Frederick Gilmer Bonfils (1860 - 1933)

Newspaper Publisher. After working in banking and real estate, he moved to Denver in 1895 and, with Harry Heye Tammen, purchased the “Evening Post”, renaming it the “Denver Post”. With a theatrical approach to journalism, they made it one of the most sensational newspapers in the country. In 1900, both Bonfils and Tammen were seriously […]

Nelson Slade Bond (1908 - 2006)

Author. He was a Science Fiction and Fantasy writer, one of the last links to the era of pulp science fiction. Best known for his “Lancelot Biggs” series, he also wrote “Mr. Mergenthwirker’s Lobblies and Other Fantastic Tales” (1946), “Nightmares and Daydreams” (1968), and “Other Worlds Than Ours” (2005), as well as one novel, “Exiles […]

Erma Bombeck (1927 - 1996)

Newspaper Columnist. For three decades she chronicled life’s absurdities in a syndicated column carried by hundreds of newspapers.  She was born Erma Louise Fiste in Dayton, Ohio to a father who was a city crane operator.  At age fifteen, she was hired by the Dayton Herald as a copygirl.  Shirley Temple came to Dayton premiering […]

Godfried Jan Arnold Bomans (1913 - 1971)

Author. Born in The Hague, Netherlands, he was a popular Dutch author and television personality. He is best known for his books of modern day fairy tales and his short stories. Some of his best works included “Erik, or the Little Insect Book” (1940), “De avonturen van Pa Pinkelman” (1946), “Avonturen van Tante Pollewop” (1948) […]

Sarah Bolton (1814 - 1893)

Poet, Author. She was the author of “Paddle Your Own Canoe” and “Indiana.”  (bio by: Laurie)  Family links:  Spouses:  Addison Reese (1809 – 1882)*  Nathaniel Bolton (1803 – 1858)*  Children:  James Pendleton Bolton (____ – 1903)*  Sallie Ada Bolton Smith (____ – 1864)* *Calculated relationship

Roberto Bolaño (1953 - 2003)

Noted Chilean Writer who lived in Spain from 1977 to his death. He is remembered for his works “La Literatura Nazi en América,” “Los Detectives Salvajes,” “Estrella Distante,” “Amberes,” “El Gaucho Insufrible” and “Nocturno de Chile”. He left unfinished his novel “2666.” (bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni)

George Henry Boker (1823 - 1890)

Poet, Social Reformer, US Diplomat. Born into a wealthy Philadelphia, Pennsylvania family, he was raised in a life of leisure that allowed him to explore a love of poetry he developed at an early age. Sent to attend Princeton University as a young adult, he helped found the school’s literary magazine “Nassau Monthly” before he […]

Edward Bok (1863 - 1930)

Edward Bok was born in Den Helder, Holland, on 9th October,1863.When Bok was seven years old his family emigrated to the United States. After attending school in Brooklyn, New York City, Bok found work as an office boy at the Western Union Telegraph Company. Bok had a strong desire to become a journalist and managed […]

Grace Lee Boggs (1915 - 2015)

American Author and Activist. Born Grace Lee to Chinese immigrants, she was an author, philosopher and human rights activist who fought for civil rights, labor, feminism, the environment and other causes for seven decades. Raised in Queens, New York, at 16 she enrolled at Barnard College, graduated in 1935 with a degree in philosophy, and […]

Ludwig Boerne (1786 - 1837)

German-Jewish writer and political philosopher, influenced Karl Marx.

Peter Boenisch (1927 - 2005)

German journalist and newspaper editor. Considered one of Germany’s most important post-war journalists, he was born in  Berlin, Germany, where he began his journalism career in 1945 as a reporter for the “Allgeminein Zeitung” in Berlin. Also wrote for “Newsweek” and the “New York Times.” In 1956 he co-founded a youth magazine “Bravo” and in […]

Julia Boenisch (1962 - 2004)

Journalist, Author. Born Julia Schramm she began her journalism career with Sport Informations Dienst (one of Germany’s largest sports news agencies) and for the daily newspaper “die Welt.” Moved to a position as chief reporter for “Bild der Frau” (German weekly magazine for women) and later was a long-time columnist for the weekly newspaper “Welt […]

Maxwell Bodenheim (1892 - 1954)

Novelist and Poet. Once considered a leading modernist author of the early 20th Century, he is credited with introducing the spirit of French Naturalism into American Literature. His novel “Replenishing Jessica” (1925), a brutally frank tale about a young woman’s sexual liberation among seedy bohemians, was the subject of a famous obscenity trial that helped […]

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375)

Author. The illegitimate son of a French noblewoman and a merchant from Florence, he became one of the most prolific writers of the late Middle Ages, best-known today for “The Decameron”, which consists of 100 stories told over ten days, by seven young women and three young men who have taken a short respite from […]

Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra (1824 - 1861)

Poet.  He was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In 1827, the González family moved to the port of Cádiz, Spain.  In 1836, they returned to San Luis Potosí, Mexico where Francisco spent time working at his father’s commerce business.  In 1846 he moved to Mexico City, began publishing his first poems and became a […]

Albert “Al” Boasberg (1891 - 1937)

Motion Picture Screenwriter. Born in Buffalo, New York, he wrote scripts for both dramatic and comedy films, although comedy was his primary field. Films with his screenplays included “Freaks” and “A Night at the Opera”. He also wrote jokes for live comedy acts. Comedians who used his material include George Burns, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, […]

Nellie Bly (1864 - 1922)

Journalist. She was a pioneer of investigative journalism. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, her career with the Pittsburgh “Dispatch” was the first of many papers and magazines which gave her employment in her lifetime. Taking a pen name from composer Stephen Foster’s song “Nelly Bly”, she exposed abuses in politics, employment and dereliction of duty in […]

Edmund Blunden (1896 - 1974)

Author. He was born in London, England. He served in the First World War, winning the Military Cross. His life was powerfully dominated by his wartime experience, which he reflected in one of his most renowned works, “Undertones of War” (1928). Also he was a close friend of the poet Siegfried Sassoon. His works include […]

Simon Blumenfeld (1907 - 2005)

Author and Dramatist. Throughout his 20’s and 30’s Blumenfeld wrote plays, and published four novels, of which the best known was “Jew Boy”, about the East End; it originally came out in the US as The Iron Garden in 1932, was published in Britain in 1935 and was republished over 50 years later. Simon’s famed […]

Rhoda Blumberg (1917 - 2016)

Author. A writer of both fiction and nonfiction children’s books, she received a 1986 Newbery Honor for her work “Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun” (1985). Born into a Jewish family, she was raised in Brooklyn and received her Bachelor of Arts from Adelphi University. She began her career as a freelance writer […]

Alexander Alexandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)

Poet,  Playwright.  Considered by many the greatest figure of Russia’s Symbolist Movement.  His experiments in rhythm and prosody broke new ground in his country’s literature. Blok’s masterpiece, the long poem “The Twelve” (1918), reflected his initial enthusiasm for the Russian Revolution. It depicts twelve Bolshevik soldiers on a winter night, raping, looting, and killing their […]

Albert W. Bloemker (1906 - 1996)

Journalist. Popular sportswriter for the “Indianapolis Star” who subsequently served the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 to 1987. At the height of his career, he served as the Speedway’s Director of Publicity. His premier works include “500 Miles to Go,” a history of the Indianapolis 500-mile classic. The Albert W. Bloemker Media Center at the […]

Robert Bloch (1917 - 1994)

Author. Best known for his book “Psycho.”  Family links:  Spouse:  Eleanor Alexander Bloch (1915 – 2007)* *Calculated relationship

Pedro Bloch (1914 - 2004)

Author, Playwright. Author of 100 books. He was the first Brazilian of his generation with a play on Broadway, with the production of “Conscience.” He also wrote 20 other plays, one of them was “The Hands of Eurydice.” (bio by: Laurie)

James Blish (1921 - 1975)

Author. He was born in East Orange, New Jersey. He is fondly remembered for his science fiction stories. In fact, he was the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death. Among his works “Cities […]

Robert Blees (1918 - 2015)

American Writer and Producer. Blees, who produced for television and film, wrote the screenplays for Douglas Sirk’s 1954 classic ‘Magnificent Obsession’, which starred Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, and 1956’s ‘Autumn Leaves’, with Joan Crawford and Cliff Robertson. Blees attended Dartmouth College and worked for Time and Life magazines before turning to screenwriting and producing. […]

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867 - 1928)

Author,  Politician.  He was sometimes called “The Spanish Zola” because his early,  realistic novels dealt with the poor and oppressed in his native Valencia.  Later he turned to writing best sellers that brought him international fame,  though at the expense of his literary reputation.  Most popular were the bullfighting story “Blood and Sand” (1909) and […]

José María Blanco White (1775 - 1841)

Spanish theologian, priest, poet, journalist and literary critic. His full name was José María Blanco Crespo. White fled Spain for Britain during the War of Independence, and ran the periodical El Español (1810-1814) from London. He is best known for his work “Letters from Spain” (1822). He also wrote “Practical and Internal Evidence against Catholicism” […]

Rufino Blanco Fombona (1874 - 1944)

Venezuelan poet, essayist and novelist, one of the leaders of Modernismo.  Active in Venezuelan political affairs, he lived exiliated many years in Europe and contributed to spread the knowledge of Spanish American literature abroad.  His poems, as the collection “Cantos de la Prisión y del Destierro” are better than his novels.  Among his novels are […]

Andrés Eloy Blanco (1897 - 1955)

Poet, Lawyer and Politician.  Co-founder of the Acción Democrática party.  Among his poems are:  “A un Año de tu Luz,” “Canto a España,” “Poda,” “Abigaìl,” “Las Uvas del Tiempo” and many others. (bio by: 380W)