Community Chat

[Oznell]

Jonathan Swift, penetrating Anglo-Irish satirist

Born November 30, 1667, in Dublin, Ireland

"Gulliver's Travels",  countless works of satire, essays, poems.   His poem "Cadenus and Vanessa" is a coded reference to his own love, Esther Vanhomrigh.  He took elements from her first and last names, and coined the name "Vanessa"!

Mark Twain, (Samuel Clemons) American novelist and essayist,  born November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri

"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn",  "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer",  "Innocents Abroad",  and on and on. 

Winston Churchill, British statesman and writer, born November 30, 1874,  Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England.

Although one of the great political and historical figures of the 20th century, Churchill was indeed a literary man like the others.  He wrote "The World Crisis", among many others.  A historian and memoirist of note, he also wrote all of his magnificent speeches, and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.

L. M. Montgomery, (Lucy Maud Montgomery) beloved Canadian children's author, born November 30, 1874 (yes, she shared Churchill's exact birthday!), in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Canada

"Anne of Green Gables",  "Emily of New Moon",  "Kilmeny of the Orchard",  "Magic for Marigold",  so many others.

David Mamet, American playwright, born November 30, 1947, Chicago, Illinois

"Speed-the-Plow",  "Glengarry Glen Ross",  "Oleanna" 

There are even more November 30 literary babies, but that's a start, ha.

[Irish1210]

WOW!!!  The stars were aligned : )

[Trix]

@Oznell  Quite an incredible list.  Thanks for sharing such an interesting tidbit. 

[MoJoV]

I guessed the author of this thread before i saw the name as @Oznell  because you always have interesting and informative threads like this! 

Quite a brilliant group of 11/30 birthdays.

[Oznell]

Thank you, kind @MoJoV .

Agreed, @Irish1210 , @Trix , and @MoJoV ,  how fascinating that these greats all appeared on the same day--  I couldn't get over that!

By the way, wishing a happy birthday to ALL November 30 birthday people out there.....

[just bee]

@Oznell 

And every one of them fabulous! 

[Oznell]

Agreed, heartily, discerning @just bee !

[Oznell]

One postscript to the greats born on November 30:

John McCrae, Canadian poet and physician, author of "In Flander's Fields".

Born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, on November 30, 1870

Died of pneumonia serving, in his mid-Forties, in World War I.   Wrote "In Flanders Fields" while sitting in the back of an ambulance near Ypres, France-- the day after a friend had been killed in the infamous Battle of Ypres.

 "In Flanders Fields"
    In Flanders fields the poppies blow
          Between the crosses, row on row,
       That mark our place; and in the sky
       The larks, still bravely singing, fly
    Scarce heard amid the guns below.

        We are the dead, short days ago
      We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
       Loved and were loved, and now we lie
             In Flanders fields.

    Take up our quarrel with the foe:
    To you from failing hands we throw
       The torch; be yours to hold it high.
       If ye break faith with us who die
    We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
             In Flanders fields.

–John McCrae