Historical Fiction

Herman Wouk (1915 to 2019) was an American novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1952 for “The Caine Mutiny”. He published 15 novels, many of them historical fiction, including the Second World War epics “The Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance”, and his books have been translated into 27 languages. Wouk … Read more

Leon Uris (1924 to 2003) was an American author of historical fiction whose bestsellers include “Exodus” (1958), “QB VII” (1970) and “Trinity” (1976). His long, heavily researched novels cover the Second World War, the founding of Israel and the history of Ireland. Uris was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jewish American parents. His father, who … Read more

E. L. Doctorow (1931 to 2015) was an American novelist, editor and professor known for historical fiction that sets invented characters beside real figures from the American past. He wrote twelve novels, among them “Ragtime” (1975), “Billy Bathgate” (1989) and “The March” (2005), along with three volumes of short fiction and a stage play. Edgar … Read more

Lew Wallace (1827 to 1905) was an American soldier, lawyer, territorial governor and diplomat who is remembered as the author of “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ” (1880). By 1900 it had overtaken “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as the best-selling American novel of the nineteenth century, and it has never been out of print. Lewis Wallace … Read more

Alex Haley (1921 to 1992) was an American writer best known for “Roots: The Saga of an American Family” (1976), a novel based on his own family history that follows Kunta Kinte, taken from The Gambia into slavery in 1767, and his descendants in the United States. His first book was "The Autobiography of Malcolm … Read more

James A. Michener (born 3 February 1907, died 16 October 1997) was an American writer of more than 40 books, most of them long historical sagas that follow generations of families in a single place, among them “Hawaii”, “Centennial”, “Chesapeake” and “Texas”. His first book, “Tales of the South Pacific”, won the Pulitzer Prize for … Read more

Larry McMurtry (1936 to 2021) was an American novelist, essayist and screenwriter whose books are set mostly in the Old West or in contemporary Texas. He wrote more than thirty novels, among them “The Last Picture Show”, “Terms of Endearment” and “Lonesome Dove”, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. McMurtry was born in Wichita … Read more

Gore Vidal (1925 to 2012) was an American novelist, essayist, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the seven historical novels of his Narratives of Empire series, which includes “Burr” and “Lincoln”, for the Roman novel “Julian”, and for the satire “Myra Breckinridge”. Vidal was born at the US Military Academy at West Point, … Read more

Dame Hilary Mantel (born 1952, died 2022) was a British writer best known for her trilogy of historical novels about Thomas Cromwell, the minister of Henry VIII. She won the Booker Prize twice, for “Wolf Hall” and “Bring Up the Bodies”, and was the first woman and the first British writer to win it more … Read more

Diana Gabaldon is an American author best known for the Outlander novels, in which Claire Randall, a twentieth-century nurse, travels back in time to eighteenth-century Scotland and falls in love with the Highland warrior Jamie Fraser. The series began with “Outlander” in 1991, now runs to nine novels, and had sold more than 50 million … Read more

Bernard Cornwell is an English historical novelist, born in London in 1944, best known for the Sharpe novels about a British rifleman in the Napoleonic Wars and for the Saxon Stories, the thirteen books adapted for television as “The Last Kingdom”. He has published more than sixty novels since 1981. Cornwell was adopted and brought … Read more

Conn Iggulden is a celebrated British author known for his gripping historical fiction and adventure novels. Born in 1971 in London, Iggulden was drawn to the magic of storytelling from an early age, a passion he cultivated during his education at St. Martins School and later, the University of London, where he studied English. Iggulden’s … Read more

Barbara Kingsolver is an acclaimed American author and essayist, celebrated for her poignant and thought-provoking novels that often explore themes of social justice, environmentalism, and the human relationship with nature. Born on April 8, 1955, in Annapolis, Maryland, Kingsolver was raised in rural Kentucky, an upbringing that deeply influenced her writing and perspectives. Kingsolver’s literary … Read more

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a contemporary American author widely acclaimed for her compelling novels that explore love, fame, and the human heart. Born on December 20, 1983, in Acton, Massachusetts, Reid has captivated a wide readership with her unique storytelling style, characterized by emotionally rich narratives and complex, relatable characters. Reid’s journey as an author … Read more