It’s not uncommon for authors to pursue supplementary professions. Writing is an extremely flexible job, and different for every author. Some, like Ruskin Bond may write for two hours in the morning and devote the rest of the day to other activities. Others, write all day every day (for the most part). This flexibility allows writers to optimize their time and routines by pursuing a separate profession as well. And undoubtedly, with their knowledge, depth of understanding of writing and nuances of language, they make excellent language professors. Here is the list of famous authors who were once a teacher.
List of Famous Authors Who Were Once a Teacher:
Dan Brown
The prolific author of the Robert Langdon series including Angels and Demons, The DaVinci Code, Origin and many more is also a part time teacher. He taught English and Spanish in his hometown in New Hampshire. This makes complete sense considering his dexterity with words and his wonderful way with English.
William Golding
William Golding is the famed author of Lord of the Flies. In 1935, Golding took up the job of professor of English and philosophy at Bishop Wordsworth’s school in Salisbury. It’s a known fact that the unruly boys he taught there became his ultimate inspiration for his acclaimed novel Lord of the Flies. He was quite passionate about teaching as well, but had to quit in order to join the Royal Navy during the Second World War in 1940.
Stephen King
Stephen King is perhaps the most popular supernatural and science fiction author in the world. His works such as Carrie, The Shining and It are widely loved in the book community. In 1971, King was hired in the Hampdon Academy in Hampdon. This was an elementary school in Maine. Apart from this, King also gives seminars and courses in several renowned colleges, teaching the art of writing.
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt is now considered an American idol of literary work and has produced several wonderful books such as Slaughterhouse-five and Cat’s Cradle. He has been an instructor at the famous Iowa Writer’s Workshop fot several years. Previously, he as also taught English elsewhere. What a great service his teachings on writing and language are to the writer’s community! His lessons, some of which have been documented, will be cherished for years to come.
JK Rowling
JK Rowling is perhaps the most influential writer of our times. Her Harry Potter series is not just the most loved series in the world, but also a wonder of literature and imaginary capability. However, along with writing, she has also been a professor of English as a second language in Portugal in the 1990s. Bet you didn’t know that! She wrote by day and worked at the Encounter School by night.
Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan, the famous creator of the Percy Jackson series has been a teacher of English and History at public and private middle grade school sin San Francisco. In fact, while teaching in San Antonio, Saint Mary’s hall honored him with the Master Teacher award, Riordan write his first book while working as a teacher. He has also written teaching guides for his books, which are available on his website.
Robert Frost
Robert Frost is one of the most loved Romantic poets of all times. From “My Last Duchess” to “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Frost’s words are widely read and studied in schools all over the world. But did you know that Frost himself was a teacher? Yes, Frost was a professor of the English language and literature at the Amhurst College. One of his students has famously said that Frost’s relation to his students was like that of ancient Greek philosophers with their disciples in an olive grove at Athens. He also encouraged his students to leave the classroom and roam in the woods for inspiration and learning.
George Orwell
The classic “Animal Farm” and “1984” writer Orwell has made a mark on history with his politically charged literature. But it’s a lesser known fact that Orwell also became a teacher in April 1932, at a boys’ school in Hayes, West London. This lucky school was The Hawthorn’s High school. This was a private school for the children of local shopkeepers and traders. In 1993, he left the school to become a professor at Fray’s College in Middlesex, which was a much bigger school with a wider scope for teaching.
J R R Tolkien
Ages after it has been published, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is still a favorite of all fantasy book lovers across the world. In fact, it has become a fantasy classic. This famous writer’s command over language and his writing skills enabled him to become a professor of Anglo-Saxon at one of the most renowned universities in the world – Oxford University. In addition, he would mark School Certificate exams in the summers to add to his salary. His biography states that many students retained lifelong memories of Tolkien striding into the lecture hall, slamming his books on the lectern, and bellowing the opening lines of Beowulf.
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