Wilkie Collins
British novelist, playwright, and short story writer, considered a pioneer of the detective fiction genre, known for his acclaimed works ‘The Moonstone’ and ‘The Woman in White’.
Willa Carroll
American author of literary fiction, known for her darkly lyrical novels that explore themes of identity, grief, and the natural world.
Willa Cather
American author known for her novels about frontier life in the Great Plains region, including ‘O Pioneers!’ and ‘My �ntonia’.
Willa Gibbs
American novelist and playwright, known for her novels exploring the lives of marginalized communities in the American South.
Willia Cather
American author known for her novels about frontier life in the Great Plains region, including ‘O Pioneers!’ and ‘My �ntonia’.
William Dean Howells
American realist author and literary critic, known for his influential role in the development of American literary realism.
William Faulkner
American novelist and short story writer, considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Known for his experimental style and depiction of the American South.
William Gibson
Canadian-American speculative fiction writer, credited with pioneering the cyberpunk genre. His novel ‘Neuromancer’ is considered a seminal work of the genre.
William Golding
Nobel Prize-winning novelist best known for his allegorical novel ‘Lord of the Flies’, which explores the dark side of human nature.
William Goldman
American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, known for his acclaimed works in both fiction and film, including ‘The Princess Bride’ and ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’.
William Hazlitt
British essayist, critic, and social commentator, known for his insightful and often controversial essays on a wide range of topics.
William Henry Davies
Welsh poet known for his lyrical, nature-inspired poems and for his experiences as a homeless wanderer.
William Kotzwinkle
American novelist, screenwriter, and children’s author, best known for writing the novelization of the film ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’.
William Least Heat-Moon
American author and travel writer, best known for his acclaimed non-fiction works that explore the American landscape and culture.
William Makepeace Thackeray
British novelist of the 19th century, known for his satirical works that chronicle the lives of the English upper classes, including the classic novel ‘Vanity Fair’.
William Manchester
Acclaimed biographer and historian who wrote extensively about 20th-century American figures and events.
William Maxwell
American novelist and short story writer, highly regarded for his quietly powerful and psychologically perceptive works.
William Morris
British writer, artist, and socialist activist, known for his influential role in the Arts and Crafts movement and his visionary works of fiction and poetry.
William Saroyan
Armenian-American author, playwright, and short story writer, known for his whimsical and humanistic portrayals of the immigrant experience in America.
William Shakespeare
Widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and one of the most influential figures in world literature. His plays and poems explore the human condition in all its complexities.
William Styron
American novelist, known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ‘The Confessions of Nat Turner’ and the acclaimed ‘Sophie’s Choice’.
William Trevor
Irish novelist and short story writer, considered one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th century, known for his nuanced and empathetic portrayals of the human condition.
Wilma Dykeman
American writer, historian, and environmentalist, known for her non-fiction works exploring the Appalachian region and its people.
Winifred Holtby
British novelist and journalist, best known for her novel ‘South Riding’, which explores the social and political issues of interwar England.
Winona LaDuke
American environmentalist, economist, and writer, known for her advocacy of Native American and environmental rights.
Woiwode
American novelist and short story writer, known for his lyrical and introspective explorations of rural Midwestern life.
Wole Soyinka
Nigerian writer, playwright, and political activist, the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. His works explore the political and social issues of post-colonial Africa.
Wolfgang Borchert
German writer and playwright, known for his short stories and plays that reflect the devastation and disillusionment of post-World War II Germany.
Woody Guthrie
American folk singer-songwriter, best known for his songs celebrating the lives of working-class Americans and his influential role in the American folk music revival.
Wyatt Prunty
American poet, known for his meticulously crafted, formally inventive poems that explore themes of love, loss, and the natural world.

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