Authors Who Died in the First Half of 2021 | Writers We Lost Till June 2021

2021 has been a brutal year all over the world, with the pandemic claiming many loves and shattering others. This loss has also seeped into the literary community. This is due to many beloved authors, writers, playwrights and poets passing away due to it. Some have also passed away due to old age or otherwise, and we mourn their losses just as much too. Today, we attempt to pay with this article a homage to several pillars of the literary world. They have given us reasons to live that will endure even after their passing. Here are authors who died in the first half of 2021.

Neil Sheehan

Legendary Pulitzer Prize winning author of ‘A Bright Shining Lie’ and journalist for the New York Times sadly left us on the 7^th of January, 2021. It was a great loss for the literary world, and his books like ‘The Pentagon Papers’ and ‘After the War Was Over’ are wildly popular. He was 84 at the time of his death.

Sharon Kay Penman

The tragic passing of Penman, the renowned American novelist of historical fiction, on 22^nd January at the age of 75 has left a deep vacuum in the book world. Her trademark mystery books about English and Welsh royalty are set during the Middle Ages and people all across the world have read them.

Ved Mehta

Ved, the 86 year old Indian novelist garnered widespread acclaim and popularity not just for himself but also for India. He has authored over twenty five books, including his memoir series titled ‘Continents of Exile.’ He wrote for the New Yorker for several years as well and was the recipient of the MacArthur Grant. He passed away on the 9^th of January.

Vassilis Alexakis

The Green-French writer known for his contributions to the literary world such as ‘le Sandwich’ which was his debut in French and ‘Talgo’ which was his debut in Greek. He has brought a new dimension to the field of literature and is a prized author, not just by his home countries but also by the world at large. He passed away on January 11^th at the age of 77.

NS Lakshminarayan Bhat

We lost the Indian poet Bhat on March 6^th at the age of 86, accredited to ‘Horalu Dariyalli Kaavya’ (Poetry On a Fun Road) and ‘Readings in Kannada’. He is a prolific Kannada poet who has also translated the sonnets of Shakespeare and poetry of T S Eliot in Kannada, and won the Kannada Sahitya Academy award.

Beverly Cleary

When the death of the beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary on March 25^th at the age of 104 made headlines, the literary community was shattered. The wonderful author has produced works with iconic characters like Ramona, Ellen Tebbits and Henry Huggins who ruled our childhood. She has a school named after her in Portland and has won several awards.

Larry McMurtry

The American writer-author and screenwriter Larry passed away on the same day as Beverly Cleary at the age of 84. His works such as ‘Lonesome Dove’ and screenplays such as ‘Brokeback Mountain’ and ‘The Last Picture Show’ have had a massive impact on the literary world.

Arthur Kopit

April 2^nd was a devastating day for booklovers all over the world – it marked the end of an era with the passage of Kopit. He was two time Pulitzer finalist with ‘Wings and Fire’ and a screenwriter who won several accolades for his work. For example, he won the Vernon Rice Award and the Drama Desk Award for his various works. He passed away on April 2^nd aged 83, and his loss is still felt in the absence of his new work.

Also Read: 13 Most Anticipated Books of July 2021