Ellen Glasgow

popular name: Mary Shelley

date_of_death: February 1, 1851

age: 53

cause_of_death: Brain tumor

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Mary Shelley (1797–1851) was an English novelist, best known for writing Frankenstein, one of the most influential works in the horror genre. She was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, the daughter of the feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and philosopher William Godwin. Her mother died only 11 days after her birth, leaving her with a strong intellectual legacy and a challenging childhood. In 1814, at the age of 16, Mary began a romantic relationship with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was already married. Despite societal taboos, they eloped to France in 1816, where they faced personal hardships, including the death of their first child. That same year, during a summer spent with Lord Byron at Lake Geneva, she conceived the idea for Frankenstein, which was published in 1818 when she was just 20. Percy Shelley died in 1822 in a drowning accident, leaving Mary a widow with a young son. She continued to write and publish, but struggled financially and emotionally. She wrote novels, short stories, travelogues, and biographies, though none gained the lasting fame of Frankenstein. She also edited and promoted Percy’s works. Mary Shelley died on February 1, 1851, from a brain tumor at the age of 53. She left behind a legacy as a pioneering figure in Gothic literature and a trailblazer for women in literature, particularly through her groundbreaking work with Frankenstein, which explored themes of creation, responsibility, and the human condition.

popular name: Truman Capote

date_of_death: August 25, 1984

age: 59

cause_of_death: Liver disease complicated by phlebitis and multiple drug intoxication

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Truman was a unique, one-of-a-kind American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Some of Truman Capote's best known works include 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (1958) and 'In Cold Blood' (1966). Often viewed as a chronicler of chic Manhattan party life, Truman became most famous for writing a gritty account about the murder of a family in Kansas. In Cold Blood changed journalism, creating what Capote termed the non-fiction novel. 'In Cold Blood' was an instant success and is the second-best-selling true crime novel in history.

popular name: Émile Zola

date_of_death: September 29, 1902

age: 62

cause_of_death: Carbon monoxide poisoning caused by an improperly ventilated chimney, but some speculation of possible homicide

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Émile Zola was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. Naturalism contributes something more than realism: the attention brought to bear on the most lush and opulent aspects of people and the natural world. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in the renowned newspaper headline J'Accuse…! Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901 and 1902.