2003 in literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2003.

Events

February 12 – An invitation from the First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush, for some poets to attend a conference at the White House is postponed when one of them, Sam Hamill, organizes a "Poets Against the War" group for poetry readings across the United States on the same date.^[1]
February 15 – Anti-war protests occur in London. They are later used as the setting for Ian McEwan's 2005 novel Saturday.^[2]
March – The University of Mosul library is damaged and looted during the Iraq War, but many volumes are removed for protection by staff.
April 14 – The Iraq National Library and Archive is burned down during the Battle of Baghdad.^[3]
April – Nicholas Hytner succeeds Sir Trevor Nunn as artistic director of London's Royal National Theatre.^[4]
November 7 – UNESCO places among the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity wayang kulit, a shadow puppet theatre and best known of the Indonesian wayang.^[5]

New books

Films

Deaths

January 5 – Jean Kerr, American author and playwright (born 1923)
January 21 – Paul Haines, American-born Canadian poet and songwriter (born 1933)
February 16 – Aleksandar Tišma, Serbian novelist (born 1924)
February 26 – Quentin Keynes, English explorer, writer and filmmaker (born 1921)
March 11 – Brian Cleeve, English-born Irish writer and broadcaster (born 1921)
March 12 – Howard Fast, American novelist (born 1914)
March 14 – Lucian Boz, Romanian and Australian literary critic (born 1908)
April 3 – Michael Kelly, American journalist (born 1957)
April 7 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French children's writer (born 1903)
June 21
- George Axelrod, American dramatist and screenwriter (born 1922)
- Leon Uris, American novelist (born 1924)
July 6 – Kathleen Raine, English poet, scholar, and translator (born 1908)^[20]
July 10 – Winston Graham, English novelist (born 1908)^[21]
July 14 – Éva Janikovszky, Hungarian novelist and children's writer (born 1926)
July 15 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean-born fiction writer (born 1953)
July 16 – Carol Shields, American-born Canadian novelist (breast cancer; born 1935)^[22]
September 3 – Alan Dugan, American poet (born 1923)
September 12 – Profira Sadoveanu, Romanian journalist, memoirist, biographer, editor and translator (born 1906)
September 24 – Derek Prince, English biblical scholar, author and radio presenter (born 1915)
September 25 – Edward Said, Palestinian-American literary critic (born 1935)^[23]
November 9 – Alan Davidson, Northern Irish historian and food writer (born 1924)
December 3 – Sita Ram Goel, Indian historian, publisher and author (born 1921)
December 11 – Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (born 1927)^[24]
December 12 – Fadwa Toukan, Palestinian poet (born 1917)

Awards

Notes

Hahn, Daniel (2015). The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (2nd ed.). Oxford. University Press. ISBN 9780198715542.

2003 in literature

Events

New books

Films

Deaths

Awards

See also

Notes

References

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Children and young people

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Poetry

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