Authors that we bid farewell to in 2023

Suzy McKee Charnas, award-winning author of feminist science fiction, died on January 2 at the age of 83.

British writer Fay Weldon, who “charted lives shaped by class and the sexual revolution in more than 30 novels,” died on January 4 at the age of 91.

Novelist and civil rights activist Norm Fructer, who worked tirelessly to ensure equal access to education for children, died on January 4 at the age of 85.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Serbian-American poet Charles Simic, who was named poet laureate of the United States in 2007, died on January 9 at the age of 84.

Children’s book author Amy Schwartz died on February 26 at the age of 68.

British Beat poet Royston Ellis, purveyor of “rocketry,” died on February 26 at the age of 82.

Japanese novelist Kenzaburo Oe, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1994, died on March 3 at the age of 88.

Ian Falconer, author of beloved children’s book Olivia, died on March 7 at the age of 63.

Bestselling historical novelist John Jakes died on March 11. He was 90.

English novelist D.M. Thomas, author of The White Hotel, died on March 26 at the age of 88.

Bestselling romance novelist Julia Garwood died on June 8 at the age of 78.

Mystery writer Carol Higgins Clark, daughter of Mary Higgins Clark, died on June 12 at the age of 66.

Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning genius behind such indelible American novels as Suttree, Blood Meridian, and The Road, died on June 13. He was 89.

Milan Kundera, author of The Unbearable Likeness of Being and “one of the great horny novelists of the 20th century,” died on July 11 at the age of 94.

Syrian author Khaled Khalifa, “widely regarded as one of the most important writers in contemporary Arabic literature,” died on September 30 at the age of 59.

Palestinian novelist, poet, and educator Heba Abu Nada died on October 20. She was 32.

Celebrated British author A.S. Byatt, a scholar and novelist whose 1990 novel, Possession, won the Booker Prize and brought her international renown, died on November 16 at the age of 87.

American novelist Herbert Gold died on November 19. He was 99 Palestinian poet, writer, literature professor, and activist Refaat Alareer died on December 7 at the age of 44.