List of English writers (K–Q)

List of English writers lists writers in English, born or raised in England (or who lived in England for a lengthy period), who already have Wikipedia pages. References for the information here appear on the linked Wikipedia pages. The list is incomplete – please help to expand it by adding Wikipedia page-owning writers who have written extensively in any genre or field, including science and scholarship. Please follow the entry format. A seminal work added to a writer's entry should also have a Wikipedia page. This is a subsidiary to the List of English people. There are or should be similar lists of Irish, Scots, Welsh, Manx, Jersey, and Guernsey writers.

Abbreviations: AV = Authorized King James Version of the Bible, also as = also wrote/writes as, c. = circa, century; cc. = centuries; cleric = Anglican priest, fl. = floruit, RC = Roman Catholic, SF = science fiction, YA = young adult fiction

K
• Carrie Kabak (born 1951), novelist and illustrator

• Sarah Kane (1971–1999), playwright

• Anna Kavan (also as Helen Ferguson, real name Helen Emily Woods, 1901–1968), novelist and painter

• Joanna Kavenna (born 1974), novelist and travel writer

• Sheila Kaye-Smith (1887–1956), novelist

• Judith Kazantzis (1940–2018), poet and anthologist

• Annie Keary (1825–1879), novelist, poet and children's writer

• Jonathan Keates (born 1946), writer and novelist

• John Keats (1795–1821), poet, "Ode to a Nightingale"

• John Keble (1792–1866), poet and cleric

• Maurice Keen (1933–2012), historian

• Ann Kelley (born 1941), children's writer and poet

• Herbert Kelly (1860–1950), religious writer and cleric

• Sheelagh Kelly (born 1948), historical novelist

• Fanny Kemble (1809–1893), playwright, diarist and actress

• Gene Kemp (1926–2015), children's writer

• Jonathan Kemp (born 1967), novelist

• Margery Kempe (c. 1373 – post–1438), mystic

• Thomas Ken (1637–1711), hymnist and cleric

• May Kendall (real name Emma Goldworth Kendall, 1861 – c. 1943), poet, novelist and satirist

• Tim Kendall (born 1970), poet, editor and critic

• Luke Kennard (born 1982), poet and lecturer

• Lena Kennedy (1914–1986), novelist

• Margaret Kennedy (1896–1967), novelist and playwright

• Ally Kennen (born 1975), children's writer and singer

• White Kennett (1660–1728), antiquary, writer and bishop

• Charles Lamb Kenney (1823–1881), librettist and miscellanist

• James Kenney (1780–1849), playwright

• William Kenrick (c. 1725–1779), satirist and playwright

• Judith Kerr (1923–2019), children's writer and screenwriter

• Lady Amabel Kerr (1846-1906), biographer, children's writer, novelist

• David Kessler (also as Adam Palmer, born 1957), novelist

• R. W. Ketton-Cremer (1906–1969), local historian and biographer

• Sidney Keyes (1922–1943), poet

• John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946), economist

• Vaseem Khan (born 1973), novelist

• Richard Kilby (1560–1620), scholar, AV translator and cleric

• Anne Killigrew (1660–1685), poet

• Henry Killigrew (1613–1700), playwright and cleric

• Thomas Killigrew (1612–1683), playwright

• William Killigrew (1606–1695), playwright and courtier

• Francis Kilvert (1840–1879), diarist and cleric

• Clive King (1924–2018), children's writer

• Daren King (born 1972), novelist and children's writer

• Francis King (1923–2011), novelist and story writer

• Geoffrey King (fl. 1600s), theologian, AV translator and cleric

• Gregory King (1648–1712), statistician and genealogist

• Henry King (1592–1669), poet and bishop

• William King (1663–1712), poet and essayist

• William King (born 1959), novelist

• Desmond King-Hele (1927–2019), writer and physicist

• Alexander William Kinglake (1809–1891), travel writer and historian

• Charles Kingsley (1819–1875), novelist, The Water Babies

• Henry Kingsley (1830–1876), novelist

• Mary Kingsley (1862–1900), ethnographer and explorer

• Peter Kingsley (born 1953), philosopher

• Hugh Kingsmill (1889–1949), novelist, humorist and biographer

• Dick King-Smith (1922–2011), children's writer

• W. H. G. Kingston (1814–1880), children's writer

• Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936), novelist, essayist and poet, The Jungle Book

• Andrew Kippis (1725–1795), writer and Presbyterian minister

• William Kirby (1759–1850), entomologist

• Geoffrey Kirk (1921–2003), classicist

• Francis Kirkman (1632 – c. 1680), writer and bookseller

• James Kirkup (1918–2009), poet, translator and travel writer

• C.H.B. Kitchin (1895–1967), novelist

• Flora Klickmann (1867–1958), journalist, editor and children's writer

• Matthew Kneale (born 1960), novelist, English Passengers

• Nigel Kneale (1922–2006), screenwriter and genre novelist

• Anne Knight (1792–1860), children's writer and educator

• Charles Knight (1791–1873), writer and publisher

• Ellis Cornelia Knight (1757–1837), novelist and painter

• Eric Knight (1897–1943), novelist and children's writer, Lassie Come-Home

• G. Wilson Knight (1897–1985), critic and scholar

• Henry Gally Knight (1786–1846), novelist and architecture writer

• Richard Payne Knight (1750–1824), classicist and connoisseur

• Samuel Knight (1675–1746), biographer, antiquary and cleric

• Stephen Knight (1951–1985), writer

• Stephen Thomas Knight (born 1940), literary historian

• Richard Knolles (c. 1545–1610), historian and translator

• Hanserd Knollys (1599–1691), translator and Baptist minister

• Frederick Knott (1916–2002), playwright and screenwriter

• Ronald Knox (1888–1957), writer, translator and theologian

• Vicesimus Knox (1752–1821), essayist and cleric

• Dorothy Koomson (born 1971), novelist,

• Bernard Kops (born 1926), playwright and novelist

• Michael Korda (born 1933), writer and editor

• Hari Kunzru (born 1969), novelist

• Hanif Kureishi (born 1954), novelist and playwright

• Thomas Kyd (1558–1595), playwright, The Spanish Tragedy

• Francis Kynaston (1587–1642), poet and translator

L
• Ian La Frenais (born 1936), scriptwriter

• Robert Lacey (born 1944), biographer and historian

• James Lackington (1746–1815), memoirist

• Thomas Hailes Lacy (1809–1873), playwright and publisher

• Olivia Laing (born 1977), fiction and non-fiction

• Andrew Lamb (born 1942), writer on music

• Caroline Lamb (1785–1828), novelist

• Charles (1775–1834) and Mary Lamb (1764–1847), essayists

• Charlotte Lamb (real name Sarah Coates, several pen names, 1937–2000), novelist

• Lynton Lamb (1907–1977), crime writer and illustrator

• Constant Lambert (1905–1951, England, Mu/D), music critic and librettist

• Derek Lambert (also as Nigel Falkirk, 1929–2001), thriller writer

• Joseph Lancaster (1778–1838), educator

• Osbert Lancaster (1908–1986), writer and cartoonist

• John Lanchester (born 1962), journalist and novelist

• Letitia Elizabeth Landon (wrote as L. E. L., 1802–1838), poet and novelist

• Robert Eyres Landor (1781–1869), playwright, poet and cleric

• Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864), writer and poet

• Edward William Lane (1801–1876), scholar and translator

• Jane Lane (1905–1978), historical novelist and biographer

• Joel Lane (born 1963), novelist, story writer and poet

• John Langhorne (1735–1779), poet and translator

• William Langland (c. 1332 – c. 1386), poet, Piers Plowman

• Peter Langtoft (died c. 1305), chronicler

• Bennet Langton (1736–1801), writer

• Emilia Lanier or Lanyer, (1569–1645) poet

• R. F. Langley (1938–2011), poet

• Nathaniel Lardner (1684–1768), theologian

• Philip Larkin (1922–1985), poet

• Michael Laskey (born 1944), poet and editor

• Harold Laski (1893–1950), political writer

• Marghanita Laski (1915–1988), novelist and broadcaster

• David Lassman (born 1963), writer and scriptwriter

• Francis Lathom (1774–1832), novelist and playwright

• Hugh Latimer (c. 1487–1555), preacher, bishop and martyr

• William Laud (1573–1645), theologian, archbishop and martyr

• Hugh Laurie (born 1959), novelist and actor

• William Law (1686–1761), theologian.

• D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930), novelist and poet, Sons and Lovers

• George A. Lawrence (1827–1876), novelist

• T. E. Lawrence (1888–1935), writer and soldier, Seven Pillars of Wisdom

• William Lawrence (1783–1867), scientist

• Benjamin Lay (1681–1760), pamphleteer

• Cecil Howard Lay (1885–1956), poet and artist

• Layamon or Laȝamon (early 13th c.), chronicler

• John Layfield (died 1617), scholar, AV translator and cleric

• John le Carré (real name D. J. M. Cornwell, 1931–2020), thriller writer, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

• Richard Le Gallienne (1866–1947), writer and poet

• William Le Queux (1866–1947), novelist, poet and essayist

• Jane Leade (1624–1704), religious writer

• Mary Leapor (1722–1746), poet

• Edward Lear (1812–1888), poet and artist, The Owl and the Pussycat

• James Leasor (1923–2007), novelist and historian

• Stephen Leather (born 1956), novelist

• F. R. Leavis (1895–1978), critic and editor

• Norman Lebrecht (born 1948), music writer

• Francis Nigel Lee (1934–2011), theologian

• Harriet Lee (1757–1851), novelist and playwright

• Laurie Lee (1914–1997), poet and memoirist, Cider with Rosie

• Nathaniel Lee (1653–1692), playwright

• Sidney Lee (1859–1926), biographer and critic

• Sophia Lee (1750–1824), novelist and playwright

• Vernon Lee (real name Violet Paget, 1856–1935), novelist and essayist

• Eugene Lee-Hamilton (1845–1907), poet

• James Lees-Milne (1908–1997), writer and diarist

• Joseph Leftwich (real name Lefkovicz, 1892–1984), poet, translator and anthologist

• John Lehmann (1907–1987), poet and editor

• R. C. Lehmann (1856–1929), writer and lyricist

• Rosamond Lehmann (1901–1990), novelist, autobiographer and translator

• Chandos Leigh (1791–1850), writer and poet

• Dorothy Leigh (died c. 1616), writer on child-raising

• Richard Leigh (1649/1650–1728), poet

• Clare Leighton (1898–1989), writer and illustrator

• John Leland or Leyland (c. 1503/1506–1552), antiquary

• John Leland (1691–1766), writer and Presbyterian minister

• Mark Lemon (1809–1870), playwright, novelist and editor

• John Lemprière (c. 1765–1824), scholar and lexicographer

• Sue Lenier (born 1957) poet and playwright

• Rebecca Lenkiewicz (born 1968), playwright

• John Lennon (1940–1980), singer and songwriter

• Charlotte Lennox (1730–1804), writer and poet

• Alan Leo (real name William Frederick Allan, 1860–1917), astrologer

• Roger L'Estrange (1615–1704), pamphleteer and translator

• Ada Leverson (1862–1933), novelist

• Denise Levertov (1923–1997), poet

• Michael Levey (1927–2008), art historian

• Peter Levi (1931–2000), poet, critic and travel writer

• Bernard Levin (1928–2004), writer and broadcaster

• Amy Levy (1861–1889), poet and novelist

• Andrea Levy (1956–2019), novelist

• Juliette de Baïracli Levy (1912–2009), herbalist

• Tim Lewens (born 1974), philosopher

• George Henry Lewes (1817–1878), philosopher and critic

• Alethea Lewis (wrote as Eugenia De Acton, 1749–1827), novelist

• C. S. Lewis (1898–1963), novelist, children's writer and critic, The Chronicles of Narnia

• David Lewis (1682–1760), poet and playwright

• George Cornewall Lewis (1806–1863), writer, philologist and politician

• Hilda Lewis (1896–1974), novelist and children's writer

• Leopold David Lewis (1828–1890), playwright and translator

• Matthew Lewis (1775–1818), novelist and diarist

• Roger Lewis (born 1960), biographer and scholar

• Ted Lewis (1940–1982), novelist and screenwriter

• Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957), writer and painter

• Marina Lewycka (born 1946), novelist and medical writer

• Anne Ley (c. 1599–1641), writer, teacher, and polemicist

• Peter Leycester (1614–1678), antiquary and historian

• Nell Leyshon (living), dramatist and novelist

• Henry George Liddell (1811–1898), scholar, lexicographer and cleric

• John Lilburne (c. 1614–1657), pamphleteer

• George Lillo (1693–1739), playwright

• Thomas Linacre or Lynaker (c. 1460–1524), physician and translator

• David Lindsay (1876–1945), novelist

• John Lingard (1771–1851), historian and hymnist

• Martin Lings (1909–2005), scholar and poet

• William Linley (1771–1835), writer and musician

• Eliza Lynn Linton (1822–1898), novelist and essayist

• Mary Linwood (1755–1845), novelist and needlewoman

• Suzannah Lipscomb (born 1978), historian and broadcaster

• Anne Lister (1791–1840), diarist and traveller

• S. E. Lister (born 1988), historical novelist

• Thomas Henry Lister (1800–1842), novelist

• Toby Litt (born 1968), novelist and editor

• Emanuel Litvinoff (1915–2011), novelist, poet and autobiographer

• Edward Lively (1545–1605), scholar, AV translator and cleric

• Penelope Lively (born 1933), novelist and children's writer

• Richard Llewellyn (real name Richard Llewellyn Lloyd, 1906–1983), novelist and screenwriter

• Charles Lloyd (1775–1839), poet and translator

• Christopher Lloyd (1921–2006), garden writer

• Robert Lloyd (1733–1764), poet and satirist

• John Locke (1632–1704), philosopher, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

• William John Locke (1863–1930), novelist and playwright

• Frederick Locker-Lampson (1821–1895), poet

• David Lodge (author) (born 1935), novelist and critic

• Edmund Lodge (1756–1839), herald and biographer

• Oliver Lodge (1851–1940), physicist and science writer

• Oliver W. F. Lodge (1878–1955), poet and playwright

• Thomas Lodge (c. 1558–1625), playwright and poet

• Tom Lodge (1936–2012), writer and broadcaster

• John Lodwick (1916–1959), novelist

• Hugh Lofting (1886–1947), children's writer and poet, Dr. Dolittle

• Norah Lofts (1904–1983), novelist and biographer

• Christopher Logue (1926–2011), poet and screenwriter

• Herbert Lomas (1924–2011), poet and translator

• Charles Edward Long (1796–1861), antiquary

• George Long (1800–1879), polymath and translator

• Kate Long (born 1964), novelist, The Bad Mother's Handbook

• Elizabeth Longford (1906–2002), biographer

• Roger Longrigg (1939–2000), novelist

• E. C. R. Lorac (real name Edith Caroline Rivett, also as Carol Carnac, 1884–1959), novelist

• Jane C. Loudon (1807–1858), novelist

• Nicholas Love (died c. 1424), translator and prior

• Richard Lovelace (1618–1657), poet

• Henry Lovelich (fl. 15th c.), poet and translator

• Peter Lovesey (born 1936), crime writer

• William Lovett (1800–1877), writer and Chartist

• Archibald Low (1888–1956), science writer

• Sidney James Mark Low (1857–1932), historian

• Edward Lowbury (1913–2007), poet and bacteriologist

• Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes (1868–1947), novelist

• William Thomas Lowndes (c. 1798–1843), bibliographer

• Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957), poet and novelist

• Robert Lowth (1710–1787), poet, bishop and grammarian

• Mina Loy (originally Mina Gertrude Löwry, 1882–1966), poet, playwright and novelist

• John Lubbock (1834–1913), scientist and politician

• Percy Lubbock (1879–1965), essayist and biographer

• E. V. Lucas (1868–1938), essayist

• F. L. Lucas (1894–1967), classicist and poet

• Edward Lucie-Smith (born 1933), writer and poet

• Edmund Ludlow (c. 1617–1692), memoirist

• Jane Lumley, Lady Lumley (1537–1538), translator

• Arnold Lunn (1888–1874), writer and skier

• Henry Luttrell (c. 1765–1851), poet

• Narcissus Luttrell (1657–1732), historian

• Alfred Comyn Lyall (1835–1911), historian and poet

• Gavin Lyall (1932–2003), thriller writer

• John Lydgate (c. 1370 – c. 1451), poet

• Charles Lyell (1797–1875), geologist

• John Lyly (1553/1554–1606), writer and dramatist

• Jonathan Lynn (born 1943), screenwriter and novelist

• Elinor Lyon (1921–2008), children's writer

• P. H. B. Lyon (1893–1986), poet and school headmaster

• George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton (1709–1773), politician and poet

• George William Lyttelton (1883–1962), correspondent and educator

• Rosina Bulwer Lytton (1802–1882), novelist and campaigner

M
• James Mabbe (1572–1642), poet and translator

• Richard Mabey (born 1941), nature writer

• Catharine Macaulay (1731–1791), historian

• Rose Macaulay (1881–1958), novelist and biographer

• Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859), historian and poet

• Desmond MacCarthy (1877–1952), critic

• Fiona MacCarthy (1940–2020), biographer and cultural historian

• Philip MacDonald (also as Oliver Fleming, etc., 1900–1980), novelist and screenwriter

• A. G. Macdonell (1895–1941), essayist, England, Their England

• Robert Macfarlane (born 1976), travel writer and critic

• William McFee (1881–1966), novelist and essayist

• Arthur Machen, (originally Arthur Llewelyn Jones, 1863–1947) novelist and mystic

• Colin MacInnes (1914–1976), novelist

• Ben Macintyre (born 1963), biographer

• Denis Mackail (1892–1971), novelist

• Compton Mackenzie (1883–1972), novelist, Whisky Galore

• Serena Mackesy (living), novelist

• Mary Mackie (living), novelist and non-fiction writer

• Joseph Macleod (also as Adam Drinan, 1903–1984), poet, playwright and broadcaster

• Barry MacSweeney (1948–2000), poet and journalist

• Falconer Madan (1851–1935), writer and bibliographer

• Judith Madan (born Judith Cowper, 1702–1781), poet

• Martin Madan (1726–1790), writer, translator and cleric

• Charles Madge (1912–1996), poet and sociologist

• Thomas Madox (1666–1727), Historiographer Royal and antiquary

• Bryan Magee (1930–2019), writer and broadcaster

• Magnus Magnusson (1929–2007), broadcaster, scholar and translator

• Michelle Magorian (born 1947), children's writer, Goodnight Mister Tom

• Henry James Sumner Maine (1822–1888), jurist and historian

• Petre Mais (1885–1975), travel writer and educator

• Frederic William Maitland (1850–1906), jurist and historian

• Julia Maitland (1808–1864), writer and traveller

• Sara Maitland (born 1950), novelist and religious writer

• Bathsua Makin (real name Bathsua Reginald, c. 1600 – c. 1675), writer and scholar

• Lucas Malet (real name Mary St. Leger Kingsley, 1852–1931), novelist

• William Hurrell Mallock (1849–1923), novelist, satirist and poet

• Thomas Malory (c. 1430 – c. 1471), author, Le Morte d'Arthur

• Eric Malpass (1910–1996), novelist

• Thomas Robert Malthus (1766–1834), political economist

• Bernard Mandeville (1670–1733), philosopher and satirist

• Richmal Mangnall (1769–1820), schoolbook writer

• Andrew Mango (1926–2014), writer and broadcaster

• H. A. Manhood (1904–1991), short story writer

• Guy Mankowski (born 1983), writer

• Delarivier Manley (1663 or 1670–1724), novelist, playwright and pamphleteer

• Mary E. Mann (1848–1929), novelist and story writer

• George Manners (1778–1853), writer and editor

• Ethel Mannin (1900–1984), novelist, essayist and travel writer

• Anne Manning (1807–1879), novelist

• Olivia Manning (1908–1980), novelist and critic, Fortunes of War

• Ruth Manning-Sanders (1886–1988), poet and children's writer

• Sarra Manning, writer and journalist

• Robert Mannyng (c. 1275 – c. 1338), poet and chronicler, Handlyng Synne

• Henry Longueville Mansel (1820–1871), philosopher

• Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), story writer and poet, The Garden Party

• Keith Mansfield (born 1965), novelist and screenwriter

• Richard Mant (1776–1848), writer, translator and cleric

• Hilary Mantel (1952–2022), novelist and critic, Wolf Hall

• Thomas Manton (1620–1677), theologian and Puritan minister

• Francis Marbury or Merbury (1555–1611), playwright and cleric

• Jane Marcet (1769–1858), science writer for children

• Bessie Marchant (1862–1941), children's writer

• Jan Mark, (originally Janet Marjorie Brisland, 1943–2006) children's writer

• Gervase Markham (c. 1568–1637), poet and writer

• Mrs. Markham (real name Elizabeth Penrose, 1780–1837), children's writer

• Stephen Marley (born 1946), novelist and screenwriter

• Tim Marlow (born 1963), art historian and broadcaster

• Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), playwright, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

• Derek Marlowe (1938–1996), novelist and playwright

• Martin Marprelate (pseudonym, fl. 1588–1590), tractarian

• Ellen Marriage (1865–1946), translator, La Comédie humaine

• Anthony Marriott (1931–2014), playwright and actor

• Florence Marryat (1833–1899), novelist

• Frederick Marryat (wrote as Captain Marryat, 1792–1848), novelist and children's writer, Mr Midshipman Easy

• Philip Marsden (born 1961), travel writer and novelist

• Edward Marsh (1872–1953), polymath and translator

• Edward Garrard Marsh (1783–1862), poet and cleric

• Richard Marsh (real name Richard Bernard Heldemann, 1857–1915), novelist

• Alfred Marshall (1842–1924), economist

• Archibald Marshall (1866–1934), novelist and journalist

• Arthur Marshall (1910–1989), writer and broadcaster

• Christabel Marshall (1871–1960), writer, playwright and suffragist

• Emma Marshall (1830–1899), children's writer

• Sybil Marshall (1913–2005), writer, novelist and educator

• Adam Mars-Jones (born 1954), novelist and critic

• John Marston (1576–1634), poet, playwright and satirist

• John Westland Marston (1819–1890), playwright

• Philip Bourke Marston (1850–1887), poet

• Andrew Martin (born 1962), novelist

• J. P. Martin (1879–1966), children's writer

• William Martin (1767–1810), naturalist and palaeontologist

• Harriet Martineau (1802–1876), sociologist and translator

• James Martineau (1805–1900), philosopher

• Andrew Marvell (1621–1678), poet

• Eleanor Marx (1855–1898), translator and writer

• Theo Marzials (1850–1920), poet and composer

• Eric Maschwitz (1901–1969), writer and lyricist

• John Masefield (1878–1967), Poet Laureate and novelist

• A. E. W. Mason (1865–1948), novelist

• Anita Mason (1942–2020), novelist

• Paul Nicholas Mason (born 1958), novelist and playwright

• Richard Mason (1919–1997), novelist

• William Mason (1724–1797), poet

• Gerald Massey (1828–1907), poet and Egyptologist

• William Nathaniel Massey (1809–1881), writer and politician

• Philip Massinger (1584–1640), playwright

• Harold Massingham (1932–2011) poet

• H. J. Massingham (1888–1952), nature writer and poet

• John Masters (1914–1983), novelist, autobiographer and army officer

• John Mastin (1747–1829), local historian and cleric

• Steve Matchett (born 1962), writer and broadcaster

• Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (1854–1918), occultist and translator

• Ellen Buckingham Mathews (wrote as Helen Mathers, 1853–1920), novelist

• Thomas James Mathias (c. 1754–1835), satirist and translator

• Tobie Matthew (1577–1655), writer and translator

• Aylmer and Louise Maude (1858–1938 and 1855–1939), translators and writers

• Robin Maugham (1916–1981), novelist, playwright and travel writer

• William Somerset Maugham (1874–1965), novelist and writer, The Moon and Sixpence

• Henry Maundrell (1665–1701), travel writer and cleric

• Frederick Denison Maurice (1805–1872), religious writer and socialist

• Thomas Maurice (1754–1824), poet and historian

• William Fordyce Mavor (1758–1837), schoolbook writer

• Simon Mawer (born 1948), novelist

• Donald Maxwell (1877–1936), travel writer and illustrator

• W. B. Maxwell (1866–1938), novelist

• Thomas May (1595–1650), poet, playwright and translator

• Henry Mayhew (1812–1887), social researcher and playwright, London Labour and the London Poor

• James Mayhew (born 1964), children's writer and illustrator

• Peter Mayle (1939–2018), writer and novelist

• Jasper Mayne (1604–1672), poet and playwright

• William Mayne (1928–2010), children's writer, A Grass Rope

• Margaret Mayo (born 1936), novelist

• F. M. Mayor (1872-1932), novelist and short story writer

• Steve McCaffery (born 1947), poet and scholar

• Maria McCann (born 1956), novelist

• Keith McCarthy (born 1960), crime writer and pathologist

• Tom McCarthy (born 1969), novelist and screenwriter

• Geraldine McCaughrean (born 1951), novelist and children's writer

• Derek McCulloch ("Uncle Mac", 1897–1967), children's writer and broadcaster

• Flora McDonnell (born 1963), children's writer

• Ian McEwan (born 1948), novelist and screenwriter

• William McFee (1881–1966), story writer

• James McGee, novelist

• Roger McGough (born 1937), performance poet

• John McGrath (1935–2002), playwright

• Patrick McGrath (born 1950), novelist

• Jon McGregor (born 1976), novelist

• R. J. McGregor (1887–1961), children's novelist and playwright

• Hilary McKay (born 1959), children's writer

• Jamie McKendrick (born 1955), poet

• Ronald Brunlees McKerrow (1872–1940), literary critic and bibliographer

• Andy McNab (born 1959), novelist and soldier

• H. C. McNeile (wrote as Sapper, 1888–1937), novelist, Bulldog Drummond

• Cilla McQueen (born 1949), poet

• J. M. E. McTaggart (1866–1925), philosopher

• G. R. S. Mead (1863–1933), writer and theosopher

• Henry Medwall (c. 1462–1502), playwright

• Thomas Medwin (1788–1869), poet, translator and biographer

• Arthur Mee (1875–1943), writer and educator

• Thomas Meech (1868–1940), writer and journalist

• James Meek (born 1962), novelist

• Mary Meeke (died c. 1816), novelist and translator

• George Melly (1926–2007), writer, critic and musician

• Charlotte Mendelson (born 1972), novelist

• George Meredith (1828–1909), novelist and poet, The Egoist

• Louisa Anne Meredith (1812–1895), poet and novelist

• Francis Meres (1565–1672), anthologist and cleric

• Charles Merivale (1808–1893), historian and cleric

• Herman Charles Merivale (wrote as Felix Dale, 1839–1906), playwright and poet

• Herman Merivale (1806–1874), historian

• John Herman Merivale (1779–1844), man of letters

• Leonard Merrick (1864–1939), novelist

• Ian Merrill (born 1965), novelist

• Robert Merry (1755–1798), poet

• Charlotte Mew (1869–1928), poet

• E. H. W. Meyerstein (1889–1952), man of letters

• Alice Meynell (1847–1922), poet and essayist

• Viola Meynell (1885–1956), poet and novelist

• Nicholas Michell (1807–1880), poet and novelist

• Christopher Middleton (1926–2015), poet, translator and scholar

• Conyers Middleton (1683–1750), biographer and cleric

• Nick Middleton (born 1960), geographer

• Richard Barham Middleton (1882–1911), poet and story writer

• Stanley Middleton (1919–2009), novelist

• Thomas Middleton (1580–1627), playwright and poet, The Revenger's Tragedy

• China Miéville (born 1972), novelist and political writer

• Grace Mildmay (c. 1552–1620), diarist

• Susan Miles (real name Ursula Wyllie Roberts, 1887–1975), novelist and poet

• John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), philosopher

• John Guille Millais (1865–1931), naturalist and travel writer

• Andrew Miller (born 1960), novelist

• James Miller (1703–1744), playwright, poet and cleric

• Jonathan Miller (1934–2019), writer and director

• Russell Miller (born 1938), biographer

• Thomas Miller (1807–1874), novelist and poet

• Robert Millhouse (1788–1839), poet

• Spike Milligan (1918–2002), humorist

• Arthur F. H. Mills (1887–1955), novelist

• Dorothy Mills (1896–1959), novelist and travel writer

• George Mills (1896–1972), children's writer

• Magnus Mills (born 1954), novelist

• Mark Mills (living), novelist and screenwriter

• Henry Hart Milman (1791–1868), playwright, poet and cleric

• A. A. Milne (1882–1956), novelist and playwright, Winnie-the-Pooh

• Drew Milne (born 1964), poet and scholar

• John Milner (1628–1702), writer and cleric

• John Milner (1752–1826), writer and RC bishop

• Marion Milner (1900–1998), diarist and psychoanalyst

• Richard Monckton Milnes, Lord Houghton (1809–1885), poet and politician

• Giles Milton (born 1966), historian

• John Milton (1608–1674), poet and theologian, Paradise Lost

• Ted Milton (born 1943), poet and musician

• Richard Milward (born 1984), novelist

• Anthony Minghella (1954–2008), playwright and screenwriter

• Laurence Minot (c. 1300 – c. 1352), poet

• Hope Mirrlees (1887–1978), novelist, translator and poet

• Adrian Mitchell (1932–2008), poet, playwright and novelist

• Basil Mitchell (1917–2011), philosopher

• David Mitchell (born 1969), novelist

• Dreda Say Mitchell (born 1965), novelist, broadcaster and journalist

• Gladys Mitchell (wrote as Stephen Hockaby and Malcolm Torrie, 1901–1983), novelist

• Julian Mitchell (born 1935), playwright and screenwriter

• Bertram Mitford, Lord Redesdale, (1837–1916), writer and diplomat

• Bertram Mitford (1855–1914), novelist

• John Mitford (1782–1831), poet and naval officer

• Mary Russell Mitford (wrote as Miss Mitford, 1787–1855), essayist, novelist and playwright, Our Village

• Nancy Mitford (1904–1973), novelist and writer, Noblesse Oblige

• William Mitford (1744–1827), historian

• Timothy Mo (born 1950), novelist

• Ivan Moffat (1918–2002), screenwriter

• Deborah Moggach (born 1948), novelist and screenwriter

• Lottie Moggach, journalist and author

• George Mogridge (1787–1854), poet, children's writer and tractarian

• Caroline Moir (living, England, novelist and playwright)

• John Mole (born 1941), poet

• Mary Louisa Molesworth (also as Ennis Graham, 1839–1921), children's writer

• Frances Molloy (1947–1991), novelist

• Mary Mollineux (1651–1696), poet

• Rowland Molony (born 1946), poet and writer

• Nicola Monaghan (living), novelist

• William Thomas Moncrieff (1794–1857), playwright

• Francis Money-Coutts (wrote as Mountjoy, 1852–1923), poet

• Geraldine Monk (born 1952), poet

• William Cosmo Monkhouse (1840–1901), poet and critic

• Harold Monro (1879–1932), poet

• Nicholas Monsarrat (1910–1979), novelist

• Basil Montagu (1770–1851), miscellanist

• Charles Montagu, earl of Halifax (1661–1715), poet and statesman

• Elizabeth Montagu (1718–1800), writer and bluestocking

• Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762), correspondent and poet

• Charles Edward Montague (1867–1928), novelist and essayist

• Simon Sebag Montefiore (born 1965), writer and historian

• Florence Montgomery (1843–1923), novelist and children's writer

• James Montgomery (1771–1854), poet and editor

• Robert Montgomery (1807–1855), poet and cleric

• Colin Moon (born 1957), author and public speaker

• Edward Moor (1771–1848), writer and soldier

• Michael Moorcock (born 1939), novelist

• Alan Moore (born 1953), graphic novelist

• Edward Moore (1712–1757), playwright

• Edward Moore (1835–1916), classicist

• Francis Moore (1657–1715, astrologer and physician

• G. E. Moore (1873–1958), philosopher

• Jonas Moore (1617–1679), mathematician

• Nicholas Moore (1918–1986), poet

• Olive Moore (real name Constance Vaughan, 1905 – c. 1970), novelist and essayist

• Thomas Sturge Moore (1870–1944), poet and playwright

• Tim Moore (born 1964), travel writer

• Geoffrey Moorhouse (1931–2009), writer

• Roger Moorhouse (born 1968), historian

• Henrietta Moraes (1931–1999), writer and model

• Philip Morant (1700–1770), historian and cleric

• Elinor Mordaunt (1872–1942), fiction and non-fiction writer

• Thomas Osbert Mordaunt (1730–1809), poet and army officer

• Gertrude More (1606–1633), religious writer and Benedictine nun

• Hannah More (1745–1833), poet and religious writer

• Henry More (1614–1687), philosopher and poet

• Thomas More (1478–1535), scholar, Utopia

• E. D. Morel (1873–1924), writer on colonialism

• Thomas Morell (1703–1784), librettist

• Charles Langbridge Morgan (1894–1958) novelist, playwright and poet

• Peter Morgan (born 1963), screenwriter and playwright

• William De Morgan (1839–1917), novelist and ceramicist

• Thomas Charles Morgan (1783–1843), physician and philosopher

• Richard K. Morgan (born 1965), novelists and short story writer

• James Justinian Morier (1780–1849), novelist and travel writer

• Stanley Morison (1889–1967), writer and typographer

• Samuel Morland or Moreland (1625–1695), polymath

• David Morley (born 1964), poet and critic

• Henry Morley (1822–1894), critic and biographer

• Iris Morley (1910–1953), novelist and journalist

• John Morley (1838–1923), biographer, writer and politician

• Sheridan Morley (1941–2007), biographer, critic and broadcaster

• Michael Morpurgo (born 1943), children's writer, poet and playwright

• Clare Morrall (born 1952), novelist

• Ivan Morris (1925–1976), writer, scholar and translator

• Jan Morris (originally James Morris, 1926–2020), travel writer

• William Morris (1834–1896), writer, artist and poet

• Arthur Morrison (1863–1945), novelist and journalist

• Blake Morrison (born 1950), poet, novelist and critic

• Graham Mort (living), poet and story writer

• Chapman Mortimer (1907–1988), novelist and screenwriter

• Ian Mortimer (born 1967), historian

• John Mortimer (1923–2009), novelist, playwright and lawyer, Horace Rumpole

• Penelope Mortimer (1918–1999), novelist, biographer and critic

• J. B. Morton (wrote as Beachcomber, 1893–1979), columnist

• John Maddison Morton (1811–1891), playwright

• Thomas Morton (1764–1838), playwright

• Joseph Moser (1748–1819), writer and artist

• Brian Moses (born 1950), poet and children's writer

• Nicholas Mosley (1923–2017), novelist

• Geoffrey Moss (1885–1954), novelist and soldier

• Thomas Moss (1740–1808), poet and cleric

• W. Stanley Moss (1919–1965), novelist, writer and army officer

• James Mossman (1926–1971), writer and broadcaster

• Andrew Motion (born 1952), Poet Laureate

• Peter Anthony Motteux (originally Pierre Antoine, 1663–1718), poet, playwright and translator

• Eric Mottram (1924–1995), poet and editor

• Ralph Hale Mottram (1883–1971), novelist and poet

• Martha Moulsworth (1577–1646), autobiographical poet

• John Moultrie (1799–1874), poet and cleric

• Ferdinand Mount (born 1939), novelist

• Edward Moxon (1801–1858), poet

• Jojo Moyes (born 1969), romantic novelist

• Fiona Mozley (born 1988), novelist

• James Bowling Mozley (1813–1878), writer and cleric

• Thomas Mozley (1806–1893), writer and cleric

• Henry Muddiman (1628–1692), journalist and publisher

• William Mudford (1782–1848), essayist, novelist and translator

• Malcolm Muggeridge (1903–1990), writer and broadcaster

• Lodowicke Muggleton (1609–1698), writer

• Richard Mulcaster (c. 1531–1611), educator

• Clara Mulholland (1849–1934), novelist, playwright, children's writer and translator

• Clare Mulley (born 1969), biographer and activist

• A. J. Munby (1828–1910), diarist and poet

• A. N. L. Munby (1913–1974), ghost-story writer

• Anthony Munday (c. 1560–1633), playwright, poet and translator

• Talbot Mundy (also as Walter Galt, 1879–1940), novelist

• Iris Murdoch (1919–1999), novelist

• Jill Murphy (1949–2021), children's writer

• Margaret Murphy (born 1959), novelist

• Gilbert Murray (1866–1957), scholar

• John Murray (born 1950), novelist

• John Middleton Murry (1889–1957), writer and critic

• Valerie Grosvenor Myer (1935–2007), novelist, poet and critic

• Ernest Myers (1844–1921), poet and translator

• Frederic W. H. Myers (1843–1901), poet and essayist

• Leo Myers (1881–1944), novelist

• Julie Myerson (born 1960), novelist and journalist

N
• Thomas Nabbes (1605–1641), playwright

• Constance Naden (1858–1889), poet and philosopher

• Daljit Nagra (born 1966), poet

• V. S. Naipaul (1932–2018), novelist and Nobel Prize winner

• Priscilla Napier (1908–1998), biographer, translator and poet

• Edward Nares (1762–1841), theologian, novelist and cleric

• Roger Nash (born 1942), philosopher and poet

• Thomas Nashe (1567–1601), poet and pamphleteer

• Bill Naughton (1910–1992), playwright

• John Neal (1793–1876), novelist, essayist and poet

• John Mason Neale (1818–1866), hymnist, cleric and translator

• Patrick Neate (born 1970), novelist and screenwriter

• Mary Anna Needell (1830–1922), novelist

• Violet Needham (1876–1967), children's writer

• Henry Neele (1798–1928), poet and critic

• Malcolm Neesam (1946–2022), historian of Harrogate, North Yorkshire

• Graham Nelson (born 1968), poet and mathematician

• Robert Nelson (1656–1715), religious writer

• E. Nesbit (1858–1924), children's writer and poet, The Railway Children

• Henry Nettleship (1839–1893), classicist

• Lord William Beauchamp Nevill (1860–1939) convict-autobiographer, and prison reformer

• Alexander Neville (1544–1614), historian and translator

• Linda Newbery (born 1952), novelist and children's writer

• Henry Newbolt (1862–1938), poet

• P. H. Newby (1918–1997), novelist

• Bernard Newman (1897–1968), novelist and propagandist

• John Henry Newman (1801–1890), writer and cardinal

• Isaac Newton (1642–1727), polymath

• John Newton (1725–1807), hymnist and pamphleteer

• Thomas Newton (c. 1542–1607), poet and translator

• William Newton (1750–1830), poet

• Charles Nicholl (living), biographer

• David Nicholls (born 1966), novelist and screenwriter

• Sally Nicholls (born 1983), children's writer

• Beverley Nichols (1898–1983), novelist, playwright and garden writer

• John Nichols (1745–1826), antiquary

• Bowyer Nichols (1859–1939), poet

• Peter Nichols (1927–2019), playwright and screenwriter

• Robert Nichols (1893–1944), poet and playwright

• Geoff Nicholson (born 1953), novelist and editor

• Joseph Shield Nicholson (1850–1927), economist and novelist

• Norman Nicholson (1914–1987), poet

• Renton Nicholson (1809–1861), writer

• William Nicholson (artist) (1872–1949), children's writer and illustrator

• William Nicholson (writer) (born 1948), novelist, screenwriter and playwright

• Adam Nicolson (born 1957), historian and nature writer

• Harold Nicolson (1886–1968), writer, diarist and politician

• Nigel Nicolson (1917–2004), writer and publisher

• O. S. Nock (1905–1994), railway writer

• Roden Noel (1834–1894), poet

• David Nokes (1948–2009), biographer and screenwriter

• Malcolm Nokes (1897–1986), science and educator

• Jeff Noon (born 1957), novelist and playwright

• Denis Norden (1922–2018), scriptwriter and broadcaster

• Lawrence Norfolk (born 1963), novelist

• Barry Norman (1933–2017), novelist and broadcaster

• Roger Norman (born 1948), children's and YA writer

• John Norris (1657–1711), philosopher and poet

• William Edward Norris, (1847–1925) novelist

• Dudley North, Lord North (1602–1677) writer and poet

• Roger North (1653–1734), lawyer and biographer

• Thomas North (1535–1604), translator

• James Northcote (1746–1831), essayist and illustrator

• Caroline Norton (1808–1877), novelist, pamphleteer and poet

• Mary Norton (1903–1992), children's writer

• Thomas Norton (1532–1584), poet and lawyer

• Richard Norton-Taylor (born 1944), playwright and journalist

• John Julius Norwich (originally John Julius Cooper, 1929–2018), historian and travel writer

• Julian of Norwich (1342 – c. 1416), mystic

• Alexander Nowell (1507–1602), writer and cleric

• Alfred Noyes (1880–1958), poet

• Anthony Nuttall (1937–2007), critic and scholar

• Geoffrey Nuttall (1911–2007), church historian and Congregational minister

• Jeff Nuttall (1933–2004), poet and performer

• Robert Nye (1939–2016), poet, novelist and editor

• John Nyren (1764–1837), cricket writer

O
• Ann Oakley (born 1944), novelist and sociologist

• Graham Oakley (1929–2022), children's writer

• John Oakman (c. 1748–1793), writer and engraver

• Patrick O'Brian (originally Richard Patrick Russ, 1914–2000), novelist

• Sean O'Brien (born 1952), poet, playwright and editor

• Thomas Occleve or Hoccleve (c. 1368–1426), poet

• William Ockham or Occam (c. 1288 – c. 1348), philosopher, Occam's Razor

• Sarah Ockwell-Smith (born c. 1976), parent and child-care author

• Philip O'Connor (1916–1998), writer and poet

• John Oldham (1653–1683), poet

• John Oldmixon (1673–1742), historian and pamphleteer

• William Oldys (1696–1761), antiquary

• Laurence Oliphant (1829–1888), writer and traveller

• F. S. Oliver (1864–1934), political writer

• Jamie Oliver (born 1975), cookery writer and chef

• Martin Oliver (living), children's writer

• Michael Oliver (1937–2002), writer and broadcaster

• Paul Oliver (1927–2017), arts writer

• Reggie Oliver (born 1952), story writer and playwright

• Richard Ollard (1923–2007), historian and biographer

• Alfred Ollivant (1874–1927), children's writer

• Daniel O'Mahony (born 1973), novelist and writer

• Carola Oman (1897–1978), biographer, novelist and children's writer

• Charles Oman (1860–1946), historian

• Michael O'Neill (1953–2018), poet and scholar

• Oliver Onions (1873–1961), novelist

• Onyeka, (real name Onyeka Nubia, living), writer and playwright

• Amelia Opie (1769–1853), novelist and poet

• Iona Opie (1923–2017), and Peter Opie (1918–1982), ethnographers

• E. Phillips Oppenheim (wrote as Anthony Partridge, 1866–1946), novelist

• Emma Orczy (Baroness Orczy, 1865–1947), novelist and playwright, The Scarlet Pimpernel

• Orderic Vitalis (1075 – c. 1142), chronicler

• George Ormerod (1785–1873), antiquary and historian

• Joe Orton (1933–1967), playwright

• George Orwell (real name Eric Blair), (1903–1950), novelist and essayist, 1984

• Martin Orwin (born 1963), poet and writer

• Dorothy Osborne (1627–1695), correspondent

• John Osborne (1929–1994), playwright, Look Back in Anger

• Robin Osborne (born 1957), classicist and historian

• Alice Oseman (born 1996), YA author

• Arthur O'Shaughnessy (1844–1881), poet

• Maggie O'Sullivan (born 1951), poet and performer

• Alice Oswald (born 1966), poet

• Peter Oswald (born 1965), playwright

• William Young Ottley (1771–1836), art historian

• Thomas Otway (1652–1685), playwright

• Ouida (real name Maria Louise Ramé, 1839–1908), novelist

• William Oughtred (1574–1660), mathematician

• Keith Ovenden (born 1943), novelist and biographer

• John Overall (1559–1619), scholar, AV translator and bishop

• Thomas Overbury (1581–1613), poet and essayist

• Richard Overton (c. 1599–1664), pamphleteer

• John Owen (1616–1683), theologian

• Richard Owen (1804–1892), scientist

• Wilfred Owen (1893–1918), poet

• Elsie J. Oxenham (real name Elsie Jeanette Dunkerley, 1880–1960), children's writer

• John Oxenham (real name William Arthur Dunkerley, 1852–1941), novelist and poet

• Mary Oxlie (fl. 1616), poet

• Helen Oyeyemi (born 1984), novelist and playwright

P
• Ruth Padel (born 1946), poet and journalist

• Lynda Page (born 1950), novelist

• Russell Page (1906–1985), garden writer and designer

• John Paget (died 1638), writer and Presbyterian minister

• Barry Pain (1864–1928), novelist and humorist

• Thomas Paine (1737–1809), political pamphleteer, Rights of Man

• William Painter (c. 1540–1594), writer

• William Paley (1743–1805), philosopher, theologian and cleric

• Francis Palgrave (1788–1861), historian

• Francis Turner Palgrave (1824–1897), poet and anthologist

• William Gifford Palgrave (1826–1888), travel writer and orientalist

• Alan Palmer (1926–2022), historian and biographer

• Charlotte Palmer (c. 1762 – 1834 or after), novelist

• Edward Henry Palmer (1840–1882), translator and orientalist

• Herbert Edward Palmer (1880–1961), poet and critic

• John Palmer (c. 1729–1790) writer and Unitarian minister

• John Palmer (1742–1786), writer and Unitarian minister

• Samuel Palmer (1805–1881), poet and painter

• Robert Paltock (1697–1767), novelist

• Jane Ellen Panton (1847–1923), novelist and domestic science writer

• Joseph Pardo (c. 1624 – 1677), writer and hazzan

• Julia Pardoe (1806–1862), poet, novelist and travel writer

• Bernard Pares (1867–1949), historian and Russian expert

• Edith Pargeter (also as Ellis Peters, 1913–1995), novelist and historian

• Emma Parker (fl. 1809–1817), novelist

• Henry Parker (1604–1652), political writer

• Martin Parker (c. 1600 – c. 1656), balladeer

• Matthew Parker (1504–1575), Bible translator and archbishop, Bishops' Bible

• Norman Parker (born 1954), memoirist

• Samuel Parker (1640–1688), theologian and bishop

• Samuel Parker (1681–1730), religious writer and translator

• Una-Mary Parker (1930–2019), novelist and journalist

• Bessie Rayner Parkes (1829–1925), writer and poet

• C. Northcote Parkinson (1909–1993), naval historian and writer on administration, Parkinson's Law

• John Parkinson (botanist) (1567–1650), herbalist

• Adele Parks (born 1969), novelist

• Tim Parks (born 1954), novelist and translator

• David Parlett (born 1939), games writer

• Samuel Parr (1747–1825), political writer, scholar and educator

• Cecil Parrott (1909–1984), translator and biographer

• Eliza Parsons (1739–1811), novelist

• Frances Partridge (1900–2004), diarist and translator

• John Pass (born 1947), poet and scholar

• Paston Family (14th – 16th cc.), Paston Letters

• Mrs Henry de la Pasture (1866–1945), novelist, dramatist and children's writer

• Walter Pater (1839–1894), essayist and novelist

• Coventry Patmore (1823–1896), poet and critic

• Simon Patrick (1626–1707), theologian and bishop

• Brian Patten (born 1946), poet and children's writer

• Mark Pattison (1813–1884), writer and cleric

• Phyllis Paul (1903-1973), writer of supernatural fiction

• Tom Paulin (born 1949), poet, academic and broadcaster

• Michelle Paver (born 1960), children's writer

• Stel Pavlou (born 1970), novelist and screenwriter

• James Payn (1830–1898), novelist and miscellanist

• John Payne (1842–1917), poet and translator

• Nick Payne (born 1984), playwright

• David Peace (born 1967), novelist

• Henry Peacham the Elder (1546–1634), rhetorician and cleric

• Henry Peacham the Younger (c. 1573 – c. 1643), poet and critic

• Lucy Peacock (fl. 1785–1816), children's writer, editor and translator

• Thomas Love Peacock (1785–1866), novelist and poet, Nightmare Abbey

• Mervyn Peake (1911–1968), novelist and poet, Gormenghast

• Philippa Pearce (1920–2006), children's writer, Tom's Midnight Garden

• Pearl Poet (unnamed, fl. 14th c.), poet, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• Hugh Pearman (born 1955), critic and architect.

• Tim Pears (born 1956), novelist

• Dan Pearson (born 1964), garden writer

• Hesketh Pearson (1887–1964), biographer

• John Pearson (1930–2021), biographer

• John Pearson (1612–1686), theologian and bishop

• Edward R. Pease (1857–1955), writer and politician

• Reginald Pecock (c. 1395–1460), theologian and bishop

• Margaret Pedler (died 1948), novelist

• Arthur George Villiers Peel (also as George Peel, 1869–1956), economist and politician

• Constance Peel (also as Mrs. C. S. Peel and Dorothy Peel, 1868–1934), novelist and writer on household economy

• J. H. B. Peel (1913–1983), writer, poet and journalist

• George Peele (1556–1596), playwright and poet, The Old Wives' Tale

• Mal Peet (1947–2015), children's writer

• Samuel Pegge (1704–1796), antiquary, translator and cleric

• Isaac Penington (1616–1679), Quaker writer

• William Penn (1644–1718), politician, writer and Quaker

• Thomas Pennant (1726–1798), naturalist, antiquary and travel writer

• Francis Penrose (1817–1903), architect and archaeologist

• Roland Penrose (1900–1984), biographer and artist

• Hilary Pepler (1878–1951), writer and poet

• Michael Peppiatt (born 1941), art critic and biographer

• Emily Pepys (1833–1877), child diarist

• Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), diarist and administrator

• Thomas Percy (1729–1811), bishop, poet and anthologist, Percy's Reliques

• John Perrin (c. 1558–1615), scholar, AV translator and cleric

• Anne Perry (1938–2023), novelist

• Chris Petit (born 1949), novelist and film director

• William Petty (1623–1687), economist and philosopher

• K.M. Peyton (originally Kathleen Herald, born 1929), children's writer

• Gilbert Phelps (1915–1993), novelist, critic and educator

• St. John Philby (1885–1960), writer and intelligence officer

• Ambrose Philips (1674–1739), poet

• John Philips (1676–1709), poet

• Katherine Philips (1632–1644), poet

• Caryl Phillips (born 1958), novelist

• Edward Phillips (1630 – c. 1696), writer and philologist

• John Phillips (1631–1706), writer

• J. B. Phillips (1906–1982), Bible translator and cleric

• Richard Phillips (1767–1840), writer and publisher

• Stephen Phillips (1864–1915), poet and playwright

• Eden Phillpotts (1862–1960), novelist, poet and playwright

• Henry Phillpotts (1778–1869), pamphleteer and bishop

• Gervase Phinn (born 1946), novelist, poet and educator

• Constantine Phipps (1797–1863), writer and politician

• David Andrew Phoenix (born 1966), writer, scientist and educator

• Barbara Leonie Picard (1917–2011), children's writer

• Tom Pickard (born 1946), poet and scriptwriter

• David Pickering (born 1958), compiler of reference books

• Marmaduke Pickthall (1875–1936), scholar, Qur'an translator and novelist

• Sarah Piers (died 1719), poet

• Arthur Cecil Pigou (1877–1959), economist

• William Thomas Pike (1838–1924), publisher, journalist, editor, writer

• Mary Pilkington, (1766–1839) novelist, poet and children's writer

• Arthur Wing Pinero (1855–1934), playwright

• William Pinnock (1782–1843) educator

• Harold Pinter (1930–2008), Nobel prize winner, playwright and screenwriter, The Caretaker

• Isaac Pitman (1813–1897), writer on shorthand

• Christopher Pitt (1699–1748), poet and translator

• William Pitt (died 1840), shipbuilder and poet

• Ruth Pitter (1897–1992), poet

• Mary Pix (1666–1709), playwright and novelist

• James Planché (1796–1880), playwright

• Victor Plarr (1863–1929), poet and biographer

• Alan Plater (1935–2010), playwright, screenwriter and novelist

• Karen Platt (living), garden writer

• Robert Plot (1640–1996), naturalist, chemist and antiquary

• Max Plowman (1883–1941), writer and poet

• J. H. Plumb (1911–2001), historian

• Anne Plumptre (1760–1818), writer and translator

• Isaac Pocock (1782–1835), playwright and painter

• Tom Pocock (1925–2007), biographer and historian

• Richard Pococke (1704–1765), travel writer, diarist and bishop

• Frank Podmore (1856–1910), writer and politician

• Michael Podro (1931–2008), art historian

• Elizabeth Polack (fl. 1830–1838), playwright

• John William Polidori (1795–1821), writer and poet

• Alfred Oliver Pollard (1893–1960), novelist and army officer

• Alfred W. Pollard (1859–1944), bibliographer and scholar

• Margaret Steuart Pollard (1903–1996), poet and writer

• William Pollard (1828–1893), Quaker writer

• Jacob Polley (born 1975), poet and novelist

• Elizabeth Polwheele or Polewhele (c. 1651 – c. 1691), playwright

• Richard Polwhele (1760–1838), poet, writer and cleric

• John Pomfret (1667–1702), poet and cleric

• George Ayliffe Poole (1809–1883), religious writer and cleric

• John Poole (1786–1872), playwright

• Alexander Pope (1688–1744), poet

• Dudley Pope (1925–1997), novelist

• Jessie Pope (1868–1941), poet and writer

• Walter Pope (1627–1714), astronomer and poet

• James Pope-Hennessy (1916–1974), biographer and travel writer

• Samuel Pordage (1633–1691), poet

• Eleanor Anne Porden (1795–1825), poet

• Richard Porson (1759–1808), classicist

• Alice Hobbins Porter (1854–1926), writer, journalist, editor

• Anna Maria Porter (1780–1832), novelist and poet

• Henry Porter (died 1599), playwright

• Henry Porter (born 1953), novelist and journalist

• Jane Porter (1776–1850), novelist

• Linda Porter (born 1947), historian and biographer

• Robert Percival Porter (1852-1917), journalist, statistician, economics writer

• Roy Porter (1946–2002), historian

• Sheena Porter (born 1935), children's writer

• Suzanne Portnoy (born 1961), writer and playwright

• Jacob Post (1774–1855), Quaker writer

• Raymond Postgate (1896–1971), novelist and social historian

• Beatrix Potter (1866–1943), children's writer and illustrator, The Tale of Peter Rabbit

• Dennis Potter (1935–1994), playwright and screenwriter

• Robert Potter (1721–1804), translator, poet and cleric

• Anthony Powell (1905–2000), novelist

• Michael Powell (1905–1990), writer and film director

• Eileen Power (1889–1940), historian

• Marguerite Agnes Power (1815–1867), novelist and periodical writer and editoriginally

• Rhoda Power (1890–1957), children's writer and broadcaster

• John Cowper Powys (1872–1963), novelist

• Llewelyn Powys (1884–1939), travel writer and biographer

• T. F. Powys (1875–1953), novelist and story writer

• Winthrop Mackworth Praed (1802–1839), poet and politician

• Terry Pratchett (1948–2015), novelist

• Anne Pratt (1806–1893), botanical writer and illustrator

• Samuel Jackson Pratt (1749–1814), poet, playwright and novelist

• Lucy Prebble (born 1981), playwright

• Thomas Preston (1537–1598), scholar and playwright

• Thomas Preston (1563–1640), writer and monk

• Diana Primrose (fl. 1630), poet

• Matthew Prior (1664–1721), poet

• Anthony Price (1928–2019), thriller writer

• Bonamy Price (1807–1888), political economist

• Nancy Price (1880–1970), playwright, novelist and poet

• Nicholas A. Price, writer, poet, photographer and visual artist

• Richard Price (1723–1791), economist, philosopher and Unitarian minister

• Susan Price (born 1955), children's writer

• Uvedale Price (1747–1829), art critic

• Christopher Priest (born 1943), novelist

• Chris Priestley (born 1958), children's writer and illustrator

• J. B. Priestley (1894–1984), playwright and novelist

• Joseph Priestley (1733–1804), theologian and philosopher

• Alison Prince (1931–2019), children's writer, biographer and screenwriter

• Peter Prince (born 1942), novelist and screenwriter

• John Laurence Pritchard (1885–1968), mathematician, and novelist

• V. S. Pritchett (1900–1997), writer

• May Probyn (1856–1909), poet

• Adelaide Anne Procter (1825–1864), poet

• Bryan Procter (wrote as Barry Cornwall, 1787–1874), songwriter and playwright

• Sophie Amelia Prosser, (1807–1882), children's writer

• Sally Prue (living), children's writer

• Paula Pryke (born 1960), writer and florist

• J.H. Prynne (born 1936), poet

• William Prynne (1600–1699), religious writer and historian

• John Pudney (1909–1977), writer and poet

• Sheenagh Pugh (born 1950), poet and novelist

• Christine Pullein-Thompson, (1925–2005), children's writer

• Diana Pullein-Thompson, (1925–2015), children's writer

• Josephine Pullein-Thompson (1924–2014), children's writer

• Charlotte Pullein-Thompson (wrote as Charlotte Popescu, born 1957), children's and garden writer

• Philip Pullman (born 1946), children's writer, His Dark Materials

• Samuel Purchas (c. 1575–1626), travel writer

• C. B. Purdom (1883–1965), critic and biographer

• Libby Purves (born 1950), novelist, broadcaster and columnist

• Edward Bouverie Pusey (1800–1882), theologian, scholar and cleric

• George Puttenham (1529–1590), and Richard Puttenham (c. 1520 – c. 1601), critics and courtiers

• Henry James Pye (1745–1813), Poet Laureate and writer

• Thomas Pyle (1674–1756), writer and cleric

• Barbara Pym (1913–1980), novelist

Q
• Bernard Quaritch (1819–1899), bookseller and bibliographer

• Francis Quarles (1592–1644), poet

• C. H. B. Quennell (1872–1935), writer and architect

• Marjorie Quennell (1884–1972), historian

• Peter Quennell (1905–1993), biographer, poet and essayist

• Arthur Quiller-Couch (wrote as Q, 1863–1944), novelist and critic, Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250–1900

• Mabel Quiller-Couch (c. 1866–1924), children's writer and editor

• Edward Quillinan (1791–1851), poet and translator

• Janet Quin-Harkin (born 1941), novelist

• Ann Quin (1936–1973), novelist

• Anthony Quiney (born 1935), architectural historian

• Anthony Quinton (1925–2010), philosopher and broadcaster