List of essayists

This is a list of essayists—people notable for their essay-writing.

Note: Birthplaces (as listed) do not always indicate nationality.

A
• Augurio Abeto (1900–1977, Philippines)

• André Aciman (born 1951, Egypt)

• Joseph Addison (1672–1719, England)

• Theodor W. Adorno (1903–1969, Germany)

• Sheetal Agashe (born 1977, India)

• José de Alencar (1829–1877, Brazil)

• Kingsley Amis (1922–1995, United Kingdom)

• Martin Amis (1949–2023, United Kingdom)

• Oswald de Andrade (1890–1954, Brazil)

• Jacob M. Appel (born 1973, United States)

• Helena Araújo Ortiz (1934–2015, Colombia)

• Matthew Arnold (1822–1888, United Kingdom)

• Anastasia Ashman (born 1964, United States)

• Margaret Atwood (born 1939, Canada)

• Isaac Asimov (1920–1992, Russia)

• W. H. Auden (1907–1973, United Kingdom)

• Joxe Azurmendi (born 1941, Spain)

B
• Rambriksh Benipuri (1902–1968, India)

• Francis Bacon (1561–1626, England)

• Walter Bagehot (1826–1877, England)

• James Baldwin (1924–1987, United States)

• Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825, England)

• John Perry Barlow (1947–2018, United States)

• Julian Barnes (born 1946, United Kingdom)

• Jacques Barzun (1907–2012, France)

• Enis Batur (born 1952, Turkey)

• Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867, France)

• Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953, United Kingdom)

• Walter Benjamin (1892–1940, Germany)

• Wendell Berry (born 1934, United States)

• Jens Bjørneboe (1920–1976, Norway)

• Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986, Argentina)

• Alain de Botton (born 1969, Switzerland)

• Giannina Braschi (born 1953, Puerto Rico)

• William Brandon (1914–2002, United States)

• Alfred Brendel (born 1931, Czech Republic)

• Christopher Buckley (born 1952, United States)

• Anthony Burgess (1917–1993, United Kingdom)

• Richard de Bury (1287–1345, England)

C-D
• Erskine Caldwell (1903–2007, United States)

• Italo Calvino (1923–1985, Italy)

• Albert Camus (1913–1960, Algeria)

• Rafael Cansinos Assens (1882–1964, Spain)

• Orson Scott Card (born 1951, United States)

• John Carey (born 1934, United Kingdom)

• Simon Carmiggelt (1913–1987, Netherlands)

• Otto Maria Carpeaux (1900–1978, Austria)

• Harriet Frances Carpenter (1868/75 – 1956, United States)

• Saveria Chemotti (born 1947, Italy)

• Kelly Cherry (born 1940, United States)

• G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936, United Kingdom)

• Panashe Chigumadzi (DOB unknown, living, Zimbabwe)

• Noam Chomsky (born 1928, United States)

• Winston Churchill (1874–1965, Great Britain)

• Emil Cioran (1911–1995, Romania)

• J. M. Coetzee (born 1940, South Africa)

• William Cobbett (1763–1835, Great Britain)

• Anthony Collins (1676–1729, England)

• Charles Caleb Colton (1780–1832, Great Britain)

• Cyril Connolly (1903–1974, United Kingdom)

• Abraham Cowley (1618–1667, Great Britain)

• A. J. Cronin (1896–1981, Scotland)

• Samuel McChord Crothers (1857–1927, United States)

• Richard Dawkins (born 1941, United Kingdom)

• Mike Daisey (born 1976, United States)

• Theodore Dalrymple (born 1949, United Kingdom)

• Nik De Dominic (born 1981, United States)

• Joan Didion (1934–2021, United States)

• Annie Dillard (born 1945, United States)

• Babacar Sedikh Diouf (born 1928, Senegal)

• Alfred Döblin (1878–1957, Germany)

• John Dolan (1955–1981, United States)

• Joe Dolce (born 1947, Australia)

• Denis Donoghue (1928–2021, Ireland)

• John Dryden (1631–1700, England)

E-G
• Klaus Ebner (born 1964, Austria)

• Umberto Eco (1932–2016, Italy)

• T. S. Eliot (1888–1965, United States)

• Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882, United States)

• Joseph Epstein (born 1937, United States)

• Filip Erceg (born 1979, Croatia)

• Barbara Ehrenreich (born 1941, United States)

• Jaime Eyzaguirre (1908–1968, Chile)

• Anne Fadiman (born 1953, United States)

• Femi Fani-Kayode (born 1960, Nigeria)

• Frantz Fanon (1925–1961, Martinique)

• Richard Farmer (1735–1797, England)

• Gérard Fauré (born 1946, Morocco)

• Benito Jerónimo Feijoo e Montenegro (1676–1764, Spain)

• Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919–2021, United States)

• Predrag Finci (born 1946, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

• E. M. Forster (1879–1970, England)

• John Foster (1770–1843, United Kingdom)

• Ian Frazier (born 1951, United States)

• Robert Fulghum (born 1937, United States)

• Joan Fuster (1922–1992, Spain)

• Harry Gamboa, Jr. (born 1951, United States)

• William H. Gass (1924–2017, United States)

• Karl-Markus Gauß (born 1954, Austria)

• Malcolm Gladwell (born 1963, United Kingdom)

• Adam Gopnik (born 1956, United States)

• Stephen Jay Gould (1941–2002, United States)

• Mohammed Lotfy Gomaa (1886–1953, Egypt)

• Paul Graham (born 1964, England)

• Clement Greenberg (1909–1994, United States)

• A. C. Grayling (born 1949, United Kingdom)

• Gordon Grice (born 1965, United States)

• Stanka Gjurić (born 1956, Croatia)

H-J
• Carla Harryman (born 1952, United States)

• William Hazlitt (1778–1830, England)

• Peter Handke (born 1942 Griffen, Austria)

• Saeko Himuro (1957–2008, Japan)

• Fumi Hirano (born 1955, Japan)

• Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011, United Kingdom)

• Peter Hitchens (born 1951, United Kingdom)

• Hugh Hood (1928–2000, Canada)

• Langston Hughes (1902–1967, United States)

• David Hume (1711–1776, United Kingdom)

• Hamid Rashidi (1961–2020, Iran)

• Leigh Hunt (1784–1859, England)

• Aldous Leonard Huxley (1894–1963, England)

• Lucie Fulton Isaacs (1841–1916, United States)

• Shigesato Itoi (born 1948, Japan)

• Molly Ivins (1944–2007, United States)

• Jwalamukhi (1938–2008, India)

• Michael Johns (born 1964, United States)

• Diane Johnson (born 1934, United States)

• Electa Amanda Wright Johnson (1938–1929, United States)

• Samuel Johnson (1709–1784, England)

• June Jordan (1936–2002, United States)

• Rebecca Richardson Joslin (1846–1934, United States)

K-L
• Steven G. Kellman (born 1947, United States)

• Ted Kaczynski (1942–2023, United States)

• Shakuntala Karandikar (1931–2018, India)

• Frank Kermode (1919–2010, United Kingdom)

• Tracy Kidder (born 1945, United States)

• Chuck Klosterman (born 1972, United States)

• Rudy Kousbroek (1929–2010, Netherlands)

• Hans Krieger (born 1933, Germany)

• Miroslav Krleža (1893–1981, Croatia)

• Tomislav Ladan (1932–2008, Serbia)

• Laila Lalami (born 1968, Morocco)

• Anne Richelieu Lamb (1807–1878, Scotland)

• Charles Lamb (1775–1834, England)

• Shankar Lamichhane (Nepal)

• Anne Lamott (born 1954, United States)

• Corinne Lee (United States)

• Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716, Germany)

• Albert Leung (born 1961, Hong Kong)

• C. S. Lewis (1898–1963, Ireland)

• Li Ao (1935–2018, China, Taiwan)

• Liang Shiqiu (1903–1987, China, Taiwan)

• Lin Yutang (1895–1976, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong)

• Alan Lightman (born 1948, United States)

• Tim Lilburn (born 1950, Canada)

• Lin Wenyue (born 1933, Taiwan)

• Joan Lindsay (1896–1984, Australia)

• E. V. Lucas (1868–1938, England)

• Lu Xun (1881–1936, China)

M-N
• Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949), Belgium)

• Norman Mailer (1923–2007, United States)

• Jorge Majfud (born 1969, Uruguay)

• Laura Mancinelli (1933–2016, Italy)

• Francis T. McAndrew (born 1953, Germany)

• Nathan McCall (born 1955, United States)

• Mary McCarthy (1912–1989, United States)

• Tim McKay (1947–2006, United States)

• John McPhee (born 1931, United States)

• Louis Menand (born 1952, United States)

• H. L. Mencken (1880–1956, United States)

• Arthur Miller (1915–2005, United States)

• Pankaj Mishra (born 1969, India)

• Donald Grant Mitchell (1822–1908, United States)

• Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592, France)

• Angela Morales (born 1966, United States)

• Michele Moramarco (born 1953, Italy)

• V. S. Naipaul (1932–2018, Trinidad and Tobago)

• Nakane Kōtei (1839–1913, Japan)

• Ukichiro Nakaya (1900–1962, Japan)

• Marie NDiaye (born 1967, France)

• John Neal (1793–1876, United States)

• Virgil Nemoianu (born 1940, Romania)

• Natias Neutert (born 1941, Germany)

• Kathleen Norris (born 1947, United States)

O-R
• Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938, United States)

• George Orwell (1903–1950, United Kingdom)

• Borislav Pekić (1930–1992, Serbia)

• Noel Perrin (1927–2004, United States)

• Samuel F. Pickering Jr. (born 1941, United States)

• Stanley Plumly (1939–2019, United States)

• Mestrius Plutarch (46–127, Boeotia, Ancient Greece)

• Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849, United States)

• Katherine Ann Porter (1890–1980, United States)

• Anna M. Longshore Potts (1829–1912, United States)

• J.B. Priestley (1894–1984, England)

• Kevin Prufer (born 1969, United States)

• Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859, England)

• Indra Bahadur Rai (1927–2018, India)

• Fanny Raoul (1771–1833, France)

• María del Carmen Reina Jiménez (born 1942, Spain)

• Gabrielle Réval (1869–1938, France)

• Kenneth Rexroth (1905–1985, United States)

• Tjalie Robinson (1911–1974, Netherlands)

• Richard Rodriguez (born 1944, United States)

• Arundhati Roy (born 1961, India)

• Bertrand Russell (1872–1970, United Kingdom)

S
• Rahul Sankrityayan (1893–1963, India)

• Edward Said (1935–2003, Palestine)

• John Ralston Saul (born 1947, Canada)

• Dan Schneider (born 1965, United States)

• Robert Schumann (1810–1856, Germany)

• David Sedaris (born 1956, United States)

• John Robert Seeley (1834–1895, England)

• Rafael Calvo Serer (1916–1988, Spain)

• George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950, Ireland)

• Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822, England)

• Fannie Isabelle Sherrick (fl. 1860–1880, United States)

• David Shields (born 1956, United States)

• Clay Shirky (born 1964, United States)

• Simeon Simev (born 1949, Republic of Macedonia)

• Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' (1908–1974, India)

• Matias Skard (1846–1827, Norway)

• Jean Edward Smith (1932–2019, United States)

• Zadie Smith (born 1975, England)

• Amelia Solar de Claro (1836–1915, Chile)

• Walid Soliman (born 1975, Tunisia)

• Rebecca Solnit (born 1961, United States)

• Susan Sontag (1933–2004, United States)

• Dejan Stojanović (born 1959, Serbia)

• Lytton Strachey (1880–1932, United Kingdom)

• Cheryl Strayed (born 1968, United States)

T-Z
• Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941, India)

• Nassim Nicholas Taleb (born 1960, Lebanon)

• Alain Tasso (born 1962, Lebanon)

• Vijay Tendulkar (1928–2008, India)

• Issa Laye Thiaw (1943–2017, Senegal)

• Colm Tóibín (born 1955, Ireland)

• Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910, Russia)

• Lionel Trilling (1905–1975, United States)

• George W. S. Trow (1943–2006, United States)

• Andrew Vachss (1942–2021, United States)

• Paul Valéry (1871–1945, France)

• Erico Verissimo (1905–1975, Brazil)

• Gore Vidal (1925–2012, United States)

• Voltaire (1694–1778, France)

• Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007, United States)

• Richard Wagner (1813–1883, Germany)

• David Foster Wallace (1962–2008, United States)

• Rebecca West (1892–1983, United Kingdom)

• E. B. White (1899–1985, United States)

• Oscar Wilde (1852–1900, Ireland)

• Tom Wolfe (1931–2018, United States)

• Virginia Woolf (1882–1941, United Kingdom)

• Yang Jiang (1911–2016, China)

• Marguerite Yourcenar (1903–1987, France)

• Asunción de Zea-Bermúdez (1862–1936, Spain)